Jennifer Moffitt, L.Ac., Dip. OM
Last time we introduced the idea of qi, or vital energy, and began to discuss its cultivation. Today we are going to
examine diet and cellular nutrition with the underlying premise that food is medicine. Proper nutrition is more than
minimizing carbs, or the proper combination of vitamins and minerals. It is even more than the flavors or herbal
qualities that we consider in Chinese medicine. A healthy diet must be expanded to include the concept of vital
energy, or qi, in our notions of what to eat. At its most basic, in order for food to have qi in it, it must look at least
a little like how it looked in nature. Protein bars and soylent green do not count. By the time folks are desperate
enough to try acupuncture, many of them are literally starving to death. They have gone months or years without
eating a single living thing.
How many servings per day?
Before we get too mystical, however, it is helpful to look at what the USDA recommends - a daily serving of 4-6
different vegetables and 2-4 fruits to meet our basic nutritional requirements. That’s like 10! Let’s be honest, most
of us are lucky to get one or two. I stress different vegetables because in southern California, some consider iceberg
lettuce salad a vegetable. Not a lot of nutrients there. And, in order for the body to heal, there must be a surplus of
qi and nutritional building blocks. That means extra…
No, you are not that toxic...
In addition, many people mistakenly believe they are full of toxins and should be cleansing, moving that colon, and
take herbs that are ultimately detrimental to their overall condition. While TCM includes treatment for parasites and
toxins when the condition warrants, I find the oriental approach to diet is gentler, with an emphasis on
strengthening the body’s ability to use the food we take in. We are not so full of toxins as many would have you
think, and toxins alone are not the cause of your disease or fatigue, although that notion has become widely
popular. The body has an innate intelligence. When you give it food that has life force in it and basic nutrition,
many times parasites and toxic situations resolve themselves, without the harshness involved in some of the
cleansing rituals.
Fresh Seasonal Foods
Begin to support the healing process by enjoying a balance of fresh foods that are in season. Please note that fresh
does not necessarily mean raw. Many of us have digestion so poor that even if we ate all those raw fruits and
veggies, they would not be absorbed properly anyway. Fresh vegetables that are lightly steamed (not boiled to
death) have plenty of qi and vitality in them, and are more easily assimilated by the body.
"You will be assimilated."
Let’s clarify for those of you who may understand “assimilation” as a term associated with the Borg on Star Trek. It is
the job of the body to absorb and process all the nutrients in the foods that we eat. How well the body is able to do
that depends upon 1) the quality of the food we are eating and 2) our own ability to actually take in that nutrition.
This is assimilation. Our ability to absorb nutrients from food can decline with age, and is affected by our general
health. Smoking dramatically decreases absorption. Those undergoing chemotherapy or HAART find that their
medication can damage the lining of the stomach and intestine so that it is more difficult to digest food. Individuals
with severe illnesses or layering western medication may find their digestion impaired. Chinese medicine and
acupuncture can be very helpful in this area - by helping the body better assimilate its food we increase the amount
of qi available from the food, and we are then able to better digest our food. It is a positive feedback loop. For
patients with digestive concerns, eat simply – limit meals to a starch with veggies, or a protein with veggies rather
than both. Think unleaded - eliminate heavy sauces and creams. Fruit can be eaten alone, and then followed with a
simple protein for those with blood sugar concerns.
Continued here...
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medicine, but will interest his patients in
the care of the human body, in diet, and in
the cause and prevention of disease."
Thomas Edison
