A number of years ago I took a nutrition class taught by a macrobiotic counselor. He told us a story about two women who were so excited about their results with macrobiotics that they gave gift certificates to their husbands, whom they were sure would feel so much better if they just ate better.
These guys were hard-working McDonalds and Taco Bell kind of guys. They were not going to touch steamed pumpkin, barley and hijiki seaweed with a ten foot pole. So the counselor told them this: Eat whatever you usually eat. Just do two things. First, eat at the same times every day. Second, when you’re eating, sit down and just eat, nothing else.
Two weeks later they came back raving about how good they felt. Their energy was great, they were sleeping well, their digestion had improved, and they were both in great moods.
Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But it does kind of speak to the mystery of how we can make a good effort to eat healthier foods, and still not feel that much better (or still not lose weight). There’s so much more to eating than just what we eat.
Chinese dietary therapy does have a lot to say about what we should eat — based on body type, season, and any symptoms or imbalances in the body. Interestingly, though, it has even more to say about when and how we eat (see the next post for more on this).
On a physiological level, the logic behind this is pretty simple. All the energy we use to function comes directly from food. If the digestive system is tense and contracted when we’re eating, or overloaded with too much food, or doesn’t get a steady supply of nutrients, the process doesn’t go so well and we don’t feel good.
I think it’s so much more than that, though. Often, the way we feed ourselves reflects (and affects) the way we nourish ourselves in other ways. If we act like feeding our bodies isn’t worthy of time or effort or enjoyment, it’s quite possible we’re doing the same thing with other needs — like rest, creativity, love, intimacy, or celebration.
It’s so easy — believe me I know it’s easy — to give this stuff short shrift. We’re under a lot of pressure out there. But making the space to eat in a way that is really relaxing and nourishing can be a way in — a way to practice allowing ourselves to be human in other ways too.
And that is even better for our health and balance than a big plate of steamed kale. 🙂
For more specific guidance on eating habits from the Chinese classics, please see this post.