Baked White Rice

• 1 cup of long grain rice
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 anise

1. Add all in a baking tray and bake it at 150ºC

Fresh Basil Pesto

• 2cups of basil
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• Turnip
• Salt and pepper (optional)
• Nutritional yeast (optional)
• Add water if necessary

1. Blend all the ingredients apart from the turnip.
2. Add sliced turnip to the pesto at the end.

The Salad

• Homemade raw sauerkraut of white cabbage
• Fresh celery
• Minced raw onion

1. Mix all.

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TIPS

A few tips that will highly improve overall the 5 elements.

• Vegetables being the biggest portion of the meal followed by grains and tiny portions of everything else.
• Simple, not too sweet or greasy.
• Eat moderately and chew well.
• Before eating, bless your food. Nowadays the majority of people have busy lives and cooking is one of those tasks that are done in automated mode, sometimes in a rush, with no awareness, so the cooked food will carry the chefs energies, thoughts, emotions, worries, baggage, etc. Even though we don't acknowledge it directly, one of the most direct and effective ways to affect someones energy is through cooking.
• Bring awareness to the simple act of eating , avoid other distractions during meal times.
• Eat your meals at the same time everyday. If we give consistency to our body, the body will be consistent to us.

The peak time of the day for metal element is between 3- 7 am, meaning that is the time when the meridians are functioning optimally. For this reason is a very good time of the day to tap or massage the meridians to stimulate life force onto the meridians and unblock, allowing the energy to flow. Find below a link to a quick exercise about stimulating the different points in the body to balance metal element:

When metal is out of balance the individual tends to carry grief, sadness, sorrow, and feel sluggish, damp, lethargic, so the best way to start the day is detoxifying the body, cleansing mind and spirit.

Between 4-7 am is known as the most precious time of the day for breathing and concentration practices, these definitely will bring more life force into the system.

Starting your day with room temperature water or warm water is day best way to stimulate circulation, to prepare the stomach for the first meal and flash out the system. When metal is out of balance brew ginger with cinnamon or basil. Then after 15 to 30 minutes have whole plain cucumbers with skin, they are very effective pushing out all the residual stool. Soon after you will feel very much ready for breakfast!

Quick Explanation

Metal Meridian Organs

1. Intestinal and Respiratory Systems:

• Lung meridian ( yin)
• Large Intestine meridian ( yang)

2. Structural System:

• Skin and mucus membranes

3. Immune System:

• Mucus membranes
• Good bacterial flora in the digestive tract.

Metals meridian healing foods are pungent flavoured.

• Grains: white, brown and sweet rice, mochi.
• Vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, chinese cabbage, celery, daikon radish, onion, watercress, mustard and turnips greens, turnips, garlic, cucumber, leeks.
• Fruit: bananas, pears, apples.
• Herbs: dill, fennel, thyme, ginger, horseradish, cinnamon, cayenne, basil, rosemary.
• Nuts: chestnuts, walnuts.
• Cooking method: Pressure Cooking, Baking, Composed Foods, Garnishes, Condiments, Finishing Sauces, Julienne , Mincing, Dicing.

When metal element is depleted dairy should be avoided, where as if overabundant, eating small portions of raw dairy in moderation is beneficial. It is important to know that certain foods will enhance or deplete the elements depending on their state when consumed. For example:

• Onions in the raw state are metal element but if you cook them they become earth element.
• Vinegar carries two different flavours, the bitter and sour, in which both belong to different elements.
• Other foods the element will be different depending whether is unripe or ripe.

Holistic medicines are vast and complex, everything connects… Dig into it deeper if you are looking to heal and bring quality of life in the long term, But?! I strongly advice everyone to be prepared to feel unwell before starting to feel the benefits, it takes time and a lot of effort to heal holistically. Anyway, is it well worth in a long run!

Back to the dish...

Cook and plate it all, with love! Let yourself indulge in the healing proprieties of this dish.

A awesome competition initiated by @eco-alex, where food is cooked taking into account its medicinal properties to enhance metal meridian/organ. Please click the link below if you want to check the contest page and participate:

https://busy.org/@eco-alex/the-medicinal-cooking-collective-week-4-guidelines-cooking-for-the-lungs-and-large-intestine-the-metal-element

Thank you to all the readers, looking forward to meet you!
Love light and blessings ♥♥♥