Diet is just as important as acupuncture and herbs when it comes to treating the body from a traditional Chinese medical perspective.\u00a0 Making appropriate food choices is key in maintaing good balance.\u00a0 Individual foods, like Chinese herbs, have specific healing properties and this is the basis of Eastern nutritional theory.\u00a0 For example, certain foods have warming properties and should therefore be eaten more frequently during the winter months.\u00a0 These foods include cinnamon, clove, ginger and lamb.\u00a0 Likewise, there are foods that have more cooling properties such as cucumber, watermelon, lettuce and cabbage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a general rule,\u00a0the digestive system requires warmth\u00a0to maintain proper digestion–no matter what time of year.\u00a0 This means avoiding an excess of raw food and avoiding cold foods and beverages.\u00a0 We often tell our patients to limit the amount of these types of food or drinking hot beverages with raw foods.\u00a0 (Think hot tea with sushi!)\u00a0 Dairy products should be limited, especially depending on each person’s constitutional makeup.\u00a0 Here’s why: excessive dairy consumption can lead to dampness.\u00a0 Dampness inside the body is similar to a damp day outside.\u00a0 It can make the person feel foggy headed, physically tired and produce more mucus–like nasal congestion or post nasal drip.\u00a0 Therefore if someone is more prone to mucus production, avoidance of dairy is highly recommended.\u00a0 Frequent misconceptions about dairy is that it is the best source of calcium.\u00a0 The truth, however, is that we can get plenty of calcium from green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, and kale and kelp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Balance is important too!\u00a0 Think of the healthy 4 food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains and protein.\u00a0 Classical Chinese medical theory suports the consumption of meat from animals and is very nourishing to the body.\u00a0 In today’s environment that has plenty of toxins and antibiotics, it is important to choose organic, free-range, antibiotic-free meat sources.\u00a0 Of course, there are plenty of vegetarian options that provide good sources of protein such as beans, nuts, seeds and quinoa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Diet is just as important as acupuncture and herbs when it comes to treating the body from a traditional Chinese medical perspective.\u00a0 Making appropriate food choices is key in maintaing good balance.\u00a0 Individual foods, like Chinese herbs, have specific healing properties and this is the basis of Eastern nutritional theory.\u00a0 For example, certain foods have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[3,967],"tags":[88,89,86,87,90],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n