The junk that is inside you

[shaolin_mike]

Hello all this is an article that was emailed to me by my yoga mailing list, thought I would share it as it is an eye opener to the amount of junk our modern diet contains. Articles like this make you realise that its no coincidence that millions of people are dying of stomach cancer and similar illnesses simply by eating what we would all consider 'normal' food.
While I have great respect for all Sifu's advice, my recent research into diets and food has made me disagree with the 'eat what you like as long as you practice chi kung' stance. Practicing will doubtless do great things for your health but if you have a terrible diet I suspect much of your energy will be wasted trying to combat all the bad food and toxins you have consumed. I can compare it to smoking: one can say "Oh its alright if I smoke the chi kung will get rid of the bad effects". Thats how bad our diets have become. Maybe if you think I am exagerrating this article might go some way in changing your mind.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,663391,00.html

Wishing you all good health
Mike

PS: I have more I would like to say on the subject of food in the future and there are already a few threads on the subject on the site what say we start a section on food in the forum? Was just a thought..

[Antonius]

There is plenty of evidence against colonics and enemas. It's true that people have lots of undesireable stuff in their colons. The question is -- do we simply flush it out? Our colons are lined with essential bacterium. Colonics destroy these bacterium, giving us other health problems. Taking probiotics to rebuild the bacterium helps, but not enough.

In Chinese medical theory, if you eat well and if all of your organs are functioning properly, they will clean themselves. The stronger your organs, the more junk they can tolerate. The reason stuff gets stuck in the colon is because the organs are too weak to handle the amount of junk we put in there.

If we didn't put so much junk in there, then yes, the organs might not get so weak. But by the time the organs are weakened, changing the diet or washing them out might not be enough. You will also need to strengthen the organs.

Also, Sifu's advice to "eat what you like" does not imply that we should eat junk all day. As your yin/yang harmony becomes more balanced, your body naturally craves things that are better for you.

But eating what you crave is very important. Many women crave beef near or during their menstrual cycle. This is the body's signal to "build blood", and beef is a great blood-building food. Women who have read about the latest fad diets may ignore these signals. After years and years of this, many women become what is known as Blood Deficient (Xue Xu).

[Antonius]

PS: I have more I would like to say on the subject of food in the future and there are already a few threads on the subject on the site what say we start a section on food in the forum?

Chinese Medicine includes food therapy, so I've moved the thread here.

[shaolin_mike]

Hey thanks for moving the thread Antonius.
I too dont think enemas are such a good idea I just posted the article because it is an eye opener to what years of eating junk can do to your insides. Other people may disagree but I find the idea quite disgusting. Then again I am young and I doubt I have as much of a buildup as some of these people in the article so I suppose I'm biased.

[Antonius]

There is no doubt that it can get ugly in there. But if you practice qigong and eat sensibly, then you need not worry. For people who are dirty on the inside, Chinese herbs can work wonders to clear them out. In my opinion, this is a much better option than colonics.

The same applies for the Liver. The "Liver Purge" is becoming more and more common in Western "health" circles, but it is a dangerous practice for many people. Again, I believe the Chinese medical approach to be much healthier, as well as time-tested.

[shaolin_mike]

But if you practice qigong and eat sensibly, then you need not worry.

Yes I agree and that was the reason I started this thread in the first place. On this forum theres a great emphasis on the practicing chi kung aspect but not much is said about having a good diet so I'm trying to spread some awareness on the importance of good eating. Of course that article was more like a warning of the perils of bad eating which I think not enough people know about.

[Chiahua]

Also, Sifu's advice to "eat what you like" does not imply that we should eat junk all day. As your yin/yang harmony becomes more balanced, your body naturally craves things that are better for you.

But eating what you crave is very important. Many women crave beef near or during their menstrual cycle. This is the body's signal to "build blood", and beef is a great blood-building food. Women who have read about the latest fad diets may ignore these signals. After years and years of this, many women become what is known as Blood Deficient (Xue Xu).

THis is a neat thread, thank you for starting it. In regards to the above, there are definitely times where I crave junk food, stuff my face, then regret it afterwards. Maybe there's a psychological craving for junk that is independent of what you body actually needs? Sort of like if someone is craving beef, but instead of getting quality organic meat as part of a balanced meal they go to McDonalds and porks down a couple of big macs, that might be a distinction between listening to your body and listening to external conditioning?

[Antonius]

Mindful Eating

In my opinion, the single most important dietary change you can make is not what you eat, but how you eat. Buddhists call this "mindful eating". This means that when you eat, you just eat. Put down the newspaper. Turn off the TV. Enjoy your food and the company at the table.

In our acupuncture clinic, this is a lifestyle change that we encourage patients to make. Being mindful while eating allows your Spleen and Stomach to do the important work of digesting your food and converting it to energy. When your attention is diverted, so is your energy. By being mindful while you eat, your energy is used more efficiently, thereby allowing you to get more nutrients out of whatever it is you are eating.

A nice side effect of mindful eating is that it naturally encourages you to eat better. The more attention you give to your food, the less tolerance you will have for junk food. If you are truly mindful while eating junk food, you will probably become less and less interested in it and start to favor more wholesome foods.

Backwards Eating

Along the lines of mindful eating, another lifestyle shift is to follow the Chinese recommendation: Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a Pauper. This means that breakfast should be your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. In the US, we do it exactly backwards.

The morning is when your Spleen and Stomach have the most energy. This is the best time to eat a big meal, not at night. It's a difficult shift for most of us to make (we Americans just love our big dinners!), but it's something to keep in mind. If you try it for a few weeks, you'll notice a definite difference.

