Do you need to nourish your blood?

As we enter the season of fire (aka summer), it’s vital to nourish your blood.

And, no… it’s not to feed those pesky little vampires aka mosquitoes!

You need to nourish your blood so you can handle the summer heat better and have more energy to play with your friends.

Blood is the vital substance that nourishes and moistens tissues in the body, circulates our energy, and carries our emotions (hormones) including “summer love” and good vibes.

Unfortunately, blood can become deficient by eating a poor diet or mal-absorption of nutrients (digestive trouble and/or low digestive fire), excessive exercise, chronic stress, as well as overthinking that creates more stress, and/or menorrhagia (heavy menstrual bleeding).

BTW, if you are suffering from “blood deficiency” you could be at higher risk for heat stroke and heart attack during the summer months, because your body will be too hot internally to handle the external heat as well.

So how do you know if you need to nourish your blood?

Here are some symptoms:

• Pale complexion
• Pale lips, pale eye lids, and/or pale tongue
• Pale nailbeds
• Visual spots (floaters)
• Hair loss
• Dry/splitting hair and nails
• Dry skin
• Constipation
• Poor memory
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Anemia
• Amenorrhea or scanty menses

According to ancient healing medicine (TCM), blood is considered to be the mother of Qi (energy), but blood can’t flow sufficiently without Qi. They depend on each other.

To nourish both our Qi and our blood we need adequate sleep, daily movement, and nutrient dense foods.

Blood nourishing foods and herbs provide vital nutrients to all of your organs and systems, including your hair, skin and nails, giving you that healthy glow, as well as boosting your energy.

Below is a list of various foods that nourish blood:

Grains: barley, oats, rice, and corn.

I know so many people are fearful of eating any type of grain these days due to the diet fads that condemn them, but I think it’s overreaching.

Grains become problematic when they are over-consumed.

The notorious food pyramid from the 1970’s that widely promoted eating 10-12 servings of grains/starches daily to Americans and the world at large was the culprit for mass overconsumption.

The truth is, humans have thrived on many types of grains for thousands of years without suffering from metabolic syndrome.

If you’re ready to drop the fear of grains, here’s a delicious summer recipe using corn tortillas: Shrimp Tacos

Vegetables: beets, dark leafy greens, mushrooms, cabbage, seaweeds and microalgae (chlorella, spirulina), watercress, and other chlorophyll rich foods.

There are lots of veggies that can help build better quality blood, and for this section, I chose beets.

They are a classic blood supportive food that looks like the color of blood. If you don’t think that’s true, try dicing a beet without wearing gloves. Your hands will look like a bloody mess!

If you’re looking to support blood, eat this Beet and Apple Salad.

Fruit: Apple, apricot, cherry, goji berry, jujube dates, fig, longan fruit, blackberry, blueberry, mulberry, strawberry (and other red, blue or dark colored fruits).

Fruits are awesome for our blood building category because they are rich in water and vitamin C, and they are juicy!

Blood is largely composed of water. About 90% of blood plasma (the liquid component of blood), is water.

If you are dehydrated, your blood will suffer, and you’ll feel dry (dry skin, dry hair, dry nails, dry eyes).

When you nourish your blood with juicy red and dark colored fruits, you get juicier.

Try this Salad with Seasonal Fresh berries:

Beans: adzuki, black beans, black soybeans, kidney.

I pretty much like all beans, but I LOVE Black beans! And, they are a classic blood supportive food.

You can enjoy them in burritos, or tacos, or salad, or soup.

Here’s a delicious Spicy Black Bean Soup with Polenta Croutons (it’s sooo good!).

Nuts and seeds: Almonds, black sesame.

Everyone loves almonds – except for the people that don’t love them, of course.

But, if you’re an almond lover like me, try these sweet and Savory Date Truffles.

It’s a yummy way to nourish your blood:

Meat: all red meat (beef, lamb, goat, pork, rabbit), bone marrow, liver and other organ meats, bone broth.

It goes without saying that meat, red meat specifically, nourishes blood because it’s rich in heme iron. Heme iron is easily absorbed by the body, making it a highly bioavailable source of iron. 

And, if you can find a way to get organ meats into your body on a regular basis, your blood will be strong as heck!

Here’s a Beef Hash Cuban Style that uses red meat PLUS organ meat, that’s so easy to prepare and totally delicious.

Fish: tuna, salmon, steelhead trout, sardines, mussels, octopus, oysters

For those folks that don’t like red meat, try steelhead trout.

It has a reddish pink color like salmon, a silky mouth feel like black cod (sable), and without a fishy taste.

I prepared this Teriyaki Steelhead Trout recipe for the ladies that attended my Renew Your Radiance Retreat and they loved it.

Eggs: Chicken, duck, quail, ostrich, emu.

The incredible, edible egg.

Eggs carry the energy (Qi) and potential of an entire animal.

They are loaded with deep nutrition and so easy to prepare.

Most folks just eat eggs for breakfast, but you can enjoy them any time of the day: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, too.

To prep your blood and body for the hot summer months, try this Egg Salad recipe:

Herbs / spices: nettle leaf, parsley.

I love culinary and wild herbs. And, during the summer months, most of these herbs are growing like crazy!

People will often buy bunches of herbs with good intentions, but they usually wilt and die in the refrigerator from a lack of love.

To stop that from happening to you, try one of my favorite blood supportive recipes that I put on everything: meat, fish, eggs, veggies, potatoes…

It’s called Parsley Pistou – try it, you’ll love it!

Use one or ALL of the easy recipes above to support your blood, and have a happy, healthy, and delicious summer!