nutrition
NUTRITION – A COMMON SENSE APPROACH
Foods have been viewed as an important “healing force” and it becomes a unique perspective inside the American diet.
Since 1998 the Surgeon General has talked about the value of a good diet. More and more Americans are having greater and greater health issues related directly to a high inflammatory diet. Inflammation causes disease. Childhood obesity is reaching epic proportions. Stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes are beginning to show up in younger and younger patients due to Americans eating out more and having less control over the amounts of sugar, fats and proteins used in their daily foods. In the last few years restaurants have started offering healthier food choices with less fat and calories.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) food acts according to various healing properties and can profoundly affect all the body systems.
In ancient times Master Healers in China perceived a way to classify foods for various conditions and patterns of imbalances. If a patient was internally hot then cooling foods would be selected. Warming foods are best for patients with constitutional deficiencies and that tend to be cold in nature.
Some examples of food properties include:
1. Oatmeal – cold in nature, has a sweet property, clears heat, and is good for summer heat.
2. Black Beans – neutral in nature, have a sweet flavor, activates blood, detoxes, clears wind and is a diuretic. Good for edema, muscle/joint pain, arthritis and sweating.
3. Celery – cool in nature, has a sweet property, clears heat, diuretic, reduces blood pressure and cholesterol. Good for hypertension, high cholesterol and edema.
4. Walnut – warm in nature, has a sweet property, strengthens the lung and kidneys and stops asthma. Good for low back pain, impotence, dizziness, asthma and constipation.
Baihui recommends organic fruits, meats, vegetables and dairy.
The Diet Plan strongly encouraged and recommended at Baihui is “The South Beach Diet” as it is very high in antioxidants, and is designed to greatly reduce inflammation in the body, thereby helping to reduce disease.
The following books are highly recommended and are used in the clinic at Baihui:
“Cooking For Healthy Healing” Diets & Recipes For Alternative Healing. Linda Rector-Page, ND, PhD
“Prescription for Nutritional Healing” James F. Balch, MD, Phyllis A. Balch CNC
Books of Interest:
“Earth Medicine Earth Food” A guide to the herbal remedies and wild plants of North American Indians, Michael A. Weiner
“Food As Medicine” A Traditional Chinese Medical Perspective, Ted Zombolas, Jing Yuan
*Nothing at Baihui is ever recommended or adopted unless I have personally used these in my own life.
For additional information, please call Diane at:
731-300-4390
or e-mail if you prefer:
baihui.tn@gmail.com
We are located at:
233 C Oil Well Road
Jackson, TN 38305
by appointment only
