How to Eat Well

Eating well is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. Your digestive system is intimately interconnected with so many of the other functions in your body. Some of the things that are affected by digestion in addition to the obvious weight gain and digestive issues are: energy level, mood, mental clarity, and sleep.

Many health issues are associated with an acidic pH level and inflammation in your body. Chronic disease and pain are almost always associated with both of these. For more information on this, I recommend reading The Perricone Prescription by Nicholas Perricone, MD. In order to reduce inflammation in your body and maintain an alkaline pH follow these guidelines:

Drink 6-8 glasses of filtered water every day. Adding a squeeze of lemon juice can create an alkaline environment in your body. The water should be room temperature. Drinking iced drinks of any kind especially at mealtime inhibits proper absorption of your food. In many hot climates such as India and Africa, they drink hot tea throughout the day to induce the body’s natural cooling system: sweat. When drinking the hot beverage you break a sweat and cool down naturally.
Eliminate highly refined foods such as sugar and refined carbohydrates. Some examples of these are cookies, bread, cereal, bagels, muffins, pasta, potatoes, rolls, crackers, etc. These all contribute to inflammation and acidic pH in your body. In addition, these foods break down quickly which spikes your blood sugar levels. Once your blood sugar levels spike you feel temporarily energized. But what goes up must come down and and when your blood sugar drops you become mentally cloudy, low energy, and irritable. Unstable blood sugar levels contribute to poor mental function, depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, digestive disorders, and increased inflammation in the body perpetuating chronic disease. For more on blood sugar imbalance, see my Live Well section.
Eat plenty of vegetables, lean meat, and whole grains. This should be the basis of your diet and should generally be what you eat for most of your meals. These are broken down differently by your digestive system than refined carbohydrates and sugars. These foods create an even and stable blood sugar level because they take more time to break down.
Eat organic fruits and vegetables and free range meat, eggs, and dairy. Pesticides used on fruits and vegetables are absorbed into your body and processed through your liver. Commercially fed cows, chickens, pigs, etc are given antibiotics and hormones which are stored in their fat. When we eat their meat, the fat in our bodies stores the hormones from the animals.
Your biggest meal of the day should be breakfast or lunch. Dinner should be lighter and eaten before 7pm. Your digestive fire is at its strongest between 7am and 11am and at its weakest from 7pm and on through the night. Breakfast literally means to break the fast of the night. For some people it works better to eat several small meals throughout the day instead of 3 main meals. For people who are low energy and fatigued eating smaller meals at 7 or 8am, 10am, and noon can be beneficial. This helps to keep blood sugar stable throughout the time of day when you are exerting most of your energy. For more on this see my Live Well section.
Establish a regular routine of eating. In Chinese Medicine, digestion is associated with the Earth element. There is a very regular routine that the earth adheres to: the sun rises and sets, spring is followed by summer, and so on. Your digestion loves to have a regular rhythm and routine.

What To Eat:

Protein: eat protein with every meal to reduce inflammation and create an alkaline pH. Women need about 50 grams of protein a day and men need about 60. Good sources of protein are free range chicken and turkey, grass fed beef, buffalo, or lamb. Salmon, tuna, cod, sardines, and other fish. Dairy is also a good source of protein: yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, cheese, goat cheese, feta, string cheese, etc. Those with allergies may not tolerate dairy well. Nuts are a good source of both protein and healthy oils: almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, etc. Beans and lentils are a good source of protein and they bind with fat in the intestines and help to move that fat out.
Whole Grains: Because they are not refined these take a longer time to break down in your digestion creating even and stable blood sugar levels. Some examples are rice, millet, quinoa, oats, etc. In Chinese Medicine, black rice has the most nutrients of all rice. The easiest way to cook these grains is to to use a 1:2 ratio (1 cup of grains to 2 cups of water), add a little salt for flavor, bring both grains and water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until grains are done. Black rice takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Basmati white rice takes about 20 minutes.
Bread: our dear friend bread has been left out of the mix here and I want to address that. It is hard to think of eliminating bread from our diets. There are some breads that are okay. Sprouted grain breads break down more slowly in your system and do not cause a dramatic spike in blood sugar. You can find these at your local health food store in the refrigerated section.
Vegetables: from a Chinese Medicine perspective, these are better eaten cooked. The premise for this is that all food leaves your body at about 98.6 degrees, which means that your vital energy warmed up that food. And for so many of us, that vital energy is already deficient. Eating cooked vegetables not only is very alkalinizing, but it doesn’t take so much energy for your body to break them down. If you are someone who loves salads, consider adding some steamed vegetables to it. In the summer, when it is hot and fresh vegetables are in season, it is okay to eat raw vegetables, if your digestion allows it. If you deal with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or other digestive disorders, loose stools, low energy, fatigue, and/or poor mental function you need to be eating steamed, sauteed, or baked vegetables. Also worth noting is that in Chinese Medicine, the color orange is the color associated with your digestion. Orange colored foods are particularly good for your digestion like sweet potatoes, yams, carrots, and butternut squash. I love to eat a sweet potato along with sausage for breakfast. I put it in the toaster oven at 450 when I first get up and by the time I am ready to eat it is ready for me. (It takes about an hour or so to cook.) Oranges, cantaloupes and peaches. as wonderful as they are, are energetically cold in nature and are harder to break down. When they are in season, it is okay to eat them, but otherwise should be avoided.
Eat what is in season and what is locally grown: Your body’s natural rhythm goes with the natural rhythm of nature. In the spring, eat berries. In the summer, go to the farmer’s market and have a smorgasbord! In the fall, eat apples, pears, and squash. In the winter, eat cooked root vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and beets. For more information on eating with the seasons, read The 3-Season Diet by John Douillard. It is so important for your own body and for our planet to eat locally. I heard a statistic recently that said that our fruits and vegetables travel an average of 1000 miles to get to us. That is a lot of gasoline! I like Heine’s Market on 44th and Ward in Wheat Ridge. It is worth the drive...you could carpool to save gas! It has good quality, inexpensive locally grown produce. Whole Foods has an initiative and commitment to buying locally grown produce. And, of course, farmer’s markets are a great way to support local farmers.

