May 17, 2007 by Domenic Thomas, M.S.O.M., L.Ac.
Chinese medicine has a long tradition of food as medicine. In fact, many hospitals in China cook up herbal remedies in their kitchens for patients. The Chinese culture loves food. One of my teachers was from an area in the south of China called Guandong. She told us a saying: "People in Guandong eat everything that has four legs except the kitchen table." When housewives in China get together and trade recipes they talk about the healing properties of recipes as much as the flavors. In fact, in Chinese herbal medicine specific flavors are aspects of the healing property of various foods. Food and medicine are so intertwined that the housewives are like doctors.
In the United States it is unlikely that we will ever integrate herbal knowledge into our daily diet. It’s all we can do to get in a vegetable or two once a day. When people tell me they are "going on a diet" I cringe. "Diets" usually involve many restrictions. There is an element of deprivation and an air of earnest, duty-driven mission. A "diet" also implies an aberration from normal eating habits, rather than a change of lifestyle. Such an approach is usually doomed to fail. My favorite advice to such patients is to "eat like a Greek". The "Mediterranean diet is easy to follow because it does not involve precise measurements or highly restricted food choices. It is not really a "diet" per se, but an approach to eating. It would be great if I could say "eat like you have a Chinese mom cooking for you", but most of us don’t have a clue what a Chinese mom would throw into her cooking pots. The Mediterranean diet is already somewhat familiar to us culturally, so it’s easier to follow. The main features of this way of eating are as follows:
- High consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds.
- Olive oil, which is high in mono-unsaturated fats, is used for cooking and dressing.
- Dairy, fish and poultry are consumed in moderate amounts. Little red meat is consumed.
- Eggs are consumed zero to four times per week.
- Wine is consumed in moderation.
Any one of these guidelines would be beneficial. Olive oil is still being studied for its antioxidant properties. It is an excellent alternative to saturated fats in the diet. Fruits and vegetables of all sorts have been shown to reduce incidences of cancer. As more individual vegetables are closely studied, they yield up more secrets to their health conferring constituents. Nuts have barely begun to be studied but I predict miraculous properties will be discovered by researchers. Fish increases the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Wine in moderation has a beneficial effect on the heart and vascular system. Simply eating fresh, unprocessed food of any type is beneficial. Such food has more "qi". We did not evolve to eat food from a chemistry lab. Going to the local food co-op or farmers market and buying what is local and in season will automatically lead to a more "Mediterranean" approach. Even something as simple as adding as many colors on your plate as possible will ensure a variety of beneficial vitamins and flavinoids.
The best thing about this "diet" is that it tastes good. Food should be a source of enjoyment, not a challenge to be tackled. Flavors, colors, textures and spices should please the eye and the stomach. Many diets are followed for a time and then dropped because they are too burdensome. The Mediterranean style of eating can become a way of life, not something to be endured for a certain length of time.
