We are confronted today with dozens of different sets of dietary recommendations that often contradict each other, and create confusion for many of us. Some of these diets are supported by friends’ experiences, some by medical doctors, and some by television talk show hosts. Patients often come to our clinic and ask what Chinese Medicine has to say about diet and health, but what people are really asking is, “what is the best diet out there”. Chinese Medicine advocates that each person look to their own specific goals and health needs before jumping into any system, no matter how currently popular it might be. There is no one diet that works for everyone, as we are all individuals with personal training and health needs, and we need to find that system which is most compatible for each of us.
At our clinic patients are encouraged to make lifestyle changes, and not dietary ones. It seems, at times, that we think of diets as short and unsustainable regimens, that we hope will lead us to a more clean, light and healthy body.
The goal should be to make a lifestyle change that is sustainable and brings our whole routine back into the kitchen, back into preparing our own foods, and back to cooking foods that came out of the ground, instead of out of a box. A vast majority of us consume much more protein and grains than we need while continuing to neglect the need to be told to eat more vegetables. What people often need help with is finding which vegetables and fruits would be best for them, which grains are helpful, and which meats and seafood are ideal for their needs.
Chinese Medicine holds the idea of the individual needs of the patient to be of utmost importance and avoids standard recommendations. It advocates for a move to a more locally grown and primarily plant-based diet. Local meats, seafood and cheeses can be a wonderful and life-enriching addition to this diet that further connect people to the farms and producers around their homes. This diet should be a way of living like that of a Mediterranean Diet or sustainable lifestyle. It will be something to be continued through the years, whether eating at home, or out with friends, and will become part of our daily healthcare. Cooking our own food means taking our medicine back into our own hands. All of our patients are encouraged to make appointments for an initial private treatment if they wish, to discuss food and any appropriate supplements; further and regular blog posts on our website will touch on these points further.
