Understanding how to nourish YOUR body.
Time and time again there is a new fad diet, new research, new books, all with conflicting information. All this can be very confusing and overwhelming. Maybe you have tried every strict diet and did not feel good on them, but your friend did great. This can be frustrating.
Let me explain how to eat for your specific body type.
It is simple, I feel like we complicate our diets by thinking too much about trying to follow rules or strict diets, while not taken into account how our bodies respond to those foods. This is critical.
Food Therapy
Traditional Chinese medicine has been around for thousands and thousands of years. This consists of acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha, tui na, and food therapy.
Each and every person is different and has a different constitution. This is important. Each food has a thermal effect on the body
In TCM, our spleen is the center of our digestion. It is not our physical spleen, just think of it as our digestion. Our spleen (digestion) is responsible for the transformation and transportation of our food. If our spleen is deficient then this vital function is impaired and can lead to a variety of health issues. Some people may be born with a very strong constitution and some may not, some may damage their constitution with food and lifestyle choices.
Within these constitutions there are different body types to look out fo.
For example: Deficiency heat: A person that has deficiency heat will have some of these common symptoms: Night sweats, hair loss, dryness: skin, hair
Excess Heat: excessive sweating, easily to anger, high blood pressure, excessive bleeding, constipation. Eating food that have a warming thermal affect in the body are going to add to the internal heat:
Deficiency cold, low energy, loose stools, fatigue, low libido,
Excess cold. Eating foods that have a cold or cooling effect on the body are going to increase the internal cold.
What I see constantly!
Patients that eat raw food constantly: example: salads, smoothies, fruits. Depending on their constitution most of these patients will have spleen qi deficiency which looks like this: fatigue, bloating, bruising easily, Spleen Qi Deficiency is associated with Internal Dampness, weight gain, digestive issues foggy headed. Spleen qi deficiency is the inability of the digestion to transform and transport your food which leads to fluid accumulation called dampness or phlegm. Too much cold energetics will cause excess pathogenic cold internally and future deficiencies to the digestive system.
The best way to lose weight and nourish your body is to eat balanced and eat in moderation. If you love your veggies, just lightly steam or cook them, avoid eating them raw if you have spleen qi deficiency. If you are going to have a smoothie, balance out the cold energy food by adding some warming foods to it like ginger.
If you are wanting to see what foods are best to include in your diet, and food to avoid, reach out to your local TCM practitioner.