Chinese Medicine Foods to Eat
At the top of this article is a quick list of foods to eat and foods to avoid, based on the Chinese Medicine diet. After the “quick list” you will find more information explaining why certain foods are recommended and why others are to be avoided. Alternative food choices and food substitutes are recommended and the importance of eating organic, non-GMO foods (genetically modified foods) and non-microwavable food.
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QUICK LIST
FOODS TO EAT
- Vegetables – all types (except night shades)
- Rice, Quinoa, Millet
- Rice Cakes
- Yams, Sweet Potatoes, Squash
- (Sprouted Wheat Bread – not on the Chinese diet but acceptable)
- (Sprouted Wheat Wraps – not on the Chinese diet but acceptable)
- Eggs
- Beef, Pork, Chicken, Lamb
- Wild Caught Fish
- Beans
- Rice Milk, Hemp Milk, Almond Milk (American milk substitutes)
- Seasonal Fruits (limited quantities)
- Raw Nuts and Nut Butters
- Olive Oil
- Butter (small quantities)
- Tea/Water with lemon or lime slices
- Soups
FOODS TO AVOID
- Flour products of all kinds, including breads (damp producing)
- Dairy (yogurt, cheese, milk)
- Sugar (even fruits should be limited due to their high sugar content)
- Tropical Fruits (unless you live in a tropical place – lucky you!)
- Processed Food
- Frozen food
- Spicy hot food
- Greasy food
CHOOSE GOOD QUALITY OVER COST
Quality is a top priority when choosing whole foods to include in your balanced diet. You will pay more money for better quality. However, you will be eating more whole fresh foods which are cheaper overall than processed, frozen, conveniently packaged foods. All foods in your shopping cart should be fresh, organic, non-genetically modified, and free of hormones and antibiotics. Cooking should be done with natural heat and never in a microwave. The reasons for all of this are discussed below.
WHY ORGANIC?
Organic foods are grown in good quality soil resulting in nutrient dense food with abundant life force. Commercially grown produce is grown by mega-corporations in nutrient poor soil that must be chemically fertilized, sprayed with pesticides, and picked unripe to prolong shelf life. Because it is picked before it is ripe, commercial produce is often gassed before sale to facilitate ripeness.
Pesticides found on commercial produce kill bugs by interfering with the bug’s nervous system. By disrupting communication between the bug’s nerves and muscles, the bug becomes paralyzed and dies. Pesticides can accumulate in our fat cells over time and have been associated with several neurological diseases in humans, including Parkinson’s disease. They are implicated in certain cancers, including cancer of the prostate. It is estimated that the EPA allows 71 known carcinogenic pesticides to be sprayed on our food crops.
Additionally, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides found in commercial foods create more free circulating estrogen in your body. This excess estrogen is called ‘estrogen dominance’ and is associated with reproductive cancers and excess female characteristics in men.
Commercial produce grown in depleted soil is created to look good but often lacks taste due to its poor nutrient density. Organic foods grown in rich soil usually appear smaller but are nutrient dense so you get more nourishment for your money. Eating nutrient dense food provides you with high quality nutrition, potentially eliminating food cravings because your body’s vitamin and mineral requirements are being met.
HORMONE AND ANTIBIOTIC FREE – HEALTHY ANIMAL PROTEIN
Grass fed beef is naturally raised without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones. It is higher in good fats such as omega 3’s with less of the harmful omega 6 type fats. Wild caught salmon and other types of fish are caught in the ocean rather than raised in crowded conditions and fed unnatural feed. Free range eggs are laid by chickens that have room to roam rather than penned in cramped, artificially lit, airless cubicles. The resulting food products of animals raised in humane, natural environments are superior in nutrition to their commercially raised counterparts.
WHY NON-GENETICALLY MODIFIED/HORMONE TREATED?
Genetic modification is used to create bigger, more pest resistant produce. Hormones are routinely given to factory farmed animals to force them to grow quickly. This type of tinkering with Mother Nature is not without its risks. Scientists have raised questions about the safety of GMO foods. Countries outside of the United States have labeling laws that require disclosure when food has been genetically modified. Here in America, the FDA has decided that we don’t need to know if our food is natural or man-made. The only way you know if you are eating non-GMO food is if the label states that it is non-GMO. You can read more at truefoodnow.org.
The dairy industry gives a hormone to cows called rBST (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) in order to increase their milk production. Dairy cows given this hormone suffer serious side effects including greatly shortened life spans. If you are still using dairy, look for the type free of rBST. Raw dairy is never treated with this hormone and is the only type I can recommend for those who choose to include dairy in their diets. Raw dairy digests more easily than pasteurized as the enzymes for digesting its protein remain intact.
