The typical American diet that includes fast food, fried food, and alcohol can burden our health, especially our Liver. Perhaps, the best thing we can do for our health is to stop eating by 7 pm. When we look at ancient Chinese medicine, we find a clear reason why this is so. Chi or life force, in Chinese Medicine, flows though the body via a network of a dozen primary meridians or energy channels. There is a two hour window by which Chi is at its strongest for each meridian.
From the viewpoint of Chinese Medicine in Bellmore, digestion is governed by the element of Earth. The organs that are associated with Earth element are the Spleen and Abdomen. The energy channel related to the abdomen is at its strongest in the hours between 7 and 9 am in the morning while the Spleen meridian is at its strongest from 9 am to 11 am. Hence, the best times to eat are at 7 am to 11 am since these are the times when our digestive chi is at its strongest.
After twelve hours, the chi of our digestive organs is at its weakest, and by 7pm, we should stop eating. If we are hungry in the evening, fresh juices or light meals of fresh vegetables and fruits are best since these are the foods that are the most simple to digest.
In the evening, digestion becomes naturally slower as the energy in those meridians is at its weakest during that time frame since food remains in the abdomen and is likely to ferment resulting in discomfort, bloating, and gas. To help digest food, energy is usually taken from other organs. Overnight from 11 at night till 3 in the morning, Chi is at its strongest in the liver and gall bladder. These organs control sleep and detoxify the blood. When we eat late at night, these organs can become fatigued. We experience a feeling of not being well rested in the morning, or of insomnia, or indigestion. Moreover, our joints may become arthritic or ache. Our joints and organs will store toxins causing our liver to dysfunction.
We can strain our liver when we eat late at night, we derive chi from our foods which can help digest food. You also have herbs such as milk thistle and dandelion that are liver flushes to regenerate and cleanse the liver. Refusing to eat by 7 in the evening is one of the best things we can do for our liver. Once the chi of the liver is not being taken away toward digestion, the liver can be able to heal and function well.
A lot of symptoms, even those that seem unrelated to digestion such as arthritis and pain, tend to vanish when we stop eating at 7 pm. As your body allows you to rid toxins from the body, you are likely to quickly lose weight. The energy channels naturally become stronger and are in balance when energy is not drawn into overnight digestion.
Thing that can help reinvigorate the liver:
• Have fresh vegetable salad or fruit for lunch and dinner.
• For at least a full week, refrain from eating by 7 pm’ you can strive to make it a lifelong habit.
• Stay away from deep fried food and at least while performing the cleansing of the liver, avoid alcohol although you can make this a lifelong habit.)
For a week or so, perform the following liver flush:
Upon waking, drink squeezed orange juice made up of two or three oranges combined with a clove of garlic, half of the lemon, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Follow this up with a nettle and mint cleansing tea.
Herbals remedies such as dandelion and milk thistle are very good for the liver. The root of dandelion root is usually ingested as tea or taken as a tincture whole milk thistle is commonly taken in tincture or capsule. The leaves of fresh dandelion can be combined to salads.