Pumpkin, Chickpea, and Red Lentil Stew

This recipe is an easy, no-mess, healthy meal that tastes delicious.  You can cook it all day in your slow cooker and come home to the smell of dinner.  This dish is perfect during the cold winter as it is warming and nourishing.

Pumpkin, Chickpea, and Red Lentil Stew

According to Chinese Medicine winter squash, or pumpkin, is considered especially good for those with diabetes.  It helps to regulate blood sugars by warming and strengthening the spleen and stomach and boosting qi.

This use of food therapy is supported by scientific studies which identify compounds in pumpkin that enhance insulin function and lower blood sugar levels.  For example, see:  Anti-Diabetic Effects of Pumpkin and Its Components, Trigonelline and Nicotinic Acid on Goto-Kakizaki Rats

Notes:  *Squash can be difficult to cut, so I kept it simple and bought organic pre-cut butternut squash (another example of a winter squash) from Whole Foods.  *To easily peel ginger, scrape with the tip of a small spoon.

This recipe is full of healthful ingredients.  Try it, and report back!

You are what you eat.

In good health,

Molly

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Why Asian Pears?

As we continue into autumn, many of my patients have been reporting what are known in Chinese Medicine as lung dryness symptoms.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, each season has a corresponding organ system.   The organ system corresponding to autumn is the lung, and the lung system is particularly vulnerable and sensitive to dryness.  Therefore it is very common to express lung dryness symptoms such as a dry cough, dry skin, dry throat, and dry nasal passages during autumn’s dry days.

In additional to applying topical moisturizing agents and taking medicinals to suppress cough, we can choose to eat foods that moisten and protect our lung system internally.  Eating foods that are in season are mother nature’s medicines that help to both prevent and ease symptoms.

One food to moisten lung dryness is an Asian Pear.