Diet Therapy

Just as there are differences in Eastern and Western approaches to medicine, so there are differences in the way food is viewed. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food therapy is a primary treatment strategy in both health maintenance and treatment of disease.

When choosing foods for a particular individual, one must first understand the energetic makeup of the food and the individual. Every food has both a nature and a flavor. A food's nature has an effect on one's body temperature. Thus a food can make a person hot, cold, warm, cool, or neutral. This is important when treating diseases or constitutions that are hot or cold in nature. Also, foods are chosen according to their flavors: salty, bitter, spicy and sweet. Each has an effect on various organ systems: sweet affects the spleen and stomach in digestion, bitter the heart, sour the liver, and spicy flavor the lungs. Although these therapeutic properties are less dramatic and work slower than herbs or other medications, they are of utmost importance. As foods profoundly affect all bodily systems, a correct diet is the first step.

Digestion Plays a Major Role
An individual must have the ability to digest the foods that one chooses. According to the principles of TCM, the spleen and stomach are the major organs that govern the transformative processes in turning food into energy. TCM says that the body must heat foods to approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit in order for it to be used by the body's organ systems. The spleen/stomach system is likened to a cauldron and a fire. The fire of one's metabolism must be stoked for these energetic transformations to occur. This is important because some individuals tend to be cold natured and have a slower metabolism. Foods chosen with warmer properties can help to boost one's metabolism by aiding the body's natural processes. The harder the body must work to digest food, the more energy is expended and one's digestion is further weakened, along with your overall energy level.

Eat According to the Seasons
Central to the principles of this medicine is that all of nature acts in predictable cycles, and that acting in accord with natural cycles, one will remain healthier. Choosing foods that naturally occur in one’s environment will keep the body’s energy in tune with its surroundings. Foods that grow in particular time of year will tend to be remedies for disorders that also naturally occur during that time. In the summer, eat vegetables and fruits that grow during that time of the year. Foods that naturally grow in the summer tend to cool the body down and will treat disorders that naturally occur in the summer. Likewise, foods that naturally grow in the winter will tend to warm the body and treat signs and symptoms of coldness. This is a simple principle and may seem to many to not be important but it is has an extremely useful therapeutic value. Eating foods and fruits that grow in a hot environment tend to open the pores, promote sweating, and cool the body down. Eating these foods during the winter will leave the body vulnerable to airborne pathogens that tend to enter the body through open pores. However, these foods may be used to expel these same pathogens from the body if used correctly.

The most important aspect when working with TCM dietary therapy is to eat a balanced diet. The majority of one’s food should be fresh vegetables and whole grains, followed by a moderate amount of fresh organic fruits, nuts and berries. Meat and dairy products should be taken in small amounts. Breads, sweets and snacks should constitute the smallest group of foods consumed. It is very important to combine foods so that all flavors are used. It is helpful to know one’s individual constitution and then choose foods that support it.

Last but not least, remember to prepare foods in a loving environment and eat foods that are enjoyable. Take time to make eating a pleasant activity.

* This article by Keith Bell appeared in the January/February 2003 edition of "Natural Awakenings".