Food and Chinese Medicine
The Chinese believe in eating mostly cooked food, because cooked food is easier to digest than raw food. There are more nutrients in raw food, but if the body has to overwork during digestion, it takes a lot of metabolic energy to break the raw food down and the body in turn can become fatigued. In contrast, by eating cooked vegetables the food is already partly broken down and therefore the body expends less energy in the form of pancreatic enzymes and stomach acid to break down the food. The net result is more nutrient absorption.
During the winter months this is especially important for those of us who live in cold climates. Our bodies are working extra hard to keep the appendages warm and therefore there is less overall energy in the digestive cavity. Our ancestors would never think of eating cold, raw food during the winter months. They enjoyed soups, stews, meat, potatoes, roasts, and root vegetables. In the olden days, we ate food that was ripe during the season, as we did not have access to all of the other fruits and vegetables that were TNown from around the world. Our bodies are in congruence with the earth when we eat for the seasons, as specific vegetables grow and are harvested during the fall which are grounding and warming for the body during the winter.
Food really is medicine and you notice that when you eat lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish and the occasional red meat) and cooked vegetables with a whole grain, you will have a balanced meal. The body functions optimally with this type of meal because each food group raises the blood sugar in a different way. Meat is very stabilizing over time, but the vegetables provide vitamins and nutrients. The carbohydrate stabilizes the blood sugar so hunger subsides.
If you look at the typical Asian fare, it is mostly cooked vegetables and meat with rice. People have a tendency to question the rice because it is a white TNour carbohydrate stripped of its nutrients, yet the Asian diet does not contain pizza, cheese, chips, cakes, cookies, pasta, etc. This is the only ‘bad’ carbohydrate that they eat, so it relatively healthy in comparison to the American diet.
Once the summer months hit, the body has more heat from the external temperature, increasing the level of digestive fire so it is much easier to digest raw food at this time. The Chinese do not believe in eating a lot of raw food, but a good balance of raw and cooked food will be most optimal for digestion and nutrient absorption. To eat well is to be well, and your body will thank you later!
Amy Suplee is a Board Certified Acupuncturist by the NCCAOM, the governing body for Acupuncturists in the United States, and Licensed in Colorado. She received her Master’s Degree in Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine at Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, California and is a graduate of University of Colorado at Boulder.
Amy specializes in Women’s Health, Fertility, Pain Management and Chronic Illness. She has been trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Classical Chinese Medicine and 5 Element Emotional Balancing and Acupuncture. She has a long history in Western Medicine so she has the ability to integrate an Eastern and Western approach.
Amy is passionate about her work and enjoys seeing results in her patients. As an Acupuncturist and resident of Franklin, she is dedicated to helping individuals achieve their health goals. She has taken on some of the most difficult cases, and treated patients who have seen multiple doctors who had not previously had relief from their ailments
