RELEASE DAMPNESS — With Simple Daily Habits
Even in warm climates, ancient cultures understood the importance of keeping the body warm from the inside out. From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Ayurveda, and even old European and Middle Eastern traditions, people used warming spices, cooked foods, and herbal teas to support digestion, move energy, and stay balanced.
Here in Vancouver, I often notice when I’m reading someone’s energy how much “dampness” is present — that heavy, sluggish quality that can feel like fogginess, fatigue, puffiness, or just being a bit stuck. With our rainy climate, city stress, and long months of gray, it’s easy for the body’s natural warmth and vitality to get weighed down.
The good news is, you don’t need to change everything. Just a few simple habits — cozy cooked meals, warming teas, gentle movement, and mindful breathing — can make a world of difference. These small shifts help rekindle your inner fire, support digestion and flow, and bring you back to feeling light, clear, and alive from the inside out.
Your Dampness-Busting Grocery List:
1. Baked Apples
4 medium apples (sweet-tart varieties)
Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
Optional: honey or maple syrup
Why it matters: Apples nourish the Spleen and Stomach, gently transform dampness, and support the flow of Qi. Warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg stimulate digestion, circulation, and energy flow, turning a simple snack into a digestive ally.
Tip: Keep baked apples on hand in season. Add to meals with protein or nuts for grounding energy.
2. Cooked Grains (Barley, Millet, Rice)
Why it matters: These grains are easily digestible, grounding, and help move dampness. Barley’s mild bitterness helps clear excess moisture and strengthen digestion. Millet supports Spleen Qi and provides light, balancing energy. Cooking a batch ahead makes it simple to add to soups, stews, or warm salads, so you always have a dampness-busting base ready.
3. Root Vegetables (Beets, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Turnips)
Why it matters: Roots are naturally grounding, warming, and dense, helping draw energy downward and release stagnant dampness. Beets enhance circulation and liver detoxification, while sweet potatoes provide slow-burning energy that keeps digestion balanced. Pairing them with greens like Brussels sprouts or broccoli balances heavy, damp-forming qualities with light, moving energy.
Tip: Roast or stew to release their warming qualities.
4. Warming Spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Turmeric)
Why it matters: These spices move energy, strengthen digestion, and prevent stagnation. They’ve been used for thousands of years across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Cinnamon and ginger warm the Spleen and improve circulation, nutmeg calms the mind and balances digestion, and turmeric gently supports detoxification and energy flow.
Tip: Sprinkle into almond milk, porridge, soups, or baked goods.
5. Warm Teas (Ginger, Cinnamon, Citrus)
Why it matters: Warm teas stimulate digestion, move Qi, and prevent dampness from settling. Sipping throughout the day keeps the digestive fire active, supports circulation, and brings clarity to the mind. In TCM and Ayurveda, even in warm weather, drinking warm beverages was a simple way to maintain balance and energy flow.
Tip: Replace cold drinks with a few cups of warm, spiced tea daily.
Easy Lifestyle Tips
Make one small change at a time—no pressure.
Add baked apples or cooked grains to your meals.
Include at least one root vegetable with each meal.
Keep spices handy and teas brewing.
Gentle Reminder
Balance is key. Occasional cold foods, sweets, or indulgent meals are fine—it’s consistent, nurturing habits that truly transform digestion and energy over time.
What to Avoid for Dampness
If you tend to feel heavy, puffy, foggy, or low-energy—especially in a damp climate like Vancouver—try reducing foods and habits that make it harder for your body’s warmth and flow to thrive:
Cold or raw foods (especially smoothies, salads, and iced drinks)
Dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream)
Refined sugars and sweets
Wheat and refined flour products
Fried or greasy foods
Excess alcohol or cold beer
Overeating or eating late at night
Choosing warm, lightly cooked meals and mindful eating rituals helps rekindle your inner fire and move out that damp, stagnant energy—helping you feel lighter, clearer, and more alive from the inside out.
The Energy of It All
We’re not just physical beings—we’re energy in motion. The food we eat, the thoughts we think, the emotions we hold, and the environments we live in all carry frequencies that influence how our energy flows. We feel these energies, we react to them, and we often carry them—whether we realize it or not.
Each small step toward warmth, flow, and ease supports your whole being. It doesn’t have to be hard or dramatic—bit by bit, these choices add up. As we tend to the body, the energy naturally begins to move again. When we allow emotions to process, when we live more in tune with nature’s rhythms, when we align with the universal flow—we are met with more flow in return.
This is just one aspect of coming back into balance, and it’s a beautiful reminder that healing doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s about small, loving adjustments that ripple through your whole system—body, mind, and soul.
