The “Tao” of Healthy Eating

Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.

In Chinese medicine, which is filled with ancient health secrets, eating is a very important aspect of being healthy. Healing foods are absolutely huge. In this story I take a look at the concept of “Tao,” and how you can eat like a Taoist. Here are thousands of years of wisdom coming at you.

There are no sufficient words to describe Tao. It is like the essence of life; what governs our body and the universe. It is an indescribable force in Chinese medicine. (A recent study found a Chinese mushroom could kill cancer. See our article, A Poisonous Mushroom That Could Kill Cancer). But what we can do is reap the advice as it pertains to following a Taoist diet.

One of the rules is to “eat only food.” This suggests you shouldn’t eat unnatural foods, which would be those that are filled with additives, preservatives and other things created by food manufacturers. It also means processed foods that have limited nutritional value — e.g. sandwich meats, white bread, and sugar. Our bodies were simply not meant to consume these things. To eat like a Taoist, you eat whole foods, real foods; the fruit of the land if you will.

Another idea here is not to eat too much of the items that are difficult to digest. This includes red meat and dairy products. Also, the Taoist diet would require you to cut down on foods that are highly acidic and upset the acid balance of the stomach. These include citrus fruits. One more guiding note is to stay in line with nature by eating what nature intended (where possible). We are governed by seasons; so, if you can eat locally grown food year-round, this is what nature intended. Organic foods, it goes without saying, are ideal, as they have been untouched by human interference.

Know what the Taoist diet doesn’t ask for: counting calories. You don’t have to worry about such things as much when you keep a diet like this. Taking in lots of whole grains, seeds, nuts and seasonal produce, you get everything you need for optimal health. It will help maintain harmony in your body and mind. We have evolved to eat foods that grow around us, and that is the number one message to follow.

When following the Taoist diet, you need to eat more of these items: whole grains; seasonal vegetables; seeds and nuts; soy and tofu; herbs; herbal tea; and warm, cooked foods (like soups and stews).

And you need to limit your intake of these items, some of which we already mentioned: red meat; refined foods; foods high in white sugar; tropical fruits; anything with artificial additives; dairy products; cheese; caffeine; alcohol; cold drinks; colds foods; strong spices; chili; fried food; and sugar in general.

If you follow these steps as much as you can, you will literally taste the health secrets of ancient Chinese Medicine.