“What should I eat?”, “What kinds of food will help me lose weight?” and “How long do I have to do this diet for?” These are common questions that people have when considering diet options. The answer is that, in order to create and maintain healthy habits that will hopefully last a lifetime:
Keep it Balanced and Keep it Simple and Make Changes Slowly!
Chinese medicine is all about balance and this is the key word to remember when thinking about how you nourish your body. The most important things to keep in mind with the Chinese diet are:
- Keep the diet as simple and pure as possible. Try to eat things that come directly from the earth and that do not have a label.
- Eat at regular times throughout the day and enjoy what you’re eating.
- Maintain a constant variety.
- Be mindful of overeating.
- And, most importantly, the key is to do everything in moderation, including moderation.
What is a simple and pure diet?
In traditional Chinese health care practices, food has always been used to prevent disease, strengthen the body and prolong life. The Chinese advocate simple, uncomplicated and light diets. Think of the poor man’s diet – not a lot of sweet, salted, processed, greasy, or rich tasting foods. It means eating “simple” foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds with small bits of meat (think Chinese food). This also means small amounts of dairy foods, without pesticides, chemicals, or hormones, and with the full fat – just like your grandmother used to eat. The full fat dairy is more balanced and therefore more nutritious than its low and no-fat counterparts, because it is in the whole, untouched form, the way nature intended it to be. It’s ok to eat dairy, but most people shouldn’t eat very much of it – once a day is a safe bet. Chinese dietary therapy suggests that those struggling with unwanted weight should try to avoid foods which tend to be damp and phlegm-producing, like dairy. Other foods that can create unwanted phlegm (which in Chinese medicine, also turns into fat) are: bananas, excess citrus fruits, peanut butter, sugars, sweet foods, and soy foods. It is important to eat and drink foods that are mostly warm, cooked, and easy to digest, that are lightly flavored with herbs and spices, which will further aid in promoting digestion (again, not too spicy!) This means smoothies, salads, and cold drinks only in the summer and always in moderation! Cold and raw things in the stomach, will lead to a “dampening” of the digestive system and a chilling of the metabolism. This digestive “fire” or energy in Chinese medicine can, over time, be put out when too many cold things are put in it. This also chills your body and slows down your circulation. Scientifically speaking, cold inhibits enzymatic activity and your foods won’t get assimilated and properly used. And lastly, purchase organic foods as much as possible – especially your meats and dairy items.
How do I keep from overeating?
It may sound overly simplified, or it may sound impossible but this point can’t be emphasized enough. Make sure that you dine at regular times and keep the times between meals neither too short nor too long. Having somewhat fixed meal times will help your body maintain some sort of “intake control” and keep you from both excessive hunger or fullness and excessive eating and drinking. Keeping the interval times between meals or snacks consistent is one of the most important principles in making sure you make the healthiest food choices. When you wait too long to eat, you are more likely to choose sweet, fatty, heavy foods and overeat them at that. Chinese medicine actually views being too full or too hungry as being harmful to one’s health. If you can try to always maintain a 70% fullness, you will feel the most energetic you can feel.
Another way to avoid overeating is to keep your diet interesting. By choosing foods of different varieties in colors, tastes, and textures, (and in season as much as possible), your body will be the most balanced and satisfied and you will less likely be caught grazing on snacks to fill you up. Taste and color are especially important because the nutrition found from certain tastes or colors actually sends nutrition via the acupuncture pathways to specific organs of the body. For example, a bitter green like kale is truly a super food because from a Chinese nutrition perspective, it will nourish the heart because of its bitter flavor, it will nourish the liver because of the color and it will nourish the kidneys because of its rich mineral content and it’s “bone-like” stems (the bones are related to the health of the kidneys in Chinese medicine).
While you are eating, concentrate on eating with a good mood, slowly, enjoying every bite. Always make sure you eat while you are sitting down and not doing anything but eating. This will keep you from overeating as you mindlessly snack while you are standing in front of the refrigerator, watching TV, reading or driving. These things are very important because the digestion and assimilation of our food is so easily impaired by stress, eating too fast and overeating. Chinese medicine focuses a great deal on optimizing and improving the digestion when treating patients who want to lose weight, therefore prevention of any kind of digestive impairment is a crucial piece of the puzzle. A way to help get your digestion and metabolism kick-started after eating, especially in the middle of the day, is to give your belly a rub and then try to walk a hundred steps before sitting back down again. Regular exercise helps to get the circulation flowing and aids in peristalsis by moving the foods and fluids down and out for excretion. Exercise warms the body up the same way that blowing on a dying fire can rekindle a flame and helps to transform the excess fat (the Chinese refer to this as phlegm). The Chinese word for transformation of phlegm is “hue” and this means to melt. Exercise literally helps to melt our fat way!
These tried and true health habits should help you to lose weight, feel better, have more energy, and say goodbye to sugar and carbohydrate cravings.
