Chinese medicine: the secrets of Chinese dietetics to lose weight
The traditional chinese medicine does not differentiate between body and mind. She sees health as a large network within which the different organic functions communicate thanks to a current of energy called “Qi” or “chi”. She pays special attention to diet. How? ‘Or’ What detoxify your body and regain energy thanks to Chinese medicine?
Consider food as your first medicine
” The chinese medicine is based on the principle that when we eat in a natural way and adapted to the needs of the body, with a balance between rest and activity, there can be no weight gain ”, explains Audrey Loups, dietician specializing in Chinese dietetics .
In Chinese dietetics, therefore no diet, nor calorie counting: foods are not considered according to their different macro and micronutrient intakes (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, etc.). They are defined by five natures (cold, hot, cool, warm and neutral) and five flavors (acid, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty) which each have an impact on the body.
A cold food cools the body and slows down organic functions; a hot nature food warms up, stimulates vital functions and increases metabolism. “This nature corresponds to what the food transforms inside the stomach”, specifies Dr. Michel Frey, practitioner in Chinese medicine.
As for the flavors, each corresponds to an organ on which it acts in a specific way. The sour flavor influences the liver and gallbladder. The bitter flavor influences the heart. The sweet food influence the spleen and pancreas. The hot food influences them lungs. Finally, the salty food influence the kidneys.
“The alchemy of the menus must take all these factors into account,” continues Michel Frey. It is a question of playing on the quantities of each food and on the food combinations to obtain the plate most adapted to the needs of the season. “
Promote lukewarm nature and pungent flavor
“At the start of the school year, the sap slowly descends towards the roots of trees and plants, just as the energy slowly interiorises, like a fold in the viscera, explains Dr. Frey. For drain food toxins and lighten, it is necessary act on the lung and large intestine by favoring a diet with a spicy flavor, and promoting a good seasonal transition by opting for lukewarm foods. »We must also favor seasonal foods.
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Give pride of place to “living” foods
“Most of the current products that we consume (processed, etc.) are nutrient depleted, therefore empty of vitality, emphasizes Audrey Loups. We must find a maximum ofjing rich foods, that is to say in vital energy: organic seasonal fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, freshly cut herbs… ”
The good distribution of food in Chinese medicine
- 70% of fruits and vegetables
- 10 of oil seeds and vegetal oils first cold pressing
- 10 of cereals (buckwheat, millet, rice …)
- 10 % eggs, fatty and lean fish, shellfish and crustaceans (as a priority), meats and dairy products (occasionally)
Remove “moisturizing” foods
“Many foods are limited or excluded from the Chinese diet because they produce moisture, you “tan”, specifies Audrey Loups. They act like a glue in the body which prevents proper functioning of the free flow of blood, fluids and energy (Qi). »Too much humidity in the body favors hydrolipidic accumulations, therefore the weight gain.
Moreover, some of these foods, in particular animal protein whose content of sulfur-containing amino acids activates the formation of toxins, are to be avoided.
To remove or limit as much as possible:
- Alcohol and alcoholic beverages.
- All flour-based products (bread, pasta, semolina, etc.).
- Dairy products (cow, sheep, goat).
- Sugar and sweet products
- Meat.
Cooking everything together
Unique dishes (food cooked in a wok for example), soups, mixed salads … prepare food together promotes the exchange of nutrients and boosts their synergistic action. This also helps to attenuate the different natures and flavors.
“The idea is to eat a little of each type and each flavor in each season, but with the emphasis on a flavor and a nature adapted to the body’s current needs,” recalls Audrey Loups.
Eat in reasonable amounts
“It is essential to be listening to his feelings of hunger and satiety, highlightedAudrey Loups. According to Chinese medicine, it is better to do four regular mealss rather than two or three big ones that will go beyond what we need and promote imbalances. ” But be careful not to snack either! “A digestive rest period, ideally 6 hours, even if it is difficult with our rhythms, is necessary between each meal to assimilate. “
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Eat mindfully
In order not to consume more food than what the body needs, it is imperative tobe 100% at what we do when we eat. “You have to first sit down hungry,” recommends Audrey Loups. There is no question of starting to eat if you are angry or stressed: it is imperative to calm down, for example by breathing deeply. Then, we appreciate visually and olfactively his plate. It may be interesting to serve yourself on a dessert plate and drink a glass of water at the start of the meal. Finally, chew well and put down your cutlery between each bite. “
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Movement rather than sport
Like our Western recommendations, traditional Chinese medicine advises physical activity. But by qualifying: “No question of exhausting yourself by moving too much and / or too intensively, warns Audrey Loups. By believing to promote slimming by burning calories, we are counterproductive, because any overwork exhausts the adrenal glandss, which blocks weight loss. A little movement, all the time: this is the philosophy to adopt when walking, gardening, tinkering… regularly. Also good: qi gong (gentle gymnastics). Be active, not hyperactive!
Hydrate as you feel
If we consume 70% fruit and vegetables, the body is considerably hydrated. No obligation therefore to drink 1.5 liters of water per day. We can be satisfied with 1 liter or less, but not only water: other drinks, too, can bring us a lot.
- Some water with hydrosols (plant extracts) such as juniper or lemon juice.
- Of mint infusions to help the body digest, mauve to eliminate stools or heather to eliminate toxins.
- Of green tea.
- Du déca.
- Vegetable broths.
Plants to the rescue
– Saffron, in dishes, to fight against compulsive food intake linked to stress.
– Aloe vera juice, 1 C. to c. after meals, for better digestion.
– Orange peel bitter in decoction, after dinner to remove moisture in the body.
