Eating for Your Health Constitution- Damp

Now let me get back to “What to eat for your Health constitution?”. Today I will cover the Damp constitution.

Now given it's the beginning of Holiday season, and we may had eaten (and still am) eating more than we should be. We may associate ourselves with the Damp constitution more than we actually are. (If you don’t know what a Damp constitution is, please click here to one of my previous post to find out.)

But in order to have a real Damp constitution, you have to have the characteristics over a long period of time. Unfortunately because of the overall bad eating habits and declining exercise in America, more people start to develop Dampness even if it was not their congenital constitution. Because of the increase presence of Damp constitution or tendencies, I would like to focus this post just on Dampness.

Dampness is often associated with an overweight stature. However even someone thin can have a Damp constitution. It is an accumulation of things that make your body feel sluggish. Pretend our body is a system of pipes. Someone with a normal constitution would have a pipe system that is running smoothly, with a substance like water. However someone with a Damp constitution will not have a smooth running pipe system. It would run slower, have spots where it is clogged and running through the pipes is more of a thick gooey substance. People with a Damp constitution tend to feel heavy, have excess mucus, cysts, yeast, poor digestion, edema, and even tumors.

Like the other constitutions, you can develop a Damp constitution by lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise, and environment. The best way to resolve a Damp constitution is to change your lifestyle. Avoiding Damp foods would stop filling your body with dampness that your body needs to get rid of. Exercise boosts the speed of our bodies; to move and get rid of the Dampness in the body.

Environment is a tricky one. Some people can develop Dampness due to their living environments. Wet, damp areas can make people feel more sluggish, heavy, and develop certain damp disorders (like skin disorders and arthritis). Often it is hard to move out of the environment, but maintaining a drier environment would help.

Now back to the topic of this post; what to eat if you have a Damp constitution?:

• Avoid large amounts of Damp Foods:

• Dairy

• Alcohol

• Sweets

• Fried foods

• Meats

• Eggs

• Tofu

• Incorporate these damp friendly foods:

• Lettuce

• Celery

• Turnip

• Rye

• Asparagus

• White pepper

• Pumpkin

• Chamomile

By no means is meant to be used as a diagnosis. Everyone is unique and has varying other factors to be taken account of. This is just a overall guide for a better diet for people with a Damp constitution. I am not advocating having a diet consisting only of those damp friendly foods. It is actually removing the damp foods that would be the biggest change. The biggest culprits here are dairy, alcohol and fried sweets. (Don’t these food categories sound similar to junk food?) Better think twice when reaching for some extra yummies this holiday!

#healthyeating #health #damp