Food for Respiratory Health
by Courtney Lennon, LicAc
In Chinese Medicine, the lungs help the body maintain a healthy immune system and keep energy (Qi) flowing through the body. While we like to think of how every organ system works together, the following is a set of guidelines if your lungs need some extra TLC!
General guidelines:
During an acute illness affecting the lungs and respiration, avoid excess of dairy, meat, eggs, tofu, pineapple, salt and concentrated sweeteners.
If you are having excessive phlegm or mucus and a productive cough, make dishes that include ingredients such as lettuce, carrots, turnips, kale, button mushrooms, amaranth, wild bluegreen micro algae, asparagus, white pepper, pumpkin, vinegar, papaya, valerian, or chamomile.
If you have a dry cough, make dishes that include ingredients such as apples, tangerines, cucumber, pine nuts, persimmons, peanuts, walnuts, pears, lima beans, almonds (almond flour and almond milk too!).
Does organic matter?
If you are trying to be conscious of your budget, check out The Dirty Dozen and aim for those to be organic and "clean" of any extra chemicals.
Recipes for Respiratory health
Poached peaches (or pears!) with tarragon
Peaches and pears moisten the lungs to help with a dry cough, and tarragon has long been used by herbalists to prevent lung infections.
Ingredients:
4 cups water
1/4-1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar
1/2 lemon, slices into 1/4 inch thick rounds
2 tablespoons brandy
1-1 1/2lbs peaches (or pears) cut in half and pitted (or cored)
4-5 sprigs of fresh tarragon or 1 tablespoon dried
Instructions:
Combine the water, sugar, lemon slices, and brandy in medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.
Add peaches (or pears) and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until fruit is soft, at least 5 minutes. Then remove fruit with slotted spoon and set aside.
Continue simmering the poaching liquid until it has reduced by about half (usually 10 to 15 minutes).
Turn off the heat, return the fruit to the pan, add the tarragon , and let sit with lid on for 10 minutes.
Serve peaches warm with a scoop of their poaching liquid. *large amounts of tarragon can make your mouth feel numb, so don’t be alarmed! It is temporary and harmless*
Ginger carrots
Ingredients:
4 carrots sliced diagonally
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sea salt to taste
Instructions:
Sauté carrots in heated sesame oil for three minutes
Add ginger and salt
Cover and shake pan counter clockwise
Cook 30 min on low heat until tender
If you would like to glaze the carrots, add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot diluted in 1/2 cup of water, then stir and simmer 1-2 additional minutes