We all grew up chanting the popular phrase ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away ‘.
As a young girl, I used to wonder how an apple could keep the doctor away. Later I realized the importance of eating the right food at the right time. What is the right food and what is the wrong food?
The right food is something that your body accepts easily, without any fuss for eg:- fruits.
Food that is rejected by our system can be called ‘Junk food’. So, it’s essential that we recognize the signals that our body indicates, depending on the food we eat and realize the need to replace it with food that’s suitable to your system.
From the day, I first arrived in China, I have noticed a drastic difference in the eating patterns followed here and have become a keen observer of Chinese eating habits. Right from cooking to having their meals at a particular time, I have found that Chinese people maintain discipline. They eat soupy meals with a lot of vegetables and meat which is consumed at specific timing along with the rest given to their body after every meal keeps them agile and active like bees.
To explore more on this, I started attending workshops on Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and learnt in depth about their eating habits.
I realized that ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ and TCM’s Five Element theory, are integral to the Chinese culture and have been so for thousands of years. Unbelievably, references to Yin and Yang date back as far as 700 B.C.E. to the I Ching (The Book of Changes)
Humans are a part of Universe and whole body is micro universe .
Life, it is said in the Chinese medical classics, is a gathering of Qi. A healthy and happy human being is a dynamic but harmonious mixture of all the aspects of Qi that make up who we are
• Qi is energy flow.
• Qi is universal.
• Qi embraces all manifestations of energy, from the most material aspects of energy (such as the earth beneath your feet, your computer, and flesh and blood) to the most immaterial aspects (light, movement, heat, nerve impulses, thought, and emotion).
• This symbol, which most people have seen in a variety of contexts, pares things down to one clear and elegant image. Like Einstein’s famous equation, E = mc², the Yin-Yang symbol describes something very elemental and incredibly complex.
In the Chinese Yin-Yang model, Yin (the black) contains a seed of Yang (in the form of a white dot). There is Yin, but interestingly, Yin is also Yang because it contains some Yang. The truth is Yin can transform into Yang under certain conditions. It can do this because Yang is present in Yin. So there is balance, but the relationship goes beyond balance to one of harmony.
This means there’s a dynamic flow happening that automatically and continuously balances and rebalances these energies. In the natural world, this phenomenon is seen in the changing of the seasons: the cold of winter yields to the warmth of spring and summer heat, and then gradually turns cool in fall to become winter once again. You might be wondering how Yin and Yang apply to you and your life, and to any health issues
Everything in your life just flows and moves seamlessly—in harmony. Your body, mind, emotions, and spirit can adjust and readjust to the circumstances in your life. The goal of a diet is to reach physical and psychological balance. A conscious nutrition enables to avoid imbalances in the body.
Quick TCM Tips for a healthy living:
• Eat according to seasons.
• Eat cooked food.
• Consume Qi strengthening foods
• Digestive system accepts warm and neutral foods
• Make your meals neutral [Rice, Wheat, Egg, Banana]
• Harmonize your food according to Yin Yang
• Eat Combination of neutral food, fruits and vegetables
• Any type of food can be converted to suit our digestive system by proper combination cooking.
Ex: Vegetable salad with salad dressing with olive oil/ vinegar. Fruits salad with honey / milk, Smoothies and fresh fruit juices.
TCM understands and applies Yin and Yang to help you harmonize your body, mind, emotions, spirit and then harmonize your individual energy with nature.
Eat healthy, stay happy and Enjoy life.
Picture Courtesy: Google Images
