Vegetables are a vital part of the daily diet and are ideally chosen from what is available to your area according to your needs. Some are more highly recommended than others because they are more nourishing and easier to cook and digest.
- Serve vegetables with grain for complete nourishment. In general, grains build, while vegetables cleanse the body of toxins and purify and renew the blood. The combination is healing and soothing
- Vegetables contain special enzymes that aid in the cleansing process. Those in the raw state or those grown in warmer climates have stronger cleansing tendencies and are especially beneficial to those who include animal foods in their diet. Included are mushrooms, green peas, cucumbers, yams, okra, peppers, summer squashes, lettuce (which has some narcotic effects). The night shades and vegetables that contain oxalic acid—spinach, chard, beet greens, etc. Others me: beets, which purify the blood; artichokes, which benefit the liver; and asparagus, which has a diuretic effect on the kidneys
Even though these vegetables can have a somewhat strong nature of their own, they will usually not cause a problem if eaten in season and in the region in which they are grown. However, some are very eliminating and need to be used with caution by certain individuals. For example, people with calcic disorders (arthritis, heart disease, tooth decay, etc.) would do well to avoid the vegetables high in oxalic acid or solanine (see “Nightshade family.“ in Membership site), since these chemicals inhibit calcium metabolism. People with a weak digestive center and watery stools may wisely choose to eat sparingly of cucumbers, summer squash, and okra-such vegetables promote dampness in the digestive tract and/or bowel movement.
- Vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, tumips, rutabagas, watercress, parsley, the Cabbage family (cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy,etc), winter squash, kale, and certain other dark leafy greens have milder properties. They grow in temperate-to-cold climates and contain minerals and other elements that make it possible for some of them to survive harsh weather and even live under snow all winter. When eating these regularly, we take on their qualities build resistance to cooler weather and disease. ln storage, several of them keep their vitality a long time. Cabbage contains high amounts of vitamin C, mostly concentrated in the core of the plant that is not destroyed in storage, by moderate cooking or in sauerkraut
- Onion, scallion, garlic and shallots have medicinal value and otherwise strong for daily use. When cooked, they stimulate excess desires; when raw, they give rise to anger, according to major East Asian teachings on spiritual development.
- Garlic, carrots, the cabbage family, and some other vegetables contain sulphur which expels worms and intestinal parasites
Healing Properties of Vegetables:
It is important to recall that the healing value of food is influenced by its flavors and thermal properties.
Examples:
- Bitter food dries damp body conditions including edema, mucus, cysts, or yeasts
- Food with a cool nature diminishes heat conditions with signs such as yellow mucus, yellow tongue coating, red eyes, sore throat, and the sensation of being too hot
- Warming food encourages circulation of energy and treats the sensation of feeling too cold
- Some vegetables have neither a warming nor cooling property, and in these cases, their thermal nature is considered neutral
