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| Lee Style T'ai Chi | ||
| as taught by Grandmaster Chee Soo | ||
| Ch'ang Ming (Long Life) diet. | ||
| Most people are aware of how much diet can affect health. The old phrase 'you are what you eat' reflects the belief that if you eat healthy foods you will in turn become a healthier person. The ancient Taoists dedicated much of their lives to the health and well-being of themselves and others. They carefully observed the effects of particular foods and herbs and documented their experiments for future generations. This information was taught with the T'ai Chi and other Taoist arts. | ||
| People do not have to change their diet in order to practise T'ai Chi. Similarly, people do not have to practise T'ai Chi in order to benefit from dietary improvement. However, people who do practise T'ai Chi may find that their increased sensitivity will lead them to discover for themselves foods which are beneficial to health and foods which are not. | ||
| Please be aware that the guidelines described in this page are indications of which foods are good for you and which are not, it is not necessary to eliminate all unhealthy food in order to gain benefit from the Ch'ang Ming diet. It is best to be aware of the basic principle of this Taoist diet which is to eat natural food (its easy to get focussed on some of the fine points, such as what's wrong with tomatoes!). It is also important to be aware of the principles of yin and yang which show that when anything reaches its extreme it becomes its opposite. If you try to force yourself to eat only items on the list you may end up getting fed up and eating twice as much bad food as before! It is much better to attempt change gradually if you are a little unsure about what you are doing. For example, your only change at first may choose to buy wholemeal bread instead of white bread at the supermarket. If you find this change ok then next week you may choose to substitute full-fat milk with semi-skimmed. By making simple changes each week, step by step you can improve your diet whilst giving yourself time to adjust. | ||
| A summary of the Ch'ang Ming diet is provided below, but further information can be obtained at the classes (or contact: james@bristoltaichi.co.uk). | ||
| Foods which are unhealthy: | ||
| 1. Refined/unnatural foods - for example white rice, white flour, tinned/packet foods, microwave dinners, genetically modified food, pesticides, chemical food additives (for more information on additives see 'E for Additives' by Maurice Hanssen). | ||
| 2. Red Meat, Red/Blue Fish - which includes beef, lamb, pork, tuna, mackeral, salmon, meat gravy. | ||
| 3. Saturated or Hydrogenated fats - all meat fats (lard, dripping) including meat which is high in fat, deep fried food, hydrogenated oils (often found in common brands of margarine). | ||
| 4. Rock salt (in particular, but all salt should be moderated). | ||
| 5. Sugar. | ||
| 6. Milk products - the most harmful aspect of which is the fat, so in particular full fat milk and cheese. | ||
| 7. Coffee, alcohol, tobacco, cocoa, strong (usually Indian) teas, drugs (recreational and drugs such as paracetamol). | ||
| 8. Tropical fruits (in particular acidic fruits). | ||
| 9. Vinegar (and all high acid foods), pepper, spices, mustard. | ||
| 10. Potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, aubergine and rhubarb. | ||
| 11. Cold foods and drinks (and also cold baths and showers). | ||
| 12. Excess fluid intake (obviously some fluid intake is essential, but very large quantities of water as recommended in some modern diets can overwork the kidneys and deplete water soluble vitamins). Similarly, going to the opposite extreme and drinking so little that you are always thirsty can also be damaging. If in doubt, drink when thirsty! | ||
| Healthy substitutes for the above: | ||
| 1. Natural foods - wherever possible try to obtain food is its most natural state, i.e. organic, fresh, locally grown, seasonal vegetables, wholegrain rice, wholemeal flour/bread. | ||
| 2. Nuts, vegetarian foods e.g. tofu (try to avoid unnatural soya products and Quorn), white fish (e.g. halibut, plaice), white meat (e.g. chicken, turkey) but in moderation. | ||
| 3. Vegetable fats - fats are an essential part of a healthy diet and should not be removed totally (complete removal of fat may not help weight loss), try to use non-hydrogental margarine, unrefined sunflower, safflower, sesame, etc. oils. | ||
| 4. Soya sause, Miso, Gomasio and in strict moderation sea salt are all useful alternatives to salt. | ||
| 5. Rice syrup, malt extract provide much slower release sugars. Honey (or if you must) unrefined sugar can be used but both provide a fast sugar release so moderate you intake. | ||
| 6. Soya milk (sweetened with apple juice is the nicest), skimmed milk and low fat cheeses are acceptable in moderation. | ||
| 7. Chicory, herbal teas (check the ingredients though), chinese tea (especially Jasmine or green tea). | ||
| 8. Locally grown fruits such as apples, pears, etc. or dried fruits. | ||
| Precautions: | ||
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You should consult your doctor before considering any dietary change. Furthermore changes should be introduced gradually. The above are recommendations and not strict rules. If you try to force yourself into a strict routine it is likely that you will not be able to stick to it for very long. However, the more you improve you diet the greater the benefit you are likely to feel. These recommendations are based on actual experience over many centuries, not medical research. If you are unsure about whether this diet is nutritionally complete or suitable for you then you should consult your doctor. However, if you have any specific questions about the diet itself then contact: james@bristoltaichi.co.uk. This page is intended as an introduction to a traditional Taoist diet. Dietary change should be supervised by a dietary expert or undertaken at the participants own risk. It is also important to be aware that if an item provides your main source of a vitamin or mineral and you remove this item, then it is essential to replace that source with a new one. For example, in western diets, cow's milk is a common source of calcium. If this was your only source of calcium (and vitamin D which aids the absorption of calcium) then it is essential that new sources be found to continue to provide calcium, e.g. Eggs, wholegrains, beans, peas, lentils, broccoli, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, dates and also vitamin D which can be found in eggs, fatty fish, nuts, cold-pressed vegetable oil and margarines. |
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