The Chinese View:

Nepalese woman at street market vending her abundant and nutritious farm produceThe body needs proper nourishment to function optimally. According to the Chinese medical model, nourishment comes into the body from three sources.

Gu Chi, which is the energy derived from our food and drink, which is digested by the Stomach, Spleen and Pancreas and transformed into the vital energy which feeds all of our cells.

Da Chi, which is the energy derived from the air we breath, and is taken into the Lung, where it is synthesized and converted into the energy which is also vital for life.

Shen Chi is the energy derived from healthy, nourishing relationships, which is taken into the Heart where it is then converted into vital energy.

The three energies (Gu chi, Da chi and Shen chi), are delivered to the Kidney and transformed into Wei Chi, the defensive energy of the body (like the white blood cells) and Ching Chi, the nourishing energy which fuels all bodily functions and feeds the organs.

Practical Nutritional Principles:

Food is the body’s basic fuel, and the quality of the food plays a huge part in the functioning of our body/mind/spirit. Eating a clean healthy diet, mostly consisting of organically grown fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and good protein in the form of lean, not chemically treated fish, chicken or beans, will provide optimal nourishment and not over tax the detoxifying organs, the liver and kidneys.

GENERAL RULES FOR GOOD NUTRITION

  • Western woman at market selecting from nutritious farm produceAvoid refined carbohydrates, which includes white flour and sugar (including sweets, white bread, pasta, white rice, corn chips, potato chips, pretzels, soft drinks etc). There is little doubt that our high sugar and refined carbohydrate diets are contributing to the alarming rise in the incidence of chronic diseases, diabetes and auto- immune diseases which are becoming endemic.
  • Drink plenty of water, at least eight to ten 8 ounce glasses every day.
  • Never fill your plate to the brim. Eat smaller portions and chew your food slowly and completely. Smaller meals help to stabilize blood sugar levels.
  • Use extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Many other oils oxidize and produce toxic residues. Avoid too much saturated fat, such as butter or animal fats, and try to buy only cold pressed oils on your salads.
  • Reduce your consumption of coffee, alcohol, and fruit juices.
  • Read labels, and avoid chemical names that you can’t pronounce, and colors which are added to foods. Many of these chemicals can be harmful!
  • Don’t deprive yourself. Enjoy your food, and savor the flavors, for the very act of eating with enjoyment can promote health, however, try to generally eat according to the above principles and rotate your diet.

Even if you are adhering to a strict dietary regime, we cannot be sure we are getting all of the nutrients we need from our foods, in order to function at an optimal level. The soil no longer contain all of the micronutrients and minerals that the food that our grandparents ate possessed. Depletion of the soil due to excess use of chemical fertilizers and pest control have taken their toll. Therefore it serves us well to supplement our diets with a few extra vitamins and minerals to ensure we are getting our full complement of nourishment.

Supplementation would be different for different individual and for the support of the body in it’s healing from individual conditions. Please refer to the rest of this website for more specific recommendations.

golden fields of wheat stalks