Eating with the Seasons: Autumn Foods for Lungs & Letting Go

info organiclia
Sep 2
2 min read

Autumn is the season of lungs and large intestine in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s about breath, immunity, and letting go of what no longer serves you - physically and emotionally. The food you eat right now can either support that process… or make you feel heavy, sluggish, and dry.

Here’s how to align your plate with the season:

Why avoid raw, cold, and damp foods?

Raw salads and cold smoothies might look “healthy,” but in TCM terms, they dampen the digestive fire. The stomach and spleen need warmth to transform food into usable energy (Qi). Pile in too much raw or damp-forming food (think bread, cheese, processed foods) and you’re left with bloat, mucus, and fatigue.

Autumn calls for cooked, warm, and lightly spiced meals that keep your digestion smooth and your lungs clear.

A pile of various squash with bumpy textures in shades of yellow, green, and white. The setting is outdoors, creating a harvest theme. — Eat Squash for grounding your energy

The truth about grains and legumes

Grains and pulses can be incredibly grounding - but only if they’re prepared properly. Most people skip this step, which is why they end up heavy and hard to digest.

Here’s what I do:

Soak overnight in an acidic medium (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or a splash of kefir water).
This breaks down phytates and other anti-nutrients, releasing minerals and making them digestible.
It also removes some of the toxic residues from modern farming.

When you soak, grains and legumes transform from gut irritants into medicine.

Kale, brassicas & roots - the right way

Scotland is full of hardy autumn greens and root crops, but preparation matters:

Kale, cabbage, cauliflower - always steam lightly. Never eat them raw. Steaming neutralises the goitrogens that stress the thyroid and makes the minerals more available.
Roots (carrots, parsnips, swede, beetroot) - these are grounding, earthy, and exactly what the body craves as daylight shortens. In TCM we start with the Earth element (digestion, nourishment) before moving through the cycle of Fire, Metal, Water, and Wood. Roots literally pull us back to the ground.

A Simple Seasonal Meal Example:

Main Meal: Warming barley & root stew with leeks, garlic, ginger, and steamed kale.

Small Meal: Poached pear with walnuts, honey, and sesame - to moisten the lungs and soften the season’s dryness.

3 Key Points to Keep in Mind This Autumn:

Autumn is about supporting the lungs, clearing the gut, and grounding your energy.
Cook your food. Soak your grains. Steam your brassicas. Eat roots.
Aligning with the season is more than “healthy eating” - it’s a rhythm that keeps your body and spirit resilient.

Stay tuned for more seasonal food for healing education at The Honest Edit x