Food ratios and Dairy

[Guest guest]

> Dear Mbanu,

> In regards to an earlier post you did on Chinese Dietary Therapy,

I have a question on the following:

> 5. One's diet should consist of vegetables and grains as the

> foundation, with fruits and meats supplementing according to the

> seasons.

>

> I realize that everybody needs to eat a little different

> proportions according to their condition, but what are the

> approximate amounts to eat of each for a good balanced diet. Like

> 40% of calories of grains, 20% veg, 20%meat, 20% fruit????

 

Chinese dietary theories are very relative. While this is what gives

Chinese dietetics the flexability to work for a large number of

people, it becomes difficult to give more than general advice and

still be accurate.

 

I would say maybe 35% grains 35% vegetables 15% meat (including

dairy) and 15% fruit might be an appropriate base, but this is simply

my own opinion.

 

In general fruits and vegetables tend to Cool, while meats and grains

tend to Warm. Meats and Fruits have more marked Warming and Cooling

properties than Grains and Vegetables, which are closer to Neutral in

nature.

 

Why then is a diet of primarily Grains and Vegetables recommended,

instead of a balanced diet of Fruit and Meat? The body tends to do

best in a state of balance. Swinging wildly back and forth from Hot

to Cold natured foods tends to be somewhat stressful on the body. I

believe that such a " Hot/Cold " diet can increase the supply of ready

and available energy, but it will be more damaging in its long term

effects.

 

Many other things must be taken into account:

 

Climate and Season

 

Even in this day of climate controlled homes and office buildings,

one's environment still has significant influence over an individual.

 

The diet of a person who lives in Florida should be different than

the diet of a person who lives in Alaska. Florida has a generally Hot

and Wet climate that would best be balanced out by Cooling Drying

foods. Alaska has a generally Cold an Dry climate that would be

balanced out best with Warming Dampening foods.

 

If you lived in Florida, fruit would probably have a higher

percentage of your diet, and tropical fruits such as bananas would be

more appropriate. Meat would probably play a smaller role in your

diet. If you lived in Alaska, fruits would probably be best playing a

small role in your diet, and tropical fruits would be replaced with

fruits which would be more likely to flourish in Arctic climates.

Meat would probably play a larger role in your diet in this case.

 

The role of the Seasons plays a different role in places such as

Florida and Alaska, as compared to a " normal " temperate environment.

An example: In Florida, the Winter is not particularly " Winter-like "

even when the calendar identifies Winter as being the current season.

Therefore, eating a diet heavy in meat and warming foods would not be

particularly helpful.

 

If you live in a temperate climate, with four distinct Seasons,

seasonal diet becomes more important, with more fruits in the spring

and summer months and more meat in the fall and winter months.

 

Lifestyle:

 

The diet of a student should be different than the diet of a laborer.

A student is more likely to suffer from problems stemming from

excessive mental strain, while a laborer is more likely to suffer

from problems of excessive physical strain.

 

Age:

 

Older people tend to have poorer digestive capabilities than younger

people. They also tend to have more Deficiency problems. For older

people, foods which are Warming and easy to digest would perhaps be

more appropriate. Grains and Meat, while being more Warming in

nature, are also usually more difficult to digest than Vegetables and

Fruits. A solution to this problem that has been occasionally

recommended is the use of more stews and porridges for older folk.

 

Personal goals:

 

A diet can be fine tuned to assist with personal goals. This is also

related to lifestyle to some degree. For instance, a diet which is

supportive of the Spleen can help alleviate problems from mental

overstrain, but it can also increase the capacity for mental strain,

with the chance of avoiding overstrain entirely.

 

An interesting example I am researching at the moment is the Chinese

monastic diet, which almost entirely avoids meat and grains even to

the point of discouraging starchy vegetables. This is a form of

specialized diet that would be entirely unsuitable for the majority

of people who weren't living a monastic lifestyle.

 

The sheer complexity may seem overwhelming. Fortunately, the

flexibility of Chinese dietetics makes it possible to follow general

guidelines and still recieve general benefits.

 

> Also, I eat cheese, but milk bothers me. Is dairy better to

> eliminate altogether???

 

It is not necessary to eliminate dairy from one's diet, but one

should use it in moderation. Dairy should probably play a low role in

one's diet, perhaps sharing the 15% with Meat. It tends to be

Dampening, and depending on the way it is prepared, either Warming or

Cooling. Cheese, for instance is more Warming while milk has a slight

Cooling effect. Yogurt is also Cool in nature. As a rule of thumb, if

you suffer from Dryness, or live in an area which is Dry, or it is

during a Dry season, such as Fall, dairy products are more likely to

be beneficial.

 

Mbanu

[Guest guest]

Wow! Thanks, Mbanu. Great summary.

 

Victoria

 

> Chinese dietary theories are very relative. While this is what

gives

> Chinese dietetics the flexability to work for a large number of

> people, it becomes difficult to give more than general advice and

> still be accurate.

[Guest guest]

> I would say maybe As a rule of thumb, if you suffer from Dryness,

> or live in an area which is Dry, or it is during a Dry season, such

> as Fall, dairy products are more likely to be beneficial.

 

On a clarifying note, it is important to remember that Dry conditions

in the body can sometimes be symptoms of a cause instead of a cause

in and of itself. In these cases, perhaps Dampening foods would not

be the best choice. It is important to have an accurate understanding

of the current state of one's body before one starts " ajusting " it

with diet.