Your body works best when in tune with nature and the cycle of seasons. Recall how your grandparents ate: soups, hearty breads, stewed vegetables in winter; lots of leafy greens and baby vegetables in spring; fresh picked garden produce in summer; apples, squash, and pumpkin in the fall. Don’t keep your heat and air conditioner at 72 degrees all year long! Dress more warmly in cold weather, with the thermostat 60-65. Shed those clothes in summer, keep fans running, and the AC at 75-80. You’ll save on utility bills, and not shock your body when coming inside.
Avoid iced drinks: Most people should avoid cold foods altogether. Allow your water and salads to reach room temperature. Don’t eat anything straight out of the refrigerator. The cold places an added burden on your digestive system, making it work harder to heat up the food just to body temperature before starting digestion. Notice how your stomach may spasm with cold drinks, or how you may often have loose stools and/or bloating afterward.
Your diet should be based on lightly steamed or sautéed vegetables, whole grains, with minimal high quality meat (used primarily as garnish), nuts, and oils, and balancing sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and spicy flavors at every meal, Green tea or other warm beverages are taken with meals to promote digestion
Try to eat your foods in a form as close to nature as possible, with whole grains, nuts and seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, turkey and lean cuts of meat making up the staple diet. For example, get your protein from chicken breasts, not chicken nuggets. Eat rice instead of sliced bread, whole apples instead of apple juice, and honey instead of that familiar pink packet of artificial sweetener. These simple substitutions will increase your fiber intake, reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals, and increase your antioxidant levels.
Fried, fatty foods, and our typical diet of processed foods with chemical preservatives burden the liver, lead to food sensitivities, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, headaches, strokes, and allergies, plus many more disorders.
Avoid white flour and sugars, especially if you are trying to lose weight. You will be on an insulin release roller coaster, your immune system will be compromised, and your pancreatic cells damaged Sugar substitutes are really no better, and often cause other problems like bloating, indigestion, and fatigue.
Due to the high sugar content, minimize fruit juices, or dilute them with water. However, a small amount of fruit juice with meals enhances absorption of nutrients from your food. Remember that small juice glass your granny had?
There are no forbidden foods! But most of our standard American diet should be considered as a special treat, not daily fare. French-fries and ice cream should be reserved for extraordinary occasions!
Dairy products should be limited for the vast majority of people, but are encouraged for Yin Xu* patients. Chinese dietary theory allows meat consumption, for energy and blood production, but in much smaller amounts than most Americans consume.
For more explanation of patterns, symptoms, and the best foods for your condition, see the accompanying article “Overview of Patterns and Recommended Foods”. Remember that most people do not fall neatly into one category. Personalized advice from your acupuncturist/herbalist is recommended.
