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TCM Detox Diet

TCM, or traditional Chinese medicine, takes a proactive approach to health and happiness by beginning its quest for health with rigorous attention to dieting practices. Whether you are looking to shed weight or improve your health and energy levels, a TCM Detox might be able to help you solve your health-related problems by utilizing the age-old maxim, "You are what you eat."

  1. TCM

    • TCM blends together the concepts of herbal remedies, acupuncture, Qi Gong (energy training), and dietary manipulations. A "balanced" TCM diet involves consumption of a varied mix of foods that contain different energies and flavors. The five flavors are sour, bitter, sweet, hot (pungent), and salty, and the different energies are yin and yang.

    TCM Theory

    • The idea behind proactively manipulating food intake to manage health originates from the influence of Daoism (Taoism) on Chinese society. Daoists believe that they are ultimately responsible for their own health, and look first to their own habits and lifestyle to improve their quality of life, instead of waiting to become ill before seeking medical treatment. As food is one of the most controllable variables related to health, dietary manipulations are the perfect starting point for improving health.

    Sample Foods

    • According to the theory of TCM, sour food items include chicken and whole wheat; bitter items include lamb, meat, and corn; sweet items include beef and grain; pungent foods include horse meat and rice; and salty foods include pork and beans. Samples of yin foods include most fruits and vegetables, whereas yang foods include meats and spices like black and red pepper.

    Foods and Conditions

    • Certain foods are also recommended to combat certain ailments. For example, if you are suffering from a poor appetite, traditional Chinese medicine recommends the consumption of red or green peppers. If you are constipated, you should consume castor beans or sesame oil. If you are suffering from a fever, you should consume water chestnuts or star fruit. While this is hardly an exhaustive list, it should give you some idea of the complexity of traditional Chinese medicine.

    Sample Detox

    • While a true TCM detox is prescribed by a certified physician on an individual basis depending on the patient's needs, a general TCM detox attempts to balance consumption of all five flavors with yin and yang energies to promote a balanced nutritional environment. Thus, you should always strive to combine meats with fruits and vegetables, thereby blending yin and yang foods, and also to rotate your consumption of meats and grains so that you are not overconsuming any particular "flavor."

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