everything wrote:Hi Franklin, if you have some more details, would you mind elaborating on the temperature and so on. I like this TCM kind of theory.
the five flavors correspond to the 5 elements (and the 5 organs)
the 4 temperatures (sometimes 5 if they add neutral)
are cold, cool, warm, hot
they are all about the way the food acts in the body
(not necessarily your subjective experience while eating them - although there are many that are the same)
so the use is according to the 5 element theory
and the temperature - follows the maxim - cool heat conditions and warm cold conditions...
it can be applied superficially or really in depth..
depends on the persons grasp of Chinese medicine, diagnosis, and knowledge of medicated diet (or medicinal diet)
you can google around and find lots of information -- there are also lots of books on this
but honestly -- the best way to use the information as a layperson
is what I wrote before:
the best way to use this information is to see the overall gist of your diet
and subtract food that is harmful for your condition
and maybe add a little to balance the overall diet to make it more helpful for your condition...
it should be a overall balance type thing
not a strict -- I can only eat this because it is good for the condition i have..."
becoming more mindful of what you eat
and how it affects your body/mind/spirit is always a good thing
as long as you don't take it to the extreme...
a classmate of mine mentioned to me that she studied with this guy who wrote one of the "Books" of east/west nutrition
so I asked her what this guy was like.. (at meal times)
the answer I got was that he was a bit neurotic and obsessed
and would deliberate for a long time before deciding what to eat..
to me this would be the wrong approach...
a good first step is to just be mindful of what you eat
most people have an idea (but sometimes their idea is a bit removed form the reality)
so a good first step would be just to write down everything that you eat over a 2 week period...
I think most people after writing down everything they eat for 2 weeks
would be able to take a look...
and have an idea of what can be improved and what can be removed to make it better..
its not rocket science...
there is not a good compliance rate for people who try to drastically change their diet
(unless they are really under the gun with dire consequences)
its best to make small changes...
like if you eat too much junk food -- cut down a bit over time...
you eat out too much (restaurant food is heavy on salt, sugar -- and depending on the restaurant- the sourcing of the ingredients might not be the best -- there are restaurant food wholesalers that supply most places)
try to eat out less...
over time -- some small changes like this can have big effects...
so little by little...
I think the biggest take away from chinese medicine diet theory is:
that no food is the best
all food has properties and actions
and depending on your internal condition
they might benefit you or do the opposite...
so there is no absolute with diet
your needs change as your internal condition changes
and your needs also change with time -- ie- at different stages of your life -- your needs will be different...
Franklin