NO MICROWAVE?
Cooking food with natural heat is how we evolved as a species. The modern convenience of microwaving food has resulted in the creation of highly processed foods in order to satisfy the demand of hectic, fast paced lives. Microwaves have become so ingrained in our society that some people have forgotten how to cook a meal from scratch. Unplug the microwave and dig out some of those pots and pans that are gathering dust under the kitchen cabinet. Heating food on the stove is faster than you think. I wondered at the effects of microwaving food while writing this article and stumbled across the following pictures comparing two plants over a nine day period. One was watered with boiled tap water and the other was watered with microwaved water. See for yourself and decide if you still want to use the microwave.
COST
Many people complain about the cost of eating organic produce, free range eggs and poultry, and grass fed beef. Since you will be purchasing whole foods rather than fast food, pre-packaged food, or frozen food, you may actually spend less since these foods tend to be less expensive. One way to defer the cost is to ditch the vitamin supplements and choose organic whole foods instead. You will get all the vitamins and minerals you need from whole foods rather than from synthesized versions of nutrients. You could also forego dinner at restaurants and transfer the cost of an expensive dining experience to the healthy food you want to eat every day. Save money on other things but please spend money on quality food. Your health is worth every penny.
FOODS TO EAT
VEGETABLES
- All types in large quantity – half your plate in veggies
- (limit nightshades – eggplant, tomato, potato, peppers – they are inflammatory)
STARCHES
- Rice (white or brown whichever digests better for you)
- Rice Cakes (Lundberg Organic are good)
- Quinoa, Millet
- Yams, Sweet Potato
- Winter Squash
Acceptable Breads: Sprouted Wheat Bread (Alvarado Street Bakery brand is good)
Sprouted Wheat Wraps (for wrapping leftovers or making burritos)
ANIMAL PROTEIN
FREE RANGE, GRASS FED, NO ANTIBIOTICS/HORMONES
- Eggs
- Beef, Pork, Chicken
- Wild Caught Fish -a COLD food, good for warmer months
- (canned tuna is very high in mercury so don’t eat it!)
- Lamb – a HOT food for cooler months
Portions are palm-sized and eaten 3-4 times per week.
VEGETABLE PROTEIN
- Beans – fresh or canned
- Legumes such as Lentils, Split Peas
- Any type of bean that digests well for you is fine. Smaller beans are easiest to digest– seaweed makes beans more digestible. Kelp capsules can be taken with them if you don’t like to eat seaweeds or you can opt for digestive enzymes.
Portions are 1/2 to 1 cup and can be eaten more freely as they absorb cholesterol and toxins, are high in fiber, and protein and nutrient rich
I do not recommend soy unless it is the whole bean and they digest well for you. Many people rely on processed soy products for their protein. The processing creates imbalance. Protein powders made from whey or rice are a better choice if you need to supplement protein. Also, many people are allergic to soy. Soy is often genetically modified, increases estrogen in the body, and is difficult to digest in general. Tofu is fine if you can digest it but is a COLD food so limit your intake to the warmer months.
The Chinese do not recommend total vegetarianism. It is their belief that animal protein, included 3-4 times per week, will keep the blood well nourished. In Chinese medicine, your blood is the basis of energy production. When it is depleted, fatigue, sleep problems, and degenerative joint pain are common issues that can develop.
DAIRY
A very building, mucus forming food, dairy is a major culprit in allergies and asthma. It not only clogs the airways with phlegm but also blocks the channels that we use in acupuncture to balance your energy. If it clogs subtle energy channels, imagine what it is doing to the rest of your body!
Cow’s milk is meant to grow a baby calf into a bigger version of itself, a cow. Once it is big enough, it naturally stops nursing from its mother. Dairy is the lactation product of a different species. It seems unnatural for humans to ‘nurse’ cross species. As adults, we would think it quite abnormal to drink breast milk past the time we are babies so why should we drink the milk of a lactating animal?
Dairy food is so building and nourishing that the only people who would really benefit from it are those who are malnourished or emaciated. If you are a full-grown, well fed adult, dairy further builds you resulting in accumulation (read mucus and excess fat). If you do choose to have dairy, please choose RAW dairy products as cooked dairy loses valuable elements that make it digestible. If you think about it, our ancestors consumed their milk products raw for thousands of years. Pasteurization wasn’t discovered until 1864. If raw dairy was so dangerous, it would have killed our ancestors and none of us would be here today! Animals that are well cared for produce healthy milk that is safe to consume raw. (Raw milk and cheeses are available in our area at Kimberton Whole Foods in Downingtown from a reputable biodynamic local farm).
