Chinese nutrition theory
Eating healthy is important. By now, everyone knows that nutrition has a big impact on our health. Additionally, everyone agrees that a healthy diet includes plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. However, delving deeper into the subject quickly becomes complicated. One person swears by a vegan diet while another finds solace in a paleo diet, which seems to be almost the opposite.
Balance for a good energy flow
In Chinese nutritional theory, the key is finding the right balance in your diet. Food is a means to maintain and promote your life energy (Qi) to flow well. In simple terms, it means that with the right food:
- You can conserve Qi by eating as little processed food as possible.
- You can replenish Qi by choosing the right, healthy food.
- You can let Qi flow by achieving a good balance between cooling and warming foods.
What is healthy nutrition?
Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on the individual. This means there is no 'standard treatment' for a complaint, but an acupuncturist always considers you as a unique person, with your specific condition, circumstances, and complaints. It is the overall picture on which the treatment is based. This principle also applies to any dietary advice you receive. It is entirely tailored to you, and remember: what is beneficial for one person may not be suitable for another.
Healthy eating according to the five elements
How does the acupuncturist arrive at dietary advice through Chinese nutritional theory?
The theory of the Five Elements is an important tool. In short, it is a system that organizes everything in our world; each phenomenon can be classified under one of these elements. In a healthy system, all five elements are present and in balance. This also applies to our diet. The five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.
Interconnection
Each food belongs to one of the elements. By composing meals that include all five elements, you ensure that all organs are well supported. This way, an acupuncturist can correct an imbalance in your body with dietary advice. Because everything is interconnected, he also considers the current season and how the food should be prepared. Cooked food (warming) has a different effect on your energy system than, for example, raw food (cooling).
Healthy eating as a lifestyle
Understanding the effects of different foods on your body makes healthy eating a logical choice instead of a joyless strict diet. It becomes a new lifestyle.