Avoid sweets altogether. I know it may sound hard and possibly a bit too drastic, but I assure you that getting rid of the sweet stuff is probably one of the best things you can do for your health. Too many sweet foods in the diet can cause a myriad of health complaints and problems ranging from headaches, menstrual cramps, and digestive problems to even more serious problems such as high cholesterol and diabetes. If you have a major sweet tooth, you’ll need to realize that you are addicted to sugar and can have signs of withdrawal such as fatigue, headaches and mood swings when you are trying to cut back. The key is to taper down slowly and to follow all of the other suggestions listed below to lessen those side effects. When I say to avoid sweets altogether, I’m even referring to all those popular new sugar alternatives you see on the market. The reason is, when you taste something sweet, even if it’s “faux” sweet, it can trigger the desire for more sweets. Allow yourself to really taste and appreciate the natural tastes of foods. If that doesn’t help, a little bit of cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla extracts (or other flavored extracts) can help to satisfy a sweet tooth. A dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of vanilla over a bowl of fruit and plain or vanilla yogurt can be a delicious dessert. And, if you’re having a really difficult time like most people, try this little herbal trick: Chew on some leaves of a plant called “Gymnema sylvestre”. You’ll want to apply it directly to your tongue, chew it for about 20 seconds and then swallow it. What happens is: the anti-sweet saponin property of the plant will temporarily alter the way you experience the taste of sweets so that you won’t want to eat them for a while and that will give your craving a chance to pass! You can get the leaves at the health food store or we carry a liquid extract of this plant that you can use in the same way.
Never skip Breakfast. When you eat in the morning, your body keeps the appetite stimulating neurotransmitters in check and this helps to keep you from overindulging or choosing the wrong foods later (and subsequently have an energy crash). See our sample meal plan for some ideas.
Cut the caffeine. A daily cup of tea or coffee is fine – and there is actually plenty of research that supports the various health benefits of both, more than one cup can be dehydrating, raise blood pressure, cause symptoms of anxiety, and ultimately deplete you of your energy. Remember, everything in moderation.
Drink more water! When you’re dehydrated, your kidneys can’t filter out wastes very effectively and this will make you feel tired and possibly reach for more food as energy when all you need is more water. Dehydration can also lower blood pressure and cause you to have more food cravings. Nutrition experts tell us that one of the best ways to keep any kind of food craving at bay is to stay well hydrated. In addition, if you eat more water-dense foods like fruits and vegetables, this will lead keep you more satisfied and keep your cravings to a minimum. Eat more soups as well (see below).
Detox once a year. Toxins can easily build up in every system of the body, from the digestive to the endocrine, and this keeps us from functioning optimally by literally weighing and slowing our bodies down. This can lead to things like fatigue, chronic infections, poor immunity, and overall poor outlook on life. Every body needs a spring cleaning. Ask us about our ultimate cleansing and detoxification program for details.
Eat protein with every meal. Our bodies digest proteins more slowly than fats and carbohydrates, and this makes you feel full faster and keeps you fuller, longer. Try to eat lean proteins (like chicken and lean cuts of other meats, fish, lentils, beans, and tofu), as well as nuts, seeds, and eggs. A recent study from the International Journal of Obesity found that eating two eggs a day for breakfast helps you lose 65% more weight and gain more energy than a bagel of equal calories. Why is this? Eggs give you a large dose of protein and some fat in just a small amount of calories. For people with high cholesterol, who otherwise have a healthy low-fat diet this should not be a problem. They should still eat the yolks – which have most of the protein and important antioxidants that help your eyesight, just don’t consume eggs more than 3 times a week.
Eat vegetables with every meal. Vegetables are a natural source of fiber, which is important for filling you up. They help you to feel full and satisfied for longer periods than foods without the fiber. In addition to this, you should really start to think of vegetables as super foods because they have more vitamins and minerals than anything else you could eat. Giving your body all the essential vitamins and minerals it needs will keep you from feeling unsatisfied after a meal and from seeking out snacks to try to satisfy the whatever it is your body is looking for. (see handout for ways to further control those cravings).
Eat more green foods. One of my Chinese teachers who is an expert in the field always says that Americans are sorely missing out on their greens and should eat more of them to lose weight. Again, it has to do with all those yummy vitamins, minerals and fiber they contain.
Eat healthy fats with almost every meal. Healthy fats include extra virgin olive oil, flax oil or seeds, organic coconut oil, organic butter (Yes! it’s true), organic ghee, avocados, unsalted nuts, and eggs. Fats are good for us, just so long as they are not from a restaurant (many restaurants use poor quality, trans-fat oils), are not in excess, and are organic and fresh. They aid in digestion and they help you to absorb the vitamins and minerals from all the vegetables you are eating!
Eat fewer carbohydrates than you are used to eating. When you change your diet to include at least one vegetable and a protein with every meal, and a little bit of fat, you might be shocked to notice how little room there is on your plate and in your stomach for the carbohydrates.