Yogurt has been touted as a health food for its pro-biotic benefits. You can get pro-biotics in pill form instead. Dr. Ohhira Probiotic 12 Plus brand is a well researched product, available at Vitamin Shoppe.
WHERE WILL I GET MY CALCIUM?
Calcium is abundant in vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish. One cup of broccoli has more than 50% of the calcium contained in one cup of milk. A six ounce serving of salmon or sardines is equivalent to the calcium content of one cup of milk One cup of cooked collard greens or spinach are also equal to the calcium in a cup of milk. If you are eating half your plate in vegetables and including leafy greens in your vegetable choices, you will ingest all the calcium you require. Better yet, the calcium in vegetables is more easily absorbed and occurs in proper ratios to other minerals that are also important for bone health. It is important to get enough vitamin D to help you absorb more calcium. Sun exposure in warm weather is the healthiest way to produce vitamin D. Ten to twenty minutes a few times a week is all you need. Rich food sources of vitamin D include eggs and fattier fish like salmon.
MILK SUBSTITUTES
- Rice Milk (Good Karma Brand Whole Grain has the least sugar and best taste).
- Hemp Milk
- Almond Milk
- Soy Milk – NOT RECOMMENDED – see Beans above
FRUITS – SEASONAL
- Apples and Pears in the fall
- Berries in the summer
FATS
Limited consumption – fats are clogging.
- Raw Almonds, Cashews, Pistachios, Sunflower seeds, etc.
- Raw Almond Butter (Woodstock Farms – this is the only non organic food I eat due to the extreme cost of organic almond butter $27.00 per jar vs. $7.00 for the non organic)
- Raw Cashew Butter
- Raw Sunflower Butter
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for cooking
- Butter (small quantities)
BEVERAGES
- Herbal Tea, Green Tea, Black Tea
- Water with Lemon or Lime – room temperature
SOUP
All types of vegetables, whole grains, meat or beans, and stock. (Avoid milk based soups)
FOODS TO INCLUDE FOR SEASONAL EATING
Eating according to the seasons will help balance your body. A balanced body processes foods efficiently and does not create disease.
Winter – soups, stews, baked yams, winter squash, well cooked whole grains, firmer, thicker vegetables, larger beans, more chicken (very warming), beef, lamb, very little fish (cooling). No raw or cold food!
Spring – spring greens, sprouts, more lightly cooked veggies, mung beans, lighter whole grains, beef, begin adding fish (cooling). Less nuts this time of year.
Summer – small amounts of raw, lighter veggies, short cooking times, very light whole grains, smaller, easier to digest beans, more fish, less read meats, even less chicken (very warming). Berries in season. Avoid greasy, overly spicy this time of year.
Fall – less raw, more cooked veggies, sturdier grains, less fish, more read meats, apples and pears in season. Avoid drying, pungent flavors like ginger and garlic.
REALITY CHECK
The Chinese Medicine diet is a practice you will want to adopt for the rest of your life. Making changes slowly guarantees your success in this endeavor. Be patient. Know that every change you make supports your body’s ability to create abundant health.
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[...] and more life to your years. If you feel inspired and want to eat in a balanced way, please read Chinese Medicine Foods to Eat and Chinese Medicine Sample Meals which can help you slowly change to a more balanced way of eating [...]
