Jing Boosting, Ming Men (WTF?) Warming Dinner

“Your gut and your hormones aren’t two separate problems. They’re one conversation – and most women have never been shown how to listen to it.”

– DR. RILEY SMITH

Wait, what in the hell is “Ming Men”? Good question. Ming Men or “Gate of Life” is thought to be located between the two kidneys and is closely related to Jing, which was described in this previous post. Ming Men is responsible for the “fire” that fuels our bodily functions. An easy way to think of Jing vs Ming Men is to conceptualize Jing as the logs upon which the “Fire of Life” burns. When our fire dims or goes out entirely, so does our Jing and vice versa. Don’t overcomplicate this concept.

One thing that you can be sure of is that our crazy busy lives can dampen our natural life fires and deplete the levels of Jing that we are born with. Food therapy is a great way to support them both.

I LOVE this recipe because, hey, its deelish, and with the ginger and sesame seeds playing prominent roles its a real crowd pleasing Jing and Ming Men booster. We got this recipe in our weekly Sunbasket meal delivery (More on Sun Basket in a later post, but for now just know that its AMAZING!)

Ginger-Sesame Chicken with Sugary Snap Peas and Red Rice

You’re gonna need:

1/2 cup Bhutanese Red Rice (or any old rice will do)

1 tablespoon (or more) sesame seeds

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 red bell pepper

Peeled fresh garlic

Fresh cilantro

6 oz (a handful) sugar snap peas

Splashes of rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil (soy sauce works if you don’t have tamari)

1 1/2 teaspoons (or more to taste) chili paste or Sriracha

Directions:

Cook up that rice!

Toast up those sesame seeds until lightly browned (about 2 minutes) transfer to plate to cool

Brown the chicken in a neutral oil like vegetable oil

While chicken is cooking prep the veggies for stir fry, grate or chop the ginger, chop cilantro

Remove chicken and in the same pan cook up the veggies

Add chicken back in and add in a bit of the rice vinegar, Tamara and sesame oil

Cook until veggies are soft but firm and reintroduce the sesame seeds

Serve with the rice and garnish of cilantro and chili paste

Eat the hell out of this (great with a cold glass of white wine)

The short version

This is where the article opens up the idea behind the pull quote – written in your voice, root cause first, in language that makes sense to someone who has been told everything looks fine.

How these systems actually connect

showing the bold inline lead-in pattern from the reference:

Your gut. A short demo sentence on the role the gut plays.

Your hormones. A short demo sentence on how the two move together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can gut issues really affect my hormones?

A large share of hormone processing and clearance happens in the gut, so when digestion is under strain, hormone balance often follows.

Why do my labs come back normal when I still don't feel right?

Standard panels are built to flag disease, not the early-pattern shifts that leave you depleted. Reading several systems together is where the answer usually shows up.

Here Are Some Ways I Can Support You

FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE & LABWORK

When your labs come back "normal" but you don't feel it, I run the testing conventional care skips and read how your systems relate.
See how the labwork works →

ONE-ON-ONE COACHING

Burnout to Balance®- the 5R Burnout Recovery MethodTM, built around your biology to restore the capacity you've been running without.
Start here →

JOIN THE NEXT SEASONAL CHALLENGE

Get on the waitlist for our next seasonal challenge!
Join the waitlist →

Want to hear it? Listen to the podcast →
More of a visual learner? Watch on YouTube →

San Diego · Nationwide · Worldwide — In-Person & Virtual

LAC · DACM · DIPLOM