Avoid eating:

All sugar: cookies, muffins, pastries, candy, candy bars, cereal, etc. These all spike blood sugar and are an instant dose of inflammation. High fructose corn syrup is in many things these days and should be avoided. Stevia, honey, and maple syrup are acceptable sweeteners in moderation.
Trans Fats: partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils. Use butter instead of margarine.
Soda: most soda contains high fructose corn syrup.
Coffee, black tea, caffeine: these drinks contribute to inflammation and acidic pH especially when combined with sugar and milk.
Soy: energetically soy is cold and hard for your digestion to break down. Use rice or almond milk instead.
Refined carbohydrates: breads, pasta, potatoes, cereal, muffins, bagels, etc.

Supplements: not everyone should be on the same supplements, but here a few that are generally universally beneficial. If you are dealing with health issues, chances are these would benefit you.

Fish Oil: fish oil is one of the best ways to get Essential Fatty Acids which are vital in many functions of your body. Fish Oils have anti- inflammation properties. They are very helpful with mental function as well. It is important to find a good quality fish oil. If you find that you are burping up the taste of the fish oil, it is a sign of poor quality.
Probiotic: this supplement consists of acidophilus, bifidus, and other “good bacteria” that already exist in your intestines, but may have become depleted. These “good bacteria” ensure proper assimilation of your food. Intestines that function well are essential to health and this is one way to boost that function. If you deal with digestive disorders and/or allergies, this is a good supplement for you. Note that these need to be refrigerated.
Multi-vitamin with B vitamins: Taking a multi-vitamin ensures that you are getting essential vitamins and minerals that may be missing from your daily diet. B vitamins boost energy. If you feel fatigued and low energy consider taking this.

Other tips:

Don’t skip meals: this is a sure way to drop your blood sugar and create a craving for sugar.
Ume plums are one of the most alkaline foods available. You can buy the actual plums, or a paste, or it comes in a vinegar. I love to use the vinegar as a condiment for my steamed vegetables. It is very salty and a bit sour. It can be very beneficial for people dealing with digestive issues. Another way to use it medicinally is to mix it with a little water and drink it. This can be good for the onset of heartburn and diarrhea.
Enjoy your food: in Chinese Medicine, the tongue is associated with the heart and the emotion of the heart is joy. Take a deep breath, eat with people you love, and relax while you eat.
“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” one of my favorite professors, Ted Hall, says this and I whole heartedly agree. Try not to be hard on yourself and do the best you can with this. Life is busy and it takes a lot of time to eat well. Do what you can and the rest will take care of itself. As John Douillard says, “If you can eat this way 51% of the time, then you are doing great.”

Many thanks to Mary Saunders, L.Ac. Much of the above information was taken from her handout "The New Nutrition Basics". For more information about Mary, visit her website http://www.communityacupuncture.org

Disclaimer: The above information is just that: information. Please consult a heath care practitioner before taking action with your own health care needs.