Dietary therapy is an important part of Chinese Medicine. All of us eat every day, but most of the time we do not think about how this food affects our health. At Orlando Acupuncture we use food therapy for patients who want to have more vibrant health. Food therapy can be an important part of a patient’s treatment plan and healing. It can be something as simple as eating less processed foods, to very specific recommendations such as adding fresh lime juice to water and drinking daily, or eating 6 stalks of celery each day.
The basic idea is that what you eat effects how you feel and how your body works. Patients who do not want to change their diet often do not need to. We always start with by looking at what you are currently eating and drinking and make small changes to the current diet. The idea is to gently nudge your health is a positive direction with easy changes that have big effects. What you eat can have a dramatic effect on your health, just like acupuncture.
One of the most important, and most overlooked, concepts in Chinese Dietary Therapy is to be mindful when eating, and to take the time to enjoy (and thoroughly chew) your food. This means not eating while watching TV, or reading, etc.
Reducing sugar, processed foods, and artificial colors and flavors are also pillars of food therapy in Chinese medicine. Eating foods that are fresh and in season is another main concept. Eating more vegetables, especially leafy greens (such as kale, chard, collards, and parsley) is a diet change that most Americans could benefit from.
“You are what you eat”, and “Let thy food be thy medicine”, are famous quotes that highlight the connection between food and health. In popular culture there seems to be a thought that calories is what matters when it comes to food. So the idea is that we are just looking for the right amount of fuel (calories). However, when it comes to healthy eating counting calories is not the whole story. Different foods that we eat are metabolized (broken down) differently. The details of how each meal or snack is metabolized will determine its effect on our health. It is easy to forget that most of our cells, organs, and tissues die and are rebuilt constantly throughout our life. This means that the new cells, organs, and tissues are made from the foods that we eat.
At Orlando Acupuncture we can teach you about wholesome, nutritious foods that give your body the raw materials it needs to not only maintain good energy, but to build strong, healthy organs and tissues.