If you're looking for an alternative to harsh cleanses, try eating according to traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM. With its focus on unprocessed, seasonal and lightly cooked food, a TCM diet aims to support optimal physical function and flush toxins like any cleanse, while also balancing your qi, or vital life energy, and lifting your spirits.
Features
Since ancient times, Chinese people have pursued optimal health by eating what's traditionally called a "clear, bland diet," according to Chinese-holistic-health-exercises.com. Lightly cooked vegetables, grains, fruit and small amounts of fish or meat help to limit stress on the body. Garlic and ginger, two common flavorings in Chinese cooking, warm you from the inside out and boost the immune system. Cooking techniques like steaming and stir-frying, and simmering at low temperatures for long periods of time, bring the subtle tastiness of the ingredients to the forefront.
Theory
Above all, a TCM cleansing diet seeks to make digestion and assimilation of nutrients as easy as possible. Because the body isn't laboring to digest clear, bland food, it can readily extract the qi contained in food and distribute it throughout the body, which in turn helps you feel more energized. One of the simplest ways to give your body a break is to eat in tune with the seasons. If it's the middle of winter, avoid eating raw vegetables or cooling foods like ice cream. Warming foods like stews and soups, as well as hotter spices like chili peppers, will help your body stay in tune with the season, according to Acupuncture.com.
Expert Insight
One of the most common issues around food and healing in modern culture is spleen qi deficiency. A product of poor diet, overwork and worry, spleen qi deficiency results in fatigue, a feeling of "spaciness," and cravings for sugary treats. If you suffer from any of these symptoms, or if you want to optimize your energy, try a diet that focuses on steamed whole grains and nuts spiced with cinnamon, soups with a root vegetable base, and meats like lamb and seafood, advises Anasuya Batliner, Asian bodywork therapist, writing on MyBodyWisdom.net. Batliner also recommends ginger tea sweetened with stevia or honey to support spleen qi.
Key Concepts
According to TCM, your body gets most of the qi or energy it needs from food --- about 70 percent, says Joerg Kastner, doctor of acupuncture and author of "Chinese Nutrition Therapy." Once it's harvested, food begins to lose qi. A fresh-picked, locally grown carrot will have much more vital life energy than an orange that was picked three weeks ago. Light cooking also helps your digestive system to access the qi in vegetables more readily.
Considerations
TCM views physical and emotional issues as two sides of the same coin. When you're adjusting your diet to maximize the flow of qi, don't be surprised if you find yourself experiencing strong emotions. Pursue activities and eat soothing foods that leave you feeling nourished on emotional and spiritual levels, as well as physically, advises Michael Reed Gach, expert on acupressure self-care and author of "Acupressure for Emotional Healing."
References
- Chinese Holistic Health Exercises: Traditional Chinese Diet and Chinese Way of Eating
- Acupuncture.com: Frequently Asked Questions About TCM Diet Therapy
- My Body Wisdom: Spleen Qi Deficiency---A Nutritional Perspective
- "Chinese Nutrition Therapy;" Joerg Kastner; 2009
- "Acupressure for Emotional Healing"; Michael Reed Gach and Beth Ann Henning; 2004
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