Fall Foods: Eating with the Season
As the days get shorter and the air turns crisp, our appetites begin to change. The iced tea, salads, and watermelon that felt refreshing in July may seem less appealing now. Instead, we start craving roasted vegetables, soups, stews, and warm spices.
In Chinese medicine, this is a natural part of transitioning with the season. Fall is a time to begin turning inward and building our reserves for winter. One simple way to support that shift is to eat more warm, cooked, seasonal food.
A patient whose digestion has improved significantly asked me to write more about this. So we’ll look at both what to eat as the weather cools and how we eat, which is a part of digestion that’s easy to overlook.
So, pour yourself a warm cup of chai or a pumpkin spice latte, and let’s get into it.
Breakfast like a king?
You may have heard me say, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner like a peasant.” It’s an old saying that fits with the Chinese medicine view of digestion.
Why? In the Chinese medicine organ clock, each organ system has a two-hour period when its energy is considered most active. The Stomach’s time is 7-9am, followed by the Spleen from 9-11am. Together, these systems receive and digest food and turn it into the energy we use throughout the day. In this framework, digestive energy is thought to be strongest in the morning.
Someone recently told me that ‘breakfast like a king’ had been debunked. That conversation prompted me to take a closer look at the science. Modern research doesn’t confirm the organ clock’s exact hours, but it does suggest that when we eat matters. A review of studies found that the same meal generally produces a lower blood sugar rise during the day than at night. A separate review of 41 trials found some metabolic advantages to eating earlier rather than later. That doesn’t mean you need a huge breakfast. It does give us a reason to eat enough during the day and avoid saving our biggest meal for late at night.
Think of your digestion as a wood stove
I often recommend warm meals and drinks to patients, especially when their digestion feels sluggish. Sometimes they’ll say, “Oh yes, my last acupuncturist told me that, too!” Acupuncturists disagree about plenty of things, but our preference for warm drinks is rarely one of them.
In Chinese medicine, the Stomach and Spleen systems work together to turn food and drink into nourishment and energy. Together, they’re part of what we call the “middle burner.” I like to picture it as a wood stove.
In the morning, you start a stove with fuel that catches easily. You wouldn’t begin with a damp log. Once the fire is going, it can handle more substantial fuel. From a Chinese medicine perspective, a warm, cooked breakfast is a gentle way to start digestion for the day.
There’s a practical side to this advice, too. Cooking softens food and changes its structure, making chewing and digestion easier. So, if you tend to feel bloated or uncomfortable after your morning smoothie or cold cereal, it may be worth trying something warm instead and noticing how you feel.
One small study offers an interesting example. After drinking cold water, participants with IBS became more sensitive to pressure in the lower digestive tract; some, particularly those with diarrhea-predominant IBS, also reported abdominal symptoms. Warm water did not produce the same measured change. This doesn’t mean cold drinks cause problems for everyone, but it helps explain why some people with sensitive digestion may feel better choosing warmer drinks.
In Chinese medicine, symptoms such as bloating, loose stools, and fatigue can point to a pattern called Spleen qi deficiency. For someone with this pattern, warm meals and drinks is one simple way to support digestion.
Congee: the perfect kindling breakfast
One of my favorite breakfasts for cooler weather is congee, also called jook in some parts of Asia. It is usually made by cooking rice slowly in plenty of water until it becomes a soft porridge.
Congee is warm, gentle, and easy to customize. You can make it sweet with apples, cinnamon, ginger, or a little molasses. Or, you can make it savory with broth, vegetables, egg, scallions, or shredded chicken.
If you feel hungry again a few hours later, that does not necessarily mean it was not filling enough. Think of congee as kindling. It gets the fire going so you are ready for more fuel later.
How do I make congee?
Congee is wonderfully flexible. Here is a simple version to try at home.
Combine 1 cup of rice with 4 to 5 cups of water or broth in a small slow cooker. Use less liquid for thicker congee and more for a soupier consistency. To prevent sticking, apply a little oil or butter to the sides of the crock pot.
Add a cinnamon stick, sliced apple, fresh ginger, cardamom pods, or a few black peppercorns if desired.
Cook on low overnight. Breakfast will be waiting for you, which is especially helpful on a dark November morning.
In the morning, add a little brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, salt, or pepper to taste.
Jasmine rice and basmati rice work well. You can also experiment with oat groats, barley, buckwheat, or quinoa. Feel free to play with the proportions and flavors.
What should we eat in fall?
Chinese medicine looks at more than a food’s nutrients. It also considers its energetics: whether it is warming or cooling, its flavor, and the way it is traditionally thought to influence the body.
We use this same way of thinking with Chinese herbs. Each flavor is associated with an organ system and a general direction of action. Salty flavors are associated with the Kidneys and they move energy downward. Sour flavors, like lemon, are associated with the Liver and are considered astringent, meaning they gather and hold inward.
In Chinese medicine, fall belongs to the Metal element, which is associated with the Lung and Large Intestine systems. Metal’s flavor is pungent, which moves and disperses. Because fall’s dry air can affect the Lung system, we also look for foods considered moistening. This overlaps with Western physiology, as our airways need a properly hydrated lining to move mucus and clear particles we breathe in.
Some fall foods to try are:
Pears and apples, especially baked
Winter squash, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potatoes
Radishes, turnips, parsnips
Garlic, onions, leeks, scallions
Cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms
Gentle spices and herbs such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, rosemary, and thyme
A closer look at pears
Pears are a classic fall food in Chinese dietary therapy. They’re considered moistening and are traditionally used when the throat or airways feel dry. They may also be helpful if you tend toward dry, pellet-like stools or have difficulty passing them.
If it’s a chilly fall day, or you tend to feel cold, try eating pears cooked. Simmer a sliced pear in a little water until tender, then eat the soft, juicy fruit and sip the warm cooking liquid. Or bake it in the oven with a little cinnamon and a few slices of ginger. The pear brings a moistening quality, while the spices add warmth. It’s a lovely combination for fall.
A small fall experiment
To eat more in tune with the season, try these three things for a week:
Have breakfast in the morning. If it works with your schedule, try eating between 7 and 9 am, the Stomach’s time in the Chinese medicine organ clock.
Swap a cold breakfast like yogurt or a protein shake for something warm and cooked.
Add a warming spice to a meal or drink. You don’t need to cook anything elaborate. Even a cup of ginger or chai tea counts.
Then, pay attention. How’s your energy, appetite, and digestion? Do you feel a bit warmer? Chinese medicine isn’t just about following rules. It is about noticing patterns.
Cheers to giving our digestive fire the kindling it needs this season.
Happy Harvest,
Allison, LAc
Owner & Acupuncturist, Basic Balance
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