I recently went to a Chinese Medicine doctor who did gua sha an cupped my left upper arm/shoulder area, and it was extremely painful. I have had much pain in my joints and feeling very lethargic, etc. She told me to not eat citrus of any kind. I was depressed because my husband just bought beautiful dwarf kumquat, key lime, grapefruit, orange and lemon trees and I seem to always crave citrus. I had just begun eating from one to two a day of the little Cuties – a type of mandarin orange that was from Trader Joe’s and this was just in the last two weeks! She told met that the entire room smelled of oranges from my body. She said, “No citrus, don’t eat any orange!” Since I am post-menopausal and experiencing hot flashes but ironically feeling very cold lately too, I was told no salads, no dairy, no tofu, no french fries (of course) – she can smell that too if I eat a few. In any case, I feel as if I can’t eat anything anymore, because everything I eat is the “wrong” food. It is amazing how different this is from Eating for Your Type, which labels me as dairy, and says I should eat alot of dairy, but I was told by my TCM doctor that I am too damp and should avoid dairy, and I just found a local dairy that sells raw goat milk, kefir and yogurt which I love! Amazing how eating the wrong things can affect our health so, but how difficult to to determine just what is the right thing to eat for each individual! It certainly makes it harder to cook for everyone in the family, each of whom has a different constitution. I live in San Jose, California, and will certainly try out your sample recipes and deeply appreciate your articles and the recipes that include brands that I can find and have seen at the local Whole Foods market. Thank you for your time and sharing of this valuable information. I had researched high and low for more info on my doctors, don’t eat/don’t do list, without completely understanding the why’s until I came across your website. I wish you lived closer and we could meet. I am fascinated with this and eating for health, makes perfect sense. Thank you, thank you, thank you again. Sincerely, Vanette
How wonderful you have found information on the Chinese diet. When we are experiencing health issues, it is difficult to understand why the foods we have always considered good for us, such as citrus and dairy, could be making us sick. Once we understand how the body responds to foods that are chosen for their energetic nature rather than their western nutritional content, it makes sense that certain foods contribute to poor health.
The article you are referencing focuses on the formation of dampness. For you personally, your acupuncturist was right to tell you not to eat citrus and dairy. Unfortunately, those yummy little citrus fruits do indeed create dampness as does the dairy you were eating when trying to ‘Eat For Your Type’. These two food groups were once my favorites too, both for nutrition and taste. And like you, I too suffered from joint pain and fatigue until I discovered a better way to eat.
Joint pain and fatigue are often caused by some form of accumulated dampness and blockage. Citrus fruits and dairy products cause dampness because they are both sweet and cold natured. The sweetness overwhelms the digestion, hindering its ability to transform food into energy and the cold nature extinguishes the digestive fire. Both of these actions result in undigested food accumulation that we call dampness in Chinese medicine. The citrus has the additional quality of sourness which can obstruct the channels because it pulls dampness inward and contains it.
I found this quote from a famous Chinese medicine author, Giovanni Macciocia
“The sour taste goes to the nerves and can upset the Liver, so it should be used sparingly if a person suffers from chronic pain.” The liver is associated with allowing energy to flow freely throughout the body. When the Liver energy is healthy, it is similar to having never-ending green lights when driving through a city so traffic can flow at its own pace. When Liver energy becomes imbalanced it tightens the vessels that carry energy flow through the body. Energy flow becomes erratic and can come to a stop in some places.
The lack of free flowing energy combined with dampness relates to the joint pain and fatigue that you mentioned in your comment. Joint pain may occur when dampness obstructs the energy flow through the joints and limbs, creating stagnation. In Chinese medicine when energy is blocked, the site of blockage causes pain. Joints are prone to damp because they are like intersections that already contain fluid filled sacs. It’s easy for excess damp in the body to further fill these areas and clog the energy channels that traverse the joints. If you add the sour flavor to the mix, the dampness can end up being ‘contained’ within the accumulated space.
Lethargy or fatigue may occur when the digestive organs cannot transform food into energy because they are being clogged with damp foods. The energy created from food must be free to rise to the head so you can experience clear thinking and flow to your muscles so you can move your body. When this vital energy fails to rise to the head you experience dullness or what some people call ‘brain fog’. When it fails to supply the muscles, they feel weak. (Interestingly, in Chinese medicine, the muscles are the body tissue we associate with the organs of digestion.)
I noticed you had tried the ‘Eat For Your Type’ diet. I too had tried this diet when the book first came out. As a B blood type, dairy was supposed to make me healthier. I ate yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, I was a dairy ‘junkie’. Having a history of chronic fatigue, I periodically run stool analysis tests to make sure all is well in my digestive system. After being on this ‘Eat For Your Type’ diet for awhile, I was getting tired again. Another stool test showed my bowel pH went up dramatically. This is an early indicator that signals an increased risk of colon cancer. I gave up the dairy, my bowel pH went down, and I felt much better.
I wish there were more information available on the web for diets that are useful to balance the energy systems of the body. All of our functioning including digestion, sleep, mood, and daily energy depend on these energy systems. When the energy is balanced, our function is normal. But when we eat foods that unbalance our energy, we create dysfunction and disease.
I can tell you this: when my patients change their diets to one that consists of clean burning foods, they experience far greater change than those who continue to eat their customary diet that is generating their condition. I commend you for making the commitment to your health and exploring new ways of taking care of yourself.
I wish you well on your healing path. Stay in touch!