Photograph by Irina Iriser

In a recent blog about Late Summer, there is a description of a number of symptoms of imbalance that are “damp” in Chinese Medicine. And, right now, I have every one of them.  

I’m feeling sluggish in my body, don’t want to move, wake feeling kind of phlegmy in my throat and sinuses. My brain is foggy, it’s hard to get my thoughts together, I find myself worrying more than usual, and my digestion and bowels are weird (TMI? #sorrynotsorry. Even though not everyone is used to talking about it, information about bowels are useful for Chinese Medicine diagnosis).  

I just moved so for the past few weeks, all of my life and habits have been out of whack.  I’ve been stressed, my kitchen was all packed up, and I’ve been going out for practically every meal. My eating has been a guide for what not to do at this time of year to avoid damp. On a typical day, I’d have a large iced coffee with cream and sugar for breakfast; a salad at my desk while working for lunch; go out to dinner of wings, fries, and beer; and then eat a late sweet snack while watching TV. Oh, and no exercise or movement – mostly sitting and screen time.  

Some guidance for mediating the symptoms of damp from Chinese Medicine are:

  • Avoid dairy, sugar/processed sweets, and fatty fried foods
  • Avoid foods that are too cold (like iced drinks and cold raw foods)
  • Limit caffeine and alcohol
  • Don’t eat on-the-go or too late at night
  • Do some light exercise and movement – especially moving arms overhead

Even though I know, and have been trained through school, about supportive nutrition and lifestyle activities – I am a human, feeling stressed, going through a life transition, and got into some habits that in a way felt good in the moment, but have caught up with me.  

I knew it was time to make a few changes. Damp is heavy and slow to move (like how you might feel on a humid day), so I don’t expect to pivot and have everything feel great in a flash. I’m just taking small steps.  

On Saturday, I managed to get myself up and go to the farmer’s market for the first time in awhile. I was struck with the bounty of it all – the morning was beautiful, I ran into and chatted with friends, and all of the stands were full of treats. The tomatoes were ripe and plump, wafts of basil were in the air, okra pods were popping, and the first ears of corn were out. All of this reminded me of succotash, a dish I make about once a year during the Late Summer time as all of the ingredients ripen. For me, it captures the abundance of this time of year and is easy to pull together and enjoy.

Often, I have made succotash with both bacon and butter like I learned when I used to live in North Carolina. This time, since I’m trying to eliminate the foods that are contributing to damp, I decided to leave out the dairy and fatty meat and make a vegan version that also subs edamame for the lima beans.  Here’s the recipe I used as a guide: https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/edamame-succotash

This was part of the first meal I cooked in my new house and preparing and sharing it made it feel more like home. I felt like I could settle in a bit and be grateful for all that I have. I made a nice big batch of it so I could have leftovers and won’t eat out every meal. 

This week, I am taking a little time each day to do a practice that makes me feel good. I went on a walk in Druid Hill Park for some time in nature and get a little movement in. I got some acupuncture. I talked to my sister on the phone. I’m trying not to overwhelm myself with to-do’s or doing some dramatic lifestyle change – just a few small steps, a few moments to bring myself back home.