Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) nutrition may not be familiar to the average American, but there are many benefits that can be useful in cultivating and maintaining a nutritious diet to achieve optimal health from the inside out. Western nutrition classifies foods by their nutrients such as fat, protein, carbohydrates, etc., and Chinese nutrition alternatively categorizes and views foods by how they affect the body. Viewing nutrition this way is definitely an adjustment as we as Americans have had standard nutrition engrained into our heads from birth, but once understood, Chinese nutrition logically makes a lot of sense. That is not to say that western nutrition doesn’t value the role of food in our health both of which can be utilized simultaneously, but Chinese medicine works amazingly based on your individual constitution. TCM nutrition can be woven in seamlessly with western nutrition uniting both the mind and body in pursuit of overall health which has been gaining acceptance and understanding in the western nutrition scope.
Western Nutrition Basics
In its simplest explanation, western nutrition is about eating and maintaining a well-balanced and regular diet rich in beneficial nutrients. These nutrients help provide the body the sources it needs to maintain the vital systems and organs in the body like the brain, bones, muscles, immune system, and more. Additionally, eating properly aids in protecting you from diseases like osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
While western nutrition does classify foods specifically by the nutrients contained within them (fats, carbohydrates, protein, etc.), in a broader sense, there are two major classes of nutrients that are in food outlined in western nutrition.
Macronutrients & Micronutrients:
- Macronutrients – these are what most people are aware of and pay attention to when it comes to nutrition, and that’s protein, fat, and carbohydrates. That is because these are the things that provide energy to build up muscles and tissues in the form of calories.
- Micronutrients – these include vitamins and minerals which are split into 4 categories including microminerals, water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, and trace minerals.
In western nutrition, there are a set of guidelines as to how one should eat healthfully on a daily basis developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is updated every 5 years. The good news is that western nutrition has also, in recent years, scientifically found links with one’s health and environmental factors which is a huge part of TCM nutrition concepts that have been around for thousands of years. Not to mention that your diet can have a large affect various health conditions across the board.
TCM Nutrition Benefits
TCM nutrition focuses on each individual and their body makeup and how food will affect these aspects of a person. It is of vital importance in TCM nutrition how food is prepared and produced as well as its effects on you after the food is digested. TCM nutrition, like western nutrition, aims to have a proper balanced diet, but rather than the nutrients, TCM focuses on the properties of the food itself. Food in the eastern world is known to bring energy as well as strengthen and heal the body. This concept is expressed by balancing “cool” (yin) and “hot” (yang) foods which may sound intimidating, but has a very logical explanation. Eating too much of a “yin” food or too much of a “yang” food will throw the body off balance leaving room for disease and poor nutrition to seep in.
Yin and Yang Foods with TCM Nutrition:
- Yin Foods – these will cool and moisten the body
- These foods are most often low in calories and high in potassium, and are usually recommended in warm weather climates.
- Some examples of yin foods are crab, tofu, watermelon, cold drinks, water, and veggies such as cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers.
- These foods are most often low in calories and high in potassium, and are usually recommended in warm weather climates.
- Yang Foods – these will warm and dry the body
- These foods are most often higher in calories, sodium, protein, and fat, and are usually recommended in cold weather climates.
- Some examples of yang foods are chicken, pork, beef, rice, mushrooms, eggs, and warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- These foods are most often higher in calories, sodium, protein, and fat, and are usually recommended in cold weather climates.
It is recommended as a general rule to keep meals containing 2 parts yin foods and 3 parts yang foods, but this will all depend on your individual body constitution which your licensed acupuncturist can determine at a consultation. TCM nutrition also classifies foods not only by cold and hot (yin and yang), but also by flavors and elements which connect directly to your TCM diagnosis as well as meridians in your body.
Flavors:
- Salty
- Sweet
- Spicy
- Bitter
- Sour
Five-Element Theory:
- Fire Element
- Water Element
- Metal Element
- Earth Element
- Wood Element
Meridians are the channels that connect acupuncture points and are the passageways that carry energy through the body. This is what we mean when we say that TCM nutrition breaks down and aids your unique individual body makeup to recommend nutrition because every aspect of food is broken down to meet your needs. Both the flavors and what is known as the five-element theory are utilized to provide an accurate diet recommendation and plan especially if there are conflicting symptoms that you are presenting with.
TCM Nutrition & You
Both TCM and western nutrition have a goal to balance and maintain a healthy diet, and both can be utilized together cohesively. Your licensed acupuncturist will be able to explain in detail what your TCM diagnosis is and how to work TCM nutrition into your lifestyle while also providing the individual nutrition knowledge needed to fit you and you alone which is something that to date hasn’t been achieved with western nutrition on its own. For further understanding on all the benefits of TCM nutrition, book a consultation with a licensed acupuncturist to get started on a healthy lifestyle that’s all yours.