With COVID, the good news is that we have not had a huge number of people asking about fad diets and get-slim-quick schemes. The bad news: people are coming in for pain, depression, and anxiety so much that they are not coming in for weight gain, obesity, and diet. Why? People are overwhelmed (see part 3). But the truth is that diet is far more important than people think. Not only for weight, but immunity, mood, energy/vitality, and of course longevity.
In TCM, we focus on balance – colors, flavors, and properties – as opposed to micro and macro nutrients. It isn’t that salt or carbohydrate volume and calories don’t matter. They clearly do. But even your sodium intake must be considered in the realm of “balance.”
The 5 element diet
The Five Elements include fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. They correspond to seasons, organs, emotions, organs, and of course colors and flavors. It is, therefore, crucial that people consume: spicy, sweet, bitter, salty, and sour. It is also important to get the various properties: acrid, pungent, aromatic, bland, and savoryness. We need all of these, in various quantities, in order to ensure the many types of chemicals needed from amino acids and proteins to acids and vitamins, to stay cancer free and avoid illness.
Shall we regulate them with an iron fist? No. Just involve yourself in selecting the different colors, flavors, etc. such that your body receives the support that it wants.
You do need to watch your cholesterol intake. But that isn’t as crucial as avoiding over mixing sugar and salt in a desperate self-medication to deal with the pain of a stress-led life.
If you are having trouble with your sweet and salt cravings, then we need to reduce the cravings caused by your sympathetic nervous system. That is all about acupuncture, and twice a week to start, until we get your nerves under control. Come see us!