Want better digestion? Eat warm food. Here’s why.

The one thing I tell every client who wants to feel less bloated, more energetic, and have better bowel movements is this: eat warm, cooked food. For every meal. At least 80-90% of what you eat should be at least lightly cooked.

But what about fruit I hear you saying. What about smoothies? What about salads?

You can stew fruit, or just eat a little bit of whatever is in season. As for smoothies and salads-just stop eating them.

Most fruits and vegetables, particularly the ones chosen for smoothies and mixed with ice, are cold in nature-they slow and deplete our digestive fire.

Imagine you have a nice roaring fire, radiating warmth and light. Then someone throws a whole heap of wet, damp grass and timber on it. What happens? It smoulders, smokes, and eventually goes out.

If you feel bloated, have loose stools, suffer from low energy and brain fog these can all be signs that your digestive fire (the Spleen in TCM) is weak, and needs support.

But it’s more than just about what you eat. It’s your relationship to food. Smoothies and salads are convenient. It’s easy. There’s a perception that cooking soups, stews, congees are porridges take time. And they do-that’s the point.

Amidst the busy pace of modern life, simply taking the time to nourish and nurture your body by cooking will completely change your relationship to how and why you eat. Our digestive system is our earth, our center. Every cell in the body needs the vital energy and nutrients that it extracts and absorbs from what we eat. When you realise this, and prioritise your digestive health, everything changes.

Sleep, inflammation, menstrual health, fertility, are all so dependent on the gut being healthy and flourishing.

And it’s not just physical. So much of our spirit, our mental clarity and emotional state relies on a healthy functioning gut. The correlation between poor gut health and anxiety and depression has been understood in every traditional medicine. Modern science is validating what people have known for thousands of years. A happy body is a happy mind.

So, give it a try.

Eat the congee. Make the soup. Take your time. Be bothered. And be patient.

Most of all, enjoy your food.