The Sweetness of Earth...

Each of the five elements has an associated flavour, for the Earth element the flavour is sweet. This flavour is the most primative and one that all mammals will seek out. As suckling infants it is the first flavour we taste and so triggers feelings of comfort, security, contentment and fullness all words associated with this element. In the Late Summer there is a bounty of natural sweetness in the sun ripening crops. With most of the elements the flavour of the season will balance the element but in this season sweet foods can have a depleting effect on our energy. I'm not talking about whole foods like fruit and whole grains but rather processed carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, fruit smoothies and sugar filled snacks like cakes, biscuits and sweets. Such sweet products have a particularly depleting effect on the Spleen meridian (also linked to the pancreas) creating dampness in the body. We then feel this dampness as sluggishness, aches and pains, poor memory, tiredness and feeling cold. Such dampness is also referred to acidity and if present in the body long term leads to the reduced vitalty and the development of chronic ill health.
To help keep your Earth element balanced this season get your sugar hit from from whole grains and whole fruit and make sure you eat plenty of greens to help disperse dampness and create a more alkaline environment in the body.
Have a lovely day, Carol xx