Dietary Recommendations - Going Off the TCM Grid

Those of you who know me know I am NOT a fan of anything that is extreme, immoderate, unsustainable or crazy-making. I've seen plenty of studies on XYorZ and fertility or general health and advocated against doing them (often for more than just the crazy-making piece- see cartoon below!)

This weekend I went to a symposium with 400 other acupuncturists and herbalists. I had the pleasure of seeing one of the TCM rock stars of today and delving into the philosophy, history and even spiritual aspects of the medicine, another practitioner presented on the newly "discovered" aspects of chinese herbal medicine's biochemistry. There were also TWO sessions (one taught by an RE and one by and acupuncturist/functional medicine doc) on insulin resistance and the American diet. The RE's focus was on PCOS and fertility and the acupuncturist/functional medicine doc was on navigating traditional chinese food therapy, history, modern lifestyle and HEALTH.  Although they both ended up suggesting dietary changes that do have the possibility of being a bit crazy-making, I feel like the benefits and proof (both scientific and historically - more to come on both of these)  REALLY made me want to give this a try with my own family.

I of course, realize there is no one size fits all approach, but I think this really has some chops and hope you'll consider it too. We ALL are living in a culture where obesity, type 2 diabetes, and health related problems are on the rise (did you know by 2030 the projected obesity rate for most of the country is 50-70%?). And especially if you are dealing with PCOS, blood sugar concerns, weight issues or worried about inflammatory illnesses (from digestive problems to cancer) this is something worth looking at and thinking about.

Because I am a newbie at all this, I'll let the acupuncturist/functional medicine doc lay it all out for you!
And I'll be following up this post with the studies and citations for you to look at if you want the science.

Each one is under 10 minutes long and she can explain SO much and so well... instead of watching one primetime show, check it out and see what you think!

Start with this video
To understand what happens when you eat

Watch this one 2nd
To understand why eating certain diets and the modern lifestyle fuel inflammation, heart attacks, PCOS, Cancer, Alzheimer's (not to mention diabetes)

And how to reverse these issues and feel better!
Yaaaaay!  It might seem challenging, but it is TOTALLY empowering AND makes sense when you look at history and just getting back to old school eating. (Sad that it actually seems so very different than what we do today).

And if you want to see the difference between different common diets you can watch this one as a bonus :)

See my next post if you want some of the citations as well as the historical perspective!