Benefits of Vinegar

The benefits of vinegar have been heralded for centuries.
Recent scientific research has shown the health benefits of vinegar to be very promising for several conditions. There is a great deal of information available and we encourage you to do your own research and check with your doctor if you have any questions about whether vinegar use is right for you.

If you don’t already have vinegar in your diet this time of year is a good time to do so. Master Lin says taking a ½ teaspoon of vinegar in the evening or at noon or in the morning can be very beneficial. You don’t need a lot. Because vinegar is so strong you should mix it with water and sip it. Many people already use more than a ½ teaspoon of vinegar daily. That is your choice.

The energy of the vinegar helps protect the lungs and skin. Together with olive oil it is even more beneficial for the lungs and skin. Using vinegar and olive oil on your salad is a great way to get the benefits of vinegar and olive oil and fresh greens at the same time.

At this time of year, the yin energy is starting to come on and the yang energy will be getting less and less. Yin energy will naturally start moving inward unlike the powerful outward going energy of yang.

Because the energy starts going internally you need to protect the liver because the liver is wood energy in Chinese 5 Elements philosophy. Wood gives fire and now we need to calm down the energy in the wood so the wood won’t produce strong fire to burn the metal energy, which is the lungs. That is why vinegar is so good this time of year.

Master Lin prefers Chinese vinegar but other types of vinegar are fine. Many recommend organic, unfiltered, apple cider vinegar as being the most beneficial. Again, we encourage you to do your own research and use your body’s intelligence, your intuition, to determine which type of vinegar might be right for you.

Also, for protecting the liver, taking a tablespoon of honey in late afternoon is also helpful.

Style of cooking in autumn is steaming and stir-frying. Soups are great for this time of year.

Your basic diet in August can continue to consist of the foods we have recommended for summer: green leafy vegetables, fresh broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy are just some of the vegetables we’ve recommended in the June and July Newsletters which are in our archives. You’ll see the food articles listed on this same web page.

Watermelon is also very good to eat in summer time but starting from this month, as the yin energy starts coming in, cut back on how much watermelon you eat. If you eat too much it is not helpful to your pancreas and stomach now. You can still eat some but not as much.

Other foods that are good to add to your diet at this time are:
goji berries, walnuts, lotus root, lotus seed, black sesame seeds, brown or black rice, cabbage, oranges, bananas, apples, and any berries.

Adding yellow foods such as corn, yellow squash, yellow peppers now is also good. They help transition you to the yin energy of fall, which will be building every day now.