Balanced Diet for Health Care

The Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor's Book of Internal Medicine), thought to originate in 300 B.C.E. contains the following passage:

"In ancient times, people lived simply. They hunted, fished, and were with nature all day. When the weather cooled, they became active to fend off the cold. When the weather heated up in summer, they retreated to cool places. Internally, their emotions were calm and peaceful, and they were without excessive desires. Externally, they did not have the stress of today. They lived without greed and desire, close to nature. They maintained jing shen nei suo, or inner peace and concentration of mind and spirit. This prevented pathogens from invading. Therefore they did not need herbs to treat their internal state, nor did they need acupuncture to treat the exterior. When they did contract disease they simply guided properly the emotions and spirit and redirected the energy flow, using the method of zhu yuo to heal the condition."

In another passage:

"When the body is deficient, the physician should use dietetics to supplement and fortify. The five grains are used to nourish, the five fruits to assist, the five animals to fortify, the five vegetables to fulfill. Combining the energetic properties of these in one's diet can reinforce the essence and qi."

Sun Si-miao, a famous Tang Dynasty Chinese physician, said that when a person has an illness, the first line of treatment lies in regulation of diet and lifestyle. He advised using acupuncture and herbal medicine only if diet alone proves ineffective.

The Chinese medical understanding of nutrition--the Tao of Nutrition--serves as the basis for all of Asian cuisine. It has resulted in well-nourished Asians having superior resistance to chronic degenerative diseases and longevity compared to Western nations.

People in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan rarely become overweight. For example, according to the OECD, only 3.2% of people in Japan or South Korea are obese, compared to 31% in the U.S., 24% in Mexico, and 23% in the U.K. [see here .]

Asians also have longer average lifespans than people in Western nations. Japan and Hong Kong top the list with life expectancy of more than 82 years, compared to 78 years in the United States (see Wikipedia's entry on international life expectancy data ). Within Japan, the Okinawans live longer than the typical Japanese, and the Okinawan Centenarian Study the Okinawan Centenarian Study found that Okinawa has the highest concentration of centenarians (people over 100 years of age) of any population.

They also have much lower incidences of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Asian women have very low incidence of premenstrual disorder, menopausal symptoms, and reproductive cancers, and age very gracefully. Compared to North Americans, Okinawans have 80% less breast cancer and prostate cancer, and less than half the ovarian and colon cancers.

Concerned about your sexual prowess as you age? As they age, Okinawans maintain higher levels of sex hormones than Americans.

In addition, the Asian way of eating supports superior intelligence. The top five nations for average I.Q. are, in order, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore (see here ).

The old generation Okinawans who have long lifespans eat according to Taoist principles. Taoist diet guidelines are based on the principle of balancing cold and hot, heavy and light, moist and dry foods.

What To Eat

Chinese medical nutrition guidelines recommend a plant-based whole foods diet with minimal portions of animal products.

Eat Freely

1. Vegetables, herbs, and spices, including roots, bulbs, stems, leaves, mostly cooked.

* Green leafy vegetables have the highest nutrient density of any foods except animal liver.
* Eat as wide a variety as possible.
* Proper cooking increases net nutrient delivery.

2. Whole grains and whole grain products, especially brown rice, but also including corn, millet, buckwheat, wheat, rye, spelt, kamut, einkorn, barley, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum.

3. Legumes, beans, and peas (soy, aduki, lentil, chickpea, black, peanuts, etc.).

4. Fruits and berries.

Eat According To Individual Needs

These foods have more fat and should be used more as condiments than as staples.

1. Avocados and olives.

2. Nuts (almonds, coconuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, macadamias, etc.) and seeds (sesame, flax, pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, quinoa, amaranth).

Reduce, minimize, or avoid

1. Fish, poultry, eggs, or meat.

Animal products are rich in protein and fat similar to our own tissues, which makes them very nourishing but congesting in excessive amounts.

Literally thousands of studies indicate that excessive consumption of animal products (including poultry and fish) promotes degenerative diseases.

As a general rule, Chinese nutrition guidelines suggest that a healthy individual consume, at most, one to two ounces of flesh foods two to three times weekly.

Many people achieve their best health consuming less. Vegan diets (no animal products) are generally associated with the lowest rates of obesity and chronic disease risks and can work well for many people if well-balanced and supplemented with vitamin B12.

2. Refined cereal grains and grain products (white rice, white bread, pasta, pastries, cookies, crackers, pretzels, chips, etc.)

3. Fats (tallow, lard, butter) and most oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, sesame, hemp, etc.)

4. Sugars, including cane sugar (white, brown, organic, whatever), maple syrup, rice syrup, honey, etc.

5. Milk and milk products (e.g. yogurt, cheese, cream, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, clarified butter)

Humans don't require the milk of any animal at any stage of life. Milks of other animals are designed by nature to promote rapid growth of baby animals by providing large amounts of fat, protein and minerals. Adults don't need or want the type of growth-promotion provided by milk and milk products.

Conventional cow's milk, yogurt, and cheeses all contain several problematic components (casein, lactalbumin, hormones, betacellulin, and others), and they stimulate increases in insulin release that can exacerbate disorders linked to excessive insulin, including for example obesity, acne, polycystic ovaries, and endometriosis.

Butter and cream contain a high percentage of long chain saturated fats that may increase inflammation in the body, especially if consumed with a carbohydrate-rich diet. This fat also goes directly to fat stores. Thus we generally recommend avoiding all dairy products.

6. Any food to which you have an allergic reaction. Sweeteners contain concentrated fructose, which depletes minerals and may cause fatty liver disease. Vegetable oils contain excessive omega-6 fatty acids which promote inflammation.

Skeptical?

If the Asian experience doesn't satisfy you, we could supply a pile of scientific evidence for the benefits of eating a plant-based diet based on Chinese medical principles. But reams of data won't convince you as well as your own experience. If you really want to know how well it works, try it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from trying it for at least 30 days.

Please consult us in person or by phone or email for a consultation to determine your specific requirements.



Barefoot Acupuncture Clinic Location

Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler since 2007.

3530 E. Indian School Rd., Suite 2
Phoenix, AZ 85018
602.954.8016

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