Week Five: Specific Diets Flashcards
What is vegetarianism?
The practice of a diet that exclude meat, fish and poultry. Most vegetarians consume dairy products and many eat eggs.
What are some reasons for choosing to be a vegetarian?
- health
- morality/ethics
- religion/culture
- economy
Lacto-vegetarianism
includes a variety of raw and cooked vegetables, grains, fruits, seeds, nuts, soy and dairy products but excludes eggs
Ovo-vegetarianism
includes eggs but not dairy
Lacto-ovo-vegetarianism
includes both eggs and dairy products
Semi-vegetarianism
consists of a diet largely of vegetarian foods but may include fish and poultry as well as dairy and eggs
Positive qualities of vegetarianism
Introduces people to a variety of whole foods and seasonings as well as new ways to prepare food.
Negative qualities of vegetarianism
Health problems from excessive consumption of dairy products and carbs. Strong cravings for sweets leading to over consumption of flour, dairy and soy products.
Vegan
Vegan diet excludes all animal products from the diet such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs and honey. Strict veganism also excludes the use of animal products such as wool, silk, leather and fur.
Negative qualities of veganism
Vegans, especially children, suffer from nutritional deficiencies including
- B12 deficiency
- chronic yeast infections
- compulsive eating habits due to lack of nutritional satisfaction
- dependency on stimulants
- digestive distress
- fatigue
- hormone problems
- tooth decay
- hair loss
- loss of bone density
- loss of muscle tone
- weight gain
What is a raw food diet?
This is usually a vegetarian approach to diet that includes only uncooked foods with the belief that raw foods are superior because they are alive.
What are some extremist version of a raw food diet?
- Consuming only fruit
- Eating food directly from the source or soil without washing it
- Eating raw meat
What are some positive qualities of raw foodism?
It has introduced a wide variety of edible plant foods high in enzymes and vitamins and creative ways of preparing them
What are some negative qualities of a raw food diet?
Health problems similar to vegetarians and vegans as well as parasites.
Where does the word macrobiotic come from?
Greek roots, it means long life
Who developed the macrobiotic diet?
George Ohsawa
Who is responsible for popularizing the diet in North America?
Michio Kushi (Kushi Institute in Boston 1978)
Give an overview of the macrobiotic diet
It involves plant-based whole foods often selected according to season. Fish and seafood can be added on occasion.
Macrobiotic philosophy
Some people see it as a more broad based philosophy involving spiritual aspects
Positive qualities of the macrobiotic diet?
- Traditional methods of food prep
- Chewing well, whole meals, fermented foods
- Incorporates TCM principles about yin/yang and five elements
Negative qualities of the macrobiotic diet?
- Tendency toward categorizing foods as good and bad
- Tendency for followers to binge eat with sweets or overeat
- Considered to be too restrictive and lacking in certain nutrients such as protein, B12, iron, magnesium and calcium
- Coffe and stimulants are common as well
TCM Dietetics
Nutritional therapy closely related to acupuncture and medicinal plants. Follows diagnostic principles and focuses on the qualitative effects of food in the body.
What are the five main focuses of TCM dietetics?
- Food quantity
- Food quality
- Classification follows the same criteria as for TCM herbs: temperature, flavour, organ network and direction of energy flow
- Heating and preparation exert an influence on qi and thermal energy of foods
- Inner attitude and environment create excellent conditions for good regeneration of qi from food
What are the benefits of developing eating habits in tune with the seasons?
Integrate into these rhythms
Promote natural qi flow
Compensate for weather effects Prevent potential development of disorders.
What is the first step of seasonal eating?
Choosing foods that are local and in season.
What are the characteristics of spring?
Small yang, growth, movement, expansion. The body’s qi flows strongly again and seeks to expand freely.
Food during the spring should…
supplement qi, allow it to course freely, support spleen and liver function
What type of foods are recommended in the spring?
- Mildly warming foods with up bearing movement: Fennel, rice buckwheat, acrid flavours like garlic, paprika and ginger
- Sour flavours that stabilize liver yin and can regulate up bearing liver yang
- Foods from the wood phase, green, neutral, cool or warm
What seasonal pathogen is most prevalent in the spring?
Wind may cause recurring external wind disorders (colds, flus) which can be balanced with the mildly acrid flavours of green onions and ginger
What should be avoided in the spring?
Energetically hot and fatty foods that block liver qi
Avoid an excess of sour flavours
What are the characteristics of summer?
Big yang, heat, fire phase
Bitter flavour corresponds
What seasonal pathogen is most prevalent in summer?
Heat which feeds on bodily fluids and harms yin.
What are general food recommendations for summer?
- Predominantly cooling, yin-providing foods to disperse heat and build of BF
- Bitter-cool and bitter-cold foods should be consumed in moderation
What are some examples of the types of foods that are useful in summer?
Fruits: apple, lemon, kiwi, melon, pear, pineapple
Cooling: cucumber, endive, spinach, tomato, raw foods, salads, yogurt, wheat, tea, beer, mussels, rabbit
What is an ideal beverage for summer?
Green tea because it disperses summer heat, expels toxins, cools the heart fire, calms the mind, removes heat from LV/GB, relieves ST and LU.
What should be avoided in the summer?
- Dry and energetically hot foods such as coffee and acrid spices
- Ice cold foods and beverages as they block the stomach’s digestive energy
Why are children especially sensitive to cold foods and beverages?
They have a physiologically weak middle burner until they are 8.
What are symptoms of too much cold for a child? Treatment?
