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Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition) by Paul Pitchford
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Paul Pitchford Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2002-11-05 ISBN: 1556434308 Number of pages: 784 Publisher: North Atlantic Books Product features: - Current guidelines on nutrition basics, such as the protein/vitamin B12 group, fats and oils, sugars and sweeteners, water, salt, seaweeds, "green foods" (micro-algae and cereal grasses), calcium, oxygen, and other nutritional concerns
- Discussions of the Chinese healing arts applied to physical and emotional conditions, including the Eight Priniciples (Six Divisions of Yin and Yang), Five Elements, and syndromes of the internal organs
- Information on making a gentle transition from a diet based on animal products to one centered on whole grains and fresh vegetables. Over 300 hearty, purely vegetarian (vegan) recipes, as well as the healing properties of plant and animal foods
- Sections on weight loss, heart and vascular renewal, female health, digestive problems, candida yeast infections, root canals, food combining, fasting, children, pregnancy, and aging. Includes insights from Ayurvedic medicine of India
- Detailed "Regeneration Diets" and herbal treatments for cancer, arthritis, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, AIDS, and other degenerative conditions. Also features a "Parasite Purge Program" tailored to specific body types.
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Book Reviews of Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition)Book Review: Great reference, but not for a beginner Summary: 5 Stars
As a patient of TCM and acupuncture for the past 7 months, there is much to "digest" from this book, as it contains a huge volume of in-depth information of the TCM properties of individual foods, which can be helpful as a complementary to treating underlying TCM pattern diagnoses. However, I find it in a sense to be too complicated for a beginner delving into a whole foods diet, or a beginner learning about the correlation of whole foods and TCM. Of good importance though is understanding which foods create warmth, cold, dampness.
The previous reviewer recommended a raw foods book at the end of his review, and I just wanted to add that those with spleen qi deficiency or cold conditions need to avoid raw foods because they are cold in nature. With qi deficiency, the body needs more energy and heat, and eating raw/cold foods robs the body of these, because the body has to use up its own heat and energy to digest and warm them. Steaming is better.
Before purchasing this book, I had read extensively about TCM in the book The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis for about a year before receiving treatment. Now while I understand the whole foods book isn't focused on infertility, I learned extensive information about TCM and diet in general from Lewis' book before even attempting to tackle this one. If you're looking for dietary structure, guidance, using this book will take some time and strategy to figure out what will work best for your body, and that can be a good thing if you have the patience. If you're looking to balance Yin and Yang with this book by eating specific foods, think again because with many of the TCM pattern imbalances, the body can continually switch extremes. It's better to achieve a middle ground by avoiding excess of sugar (including refine carbs that turn into sugar) and dairy which is extremely yin, and excess of meat and salt which is extremely yang. Too much dairy can also cause damp phlegm conditions. In the middle of this, you would find your whole foods (whole grains, organic fruits, vegetables). Nonetheless, this book is a great addition to your TCM and whole foods library, but be prepared to study.
Summary of Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition)Used as a reference by students of acupuncture, this is a hefty, truly comprehensive guide to the theory and healing power of Chinese medicine. It's also a primer on nutrition?including facts about green foods, such as spirulina and blue-green algae, and the "regeneration diets" used by cancer patients and arthritics?along with an inspiring cookbook with more than 300 mostly vegetarian, nutrient-packed recipes.
The information on Chinese medicine is useful for helping to diagnose health imbalances, especially nascent illnesses. It's smartly paired with the whole-foods program because the Chinese have attributed various health-balancing properties to foods, so you can tailor your diet to help alleviate symptoms of illness. For example, Chinese medicine dictates that someone with low energy and a pale complexion (a yin deficiency) would benefit from avoiding bitter foods and increasing "sweet" foods such as soy, black sesame seeds, parsnips, rice, and oats. (Note that the Chinese definition of sweet foods is much different from the American one!)
Pitchford says in his dedication that he hopes the reader finds "healing, awareness, and peace" from following his program. The diet is certainly acetic by American standards (no alcohol, caffeine, white flour, fried foods, or sugar, and a minimum of eggs and dairy) but the reasons he gives for avoiding these "negative energy" foods are compelling. From the adrenal damage imparted by coffee to immune dysfunction brought on by excess refined sugar, Pitchford spurs you to rethink every dietary choice and its ultimate influence on your health. Without being alarmist, he adds dietary tips for protecting yourself against the dangers of modern life, including neutralizing damage from water fluoridation (thyroid and immune-system problems may result; fluoride is a carcinogen). There's further reading on food combining, female health, heart disease, pregnancy, fasting, and weight loss. Overall, this is a wonderful book for anyone who's serious about strengthening his or her body from the inside out. Used as a reference by students of acupuncture, this is a hefty, truly comprehensive guide to the theory and healing power of Chinese medicine. It's also a primer on nutrition--including facts about green foods, such as spirulina and blue-green algae, and the "regeneration diets" used by cancer patients and arthritics--along with an inspiring cookbook with more than 300 mostly vegetarian, nutrient-packed recipes. The information on Chinese medicine is useful for helping to diagnose health imbalances, especially nascent illnesses. It's smartly paired with the whole-foods program because the Chinese have attributed various health-balancing properties to foods, so you can tailor your diet to help alleviate symptoms of illness. For example, Chinese medicine dictates that someone with low energy and a pale complexion (a yin deficiency) would benefit from avoiding bitter foods and increasing "sweet" foods such as soy, black sesame seeds, parsnips, rice, and oats. (Note that the Chinese definition of sweet foods is much different from the American one!) Pitchford says in his dedication that he hopes the reader finds "healing, awareness, and peace" from following his program. The diet is certainly acetic by American standards (no alcohol, caffeine, white flour, fried foods, or sugar, and a minimum of eggs and dairy) but the reasons he gives for avoiding these "negative energy" foods are compelling. From the adrenal damage imparted by coffee to immune dysfunction brought on by excess refined sugar, Pitchford spurs you to rethink every dietary choice and its ultimate influence on your health. Without being alarmist, he adds dietary tips for protecting yourself against the dangers of modern life, including neutralizing damage from water fluoridation (thyroid and immune-system problems may result; fluoride is a carcinogen). There's further reading on food combining, female health, heart disease, pregnancy, fasting, and weight loss. Overall, this is a wonderful book for anyone who's serious about strengthening his or her body from the inside out. --Erica Jorgensen
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