What makes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) nutrition different? TCM is thousands of years old and is still used today much in the same way it was in ancient times. It focuses on balance in mind, body and spirit. This is achieved through balancing your Qi, which is the vital life force that surges through your body. Being in balance promotes optimal health and evokes a sense of inner peace. When you’re in balance emotionally and physically, you just know you can handle whatever comes your way. There’s a strong sense of “okay-ness” within yourself.
The practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine is not just about acupuncture and herbs. There are many deep concepts within TCM. Finding health from a Western perspective, we often look at macro and micronutrients like proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
TCM also has a dietary component, but its focus is less on nutrition as we know it and more about balancing our bodies based on our physical constitution (find out what your body constitution is in this blog) and eating according to the seasons. Eating foods that are in season better supports our digestive processes and keeps us in balance with the world around us.
Another way to think about balancing for seasonal eating is to think about the weather outside. Summertime, especially for those living in hot climates, want to help cool from the inside out. Nourishing, cooling food inside our bodies is the best way to balance with the extreme hot temperatures outside. The more in balance we can keep ourselves, the healthier we will feel. Cooler Fall and Winter temperatures mean balancing our bodies with warmer, cooked foods. As the seasons change, so do we need to adjust our eating to keep our bodies healthy and in balance throughout the year.
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