Sudden diarrhea and vomiting after swimming or ice cream or both. Fennel tea with spices.
What are the characteristics of autumn?
Small Yin, yang decline, inward movement of energy.
External decline of nature
Drying and cooling.
What are recommended autumn foods?
- Foods with a down bearing movement and sour flavour support inner composure
- Mildly acrid and energetically warm foods compensate for the onset of external col
Examples of mildly acrid and warm foods
Beef, carrots, cauliflower, corn, lamb, leeks, millet, oats, radishes, rice
What foods can be used for inner cold, shivering or the beginning of a cold?
Acrid flavours of garlic, cinnamon, chilli, ginger, onions
These stimulate qi circulation and rapidly bring defensive energy to the surface.
What foods can be used for external dampness?
Warm, dry foods to support the middle burner (millet, rice) and lungs (acrid spices).
What foods can be used if dryness predominates?
Moistening foods like pear, tofu and peanuts
What foods should be avoided in autumn?
Fatty, oily, cool or cold dairy products as these burden the spleen and cause dampness and spleen disorders (bronchitis, spleen is the mother of lung)
What are the characteristics of winter?
Big Yin, Qi in deeper layers
Body is more susceptible to cold disorders
What foods should be incorporated in the winter?
- Acrid and sweet flavours build up and move qi, protect against old stagnation
- Warm meats supplement qi, yang and blood as do legumes, grapes and red wine
- Focus on strengthening the kidney and spleen yang with lamb, venison, prawns, alcohol, acrid spice, anise, cloves, fennel
What foods should be avoided in the winter?
Excess of energetically hot, warm, acrid foods because they dry up BF, weaken yin and encourage yang repletion disorders
Why are alcoholic beverages beneficial in the winter in moderation?
Bitter, acrid, hot in nature, regulate blood flow, qi circulation, stimulate the mind.
When should breakfast be eaten?
Between 7-9am when the stomach qi is at its peak
What are optimal breakfast foods?
Energetically warming, warm cooking methods that stimulate the body, strengthen stomach and spleen qi and yang for the day, do not spread dampness. Black tea or coffee in moderation are suitable to support yang.
During summer what could you eat for breakfast?
The slightly cooler wheat is recommended.
What foods should be avoided for breakfast?
Energetically cold and damp producing foods that suppress the expanding morning yang and weaken digestive fire eg. fruit, fruit juices, raw foods, excessive diary
What is the paleo diet?
Paleolithic era, primal. This diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, and meat while excluding foods such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, and alcohol or coffee.
What are some benefits of the Paleo diet?
• One is introduced to whole foods, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and other healthy fats, which is a massive improvement over the average Western diet; and further, an awareness of how processed our 21st century food has become.
What two factors are at the root of most diet related health problems?
Digestive problems
Blood sugar imbalances
What are some drawbacks to the Paleo diet?
•We are a different human species since the Paleolithic era suggesting that the evolutionary arguments do not hold up. Strictly following the “good/bad”, “allowed/not allowed” foods tends to be problematic for some people. This diet may be lacking in calcium.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein component of wheat (including durum, semolina, and spelt), rye, barley, and related grain hybrids such as triticale and kamut.
What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a medical condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by gluten. This results in an immune reaction; an inability of the body to absorb nutrients: protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
What are common symptoms of celiac disease?
Anemia Bloating Chronic diarrhea Cramps Irritability Fatigue Weight loss
A burning rash called Dermatitis herpetiformis may result from gluten intolerance, with or without GI sx
What are some diet suggestion for those with gluten intolerance?
- Friendly ancient whole grains include: quinoa, millet, buckwheat, brown rice
- Include in the diet blackstrap molasses, which is high in iron and the B vitamins.
- Read labels carefully
What are the proper ratios of food quantities according to TCM dietetics?
45-50% grains
35% vegetables
5-10% fruit
5% meat
What is a food combining tip for protein?
Try to eat green/non starchy vegetables at the same time as your protein. Eat protein and veggies at start of the meal.
What happens with too much elaborate food or poor food combining?
This will often cause people to overindulge leading to digestive fermentation, contaminated blood and a confused mind.
What are some common digestive disturbances from poor food combining?
Bloating, gas, abdominal pain, decreased nutrient assimilation eventually leading to degenerative conditions
What is plan A, combining for better digestion?
1) Place highest protein foods at the beginning of the meal as they require the most digestion
2) Salty foods should be eaten before foods of other flavours as they have a descending action and stimulate gastric juices that will help with the digestion of other food
3) Proteins, fats and starches combine best with green/non-starchy veggies
4) Fruits and sweetened foods should be eaten alone or in small quantities at the end of a meal
How is Plan B different from Plan A?
Some features of plan A but more restrictive. Good for the person with sensitive or poor digestion and best plan for anyone in times of sickness.
What is Plan B: Combining for maximum digestibility?
1) At most take either one protein or one starch per meal
2) Take melons alone
3) Take milk alone
4) Lemon, lime and tomato combine well with green non-starchy vegetables
5) Lettuce and celery combine well with all fruits
6) Nuts, oil rich seeds, kefir, yogurt, cheese and other fermented dairy foods combine well with acid fruits
7) Sweet and acid fruits do not combine well with each other
Both proteins and starches combine well with green non-starchy vegetables but what is the caveat?
Not at the same meal
Plan C: One pot meal
- Good for those that are weak or chronically ill
- Instead of focusing on the order of foods eaten it calls for cooking all ingredients to be eaten in a single pot with ample water (eg. stews, soups, congee)