Eat Low glycemic “load” foods. There is a lot of talk about carbohydrates; some people think that a high carb diet is the way to go, while others believe that it is NOT the way to go. There is a startling array of evidence out there to support the fact that for most people a low carbohydrate diet is the best way to lose weight and keep it off for good. This does not mean that you can’t eat plenty of carbohydrates and must go around feeling deprived all the time. If you follow the other guidelines and dietary suggestions that are listed on this handout, you will not have that problem. This means finding a balance between eating foods that are high in protein, high in fiber (i.e., fruits and vegetables), contain some fat, and contain some carbohydrates at every single meal. Your body should feel much more satisfied than it would be if you consumed more carbohydrates. You will be so happy, because you are somehow feeling very satisfied with what you are eating and you are losing weight. So what does the glycemic “load” mean? This will be discussed at one of your nutrition appointments and you will receive a handout that can be used as a guide. Generally speaking, low glycemic load foods include almost any kind of vegetable you want to eat, most fruits, and whole grain, unprocessed, and unrefined flours.
Eat two servings of fruits a day. The reason I suggest only two serving is that you have to remember that fruits contain sugar and some of them are somewhat high in carbohydrate count. Most people already get way too many sugars and carbs through unseen, hidden ways in their diet, so it best just to be aware that you really need to concentrate on eating more vegetables than fruits. Fruits, however, have so many healthy benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties (just like vegetables I might add), that it is important not to discount eating fruits like watermelon and bananas altogether – you just don’t want to eat too much of them.
Eat more Soups. This is another great way to help keep your appetite in check. Here is an excerpt taken from an article written by health writer Jack Challoner: “Appetite is one of the most researched areas of weight-loss science. Unfortunately, the appetite system is complex, and still poorly understood. Scientists have used ultrasound and MRI scans of people’s stomachs to investigate what happens after eating solid-food-plus-water meals compared with the same food made into soup. After you eat a meal, the pyloric sphincter valve at the bottom of your stomach holds food back so that the digestive juices can get to work. Water, however, passes straight through the sphincter to your intestines, so drinking water does not contribute to “filling you up”. When you eat the same meal as a soup, the whole mixture remains in the stomach, because the water and food are blended together. The scientists’ scans confirm that the stomach stays fuller for longer, staving off those hunger pangs. The stomach gradually empties, more slowly for the soup than the solid meal plus water.”
Eat natural Salt. Keep the bad-for-you salt in check by avoiding potato chips, processed foods, and canned soups. And throw out your iodized table salt! Choose healthy salt sources from mineral rich kosher salt, sea salt, Himalayan salt, or Celtic salt. Natural sea salts have over 80 trace minerals in them. People actually need approximately 1 tsp of good quality salt each day. (Again, NOT TABLE SALT which contributes to the raising of blood pressure). Did you know that seaweeds can help you to maintain a health weight too? This is because they help to balance the water metabolism and have lots of trace minerals in them too. You can cook with seaweeds, eat them as a snack (try kelp if you’re a salt lover), and powder them to sprinkle on foods.
Eat frequent meals. When you are able to eat smaller, frequent meals throughout the day, this helps to prevent low blood sugar, which can cause dramatic food cravings and overeating. But remember to still balance each meal out with a little bit of food combining. Think of pairing low glycemic carbohydrates (like fruits, vegetables, and whole grain), with healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds) and of course, protein.
Exercise. When you’re feeling tired, this is often the last thing you feel like doing. However, research shows that even if you just get your body moving for about 20 minutes, the exercise actually helps to release endorphins, which will boost your mood, your energy and your metabolism.
Consider getting food allergy testing. It’s possible you could be allergic to something you eat, and not even know it. If you are always tired and feel sluggish, it would be helpful to see which foods are causing the problems so that you can avoid them. Sometimes even just food intolerances, and not a full blown allergy, can lead to chronic inflammation in the body which gives people a very wide range of symptoms and can be the root of other major health problems.
You still need to Supplement. Even people with the healthiest of diets, will benefit from food-based nutritional supplements. This has to do with the fact that the soil our food is grown in is much more depleted and toxic than it ever has been and our food is simply not as fresh and nutritious as it used to be. Not to mention that people nowadays spend about a third of the time or less than they used to in preparing healthy meals, and much of the modern diet revolves around pre-packaged or prepared foods which are much less nutrient-dense then they ought to be.
Read all of your food labels. Word to the wise – for all the packaged foods that you do have to buy, read the labels, ask questions, and avoid ‘high fructose corn syrup’ and ‘hydrogenated oils’ like the plague! These ingredients are found in most conventional, packaged products. Try to buy the natural or organic versions of these products as much as you possibly can. For example, conventional ketchup found at the grocery store contains high fructose corn syrup, but the organic version of that product does not.
Combat Your Food Cravings
Do you find yourself, after eating a wonderful meal still needing to have dessert? Do you “need” to have a soda with dinner? These food cravings are trying to tell your body that something is missing from your diet. Listed below are some of the nutrients that your body could be trying to get and some healthy food choices that you should be eating instead.