[Chiahua]

Along the lines of mindful eating, another lifestyle shift is to follow the Chinese recommendation: Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a Pauper. This means that breakfast should be your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. In the US, we do it exactly backwards.

It's interesting though that this dietary advice is seldom followed in dominant chinese culinary traditions. While I don't know if this was the case in olden times, Southern Chinese have a reputation for lavish banquets that used to last all day. Nowadays the banqueting happens at night, while a traditional chinese breakfast may consist of congee or dumplings....

[joko]

Mindful Eating

In my opinion, the single most important dietary change you can make is not what you eat, but how you eat. Buddhists call this "mindful eating". This means that when you eat, you just eat. Put down the newspaper. Turn off the TV. Enjoy your food and the company at the table.

Great! I learned this when I practiced Vipassana meditation the other day.

Along the lines of mindful eating, another lifestyle shift is to follow the Chinese recommendation: Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a Pauper. This means that breakfast should be your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. In the US, we do it exactly backwards.

The morning is when your Spleen and Stomach have the most energy. This is the best time to eat a big meal, not at night. It's a difficult shift for most of us to make (we Americans just love our big dinners!), but it's something to keep in mind. If you try it for a few weeks, you'll notice a definite difference.

This is exactly what I experienced after learning from Sifu, and now I know the reasons. Thank you, Sifu Antonius!

I have been doing just that after I returned from Sifu's Course in April. My biggest meal is breakfast after bath after my Chikung practice.

Another important thing in my opinion concerning food is our mind or belief! If we believe that we can digest well anything that we eat, then we will!

That's what Sifu mentioned as mental blockage clearance.

Joko

[Jordan_LM]

Along the lines of mindful eating, another lifestyle shift is to follow the Chinese recommendation: Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a Pauper. This means that breakfast should be your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. In the US, we do it exactly backwards.

Interesting. I remember talking about this a few years ago, purely from the point of view that it seemed sensible to me to eat a big meal in the morning so that you could break it down and then have all the energy for the whole day. Have you tried this? Do you eat "dinner" at breakfast. The idea of eating a plate of pasta (or other "dinner" type foods) in the morning does seem a bit weird to me, but I'm sure I could get used to it.

That said, I have been forced into eating my main meal at lunchtime a few days a week, as the result of having to travel to kungfu class after work and not having time to eat a big meal. I then just have a small snack when I get home from class at nightime. I might try switching my main meal to lunchtime every day for a few weeks.

regards,
Jordan 2.

[shaolin_mike]

Along the lines of mindful eating, another lifestyle shift is to follow the Chinese recommendation: Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a Pauper. This means that breakfast should be your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. In the US, we do it exactly backwards.

Hmm its an interesting philosophy I had never heard of before. Ayurveda would disagree with it though because it says the best time for eating a big meal is lunch time and a heavy breakfast slows you down. I would agree with that because since I switched from a big breakfast to eating only some fruit or even skipping it altogether I find it much easier to get started in the morning. When you say having a big breakfast what do you mean for example a full english breakfast with eggs bacon toast etc?

[Chiahua]

Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince, and dinner like a Pauper. This means that breakfast should be your biggest meal, and dinner your smallest. In the US, we do it exactly backwards.

I wonder if this quote also has any bearing on the relative fat/protein content of a meal. I mean, obviously this is reading a bit much into the adage, but kings generally eat pretty heavy/fatty foods I'd imagine. So perhaps eating stuff higher in fat/protein can jumpstart your metabolism throughout the rest of the day?

[Antonius]

Boy, you guys really liked that quote!

I don't know anything about Aryuveda, but I'm guessing that they must have good reasons for saying that lunch should be the biggest meal. Plenty of traditional cultures did this for centuries. Some cultures still do it. Personally, I think eating your big meal at lunch is great. For some people, it's much more practical than eating a big breakfast.

I think the main lesson to take away from that quote is that it's unhealthy to eat your biggest meal in the evening. Whether you switch to a big breakfast or a big lunch is probably much less important than switching away from a big dinner.

a traditional chinese breakfast may consist of congee or dumplings

Congee rocks! Maybe I'll start another thread on the theraputic and health benefits of eating congee (rice porridge). The master at my acupuncture school is a firm believer in the power of congee.

I think Bob Flaws has an entire book devoted to congee. In short, congee is extremely easy to digest because it has been slowly cooked for 8-10 hours. It gives you the energy you need while simultaneously nurturing and strengthening your Spleen & Stomach (which control digestion).

Sometimes, a patient's Spleen and Stomach are too weak to digest herbal medicine. Giving them an herbal remedy to fix their Spleen and Stomach is a catch-22. They need a stronger Spleen/Stomach to digest the herbal medicine, but they need the herbal medicine to strengthen their Spleen/Stomach.

The solution? Congee! Simply putting the patient on congee for a few weeks will strengthen their Spleen/Stomach. Then you can start to put some herbal medicine into the congee. Soon, they will be ready to take the normal herbal medicine. The master and several of the professors at my school have seen this technique work wonders.

[wooden shoes]

Dear all,

A wonderful thread with a lot of wonderful advice! After reading all of it, I now realise I do everything the wrong way round. I have breakfast (bread) while I am driving (so I can save time, get to work early and practise Chi Kung in a parc nearby), and have my biggest meal in the evening, just like everyone else.

The "Liver Purge" is becoming more and more common in Western "health" circles

Just curious, but what is a Liver Purge?

Best wishes,

Roeland