One of the most-asked questions in my practice is ‘What type of diet should I follow?’ It’s an issue fraught with conflicting information from public health authorities, food marketing and advertising, new diet fads on the best-seller lists, religious and spiritual traditions and snippets of information gleaned from television and magazines. After several decades of exploration and experimentation, including several years of study, I’ve realized that the best diet for each of us to follow is based on our individual needs, keeping a few basic guidelines in mind:
- Eat an energetically centred diet based on whole foods and chew them well.
- Adjust your diet according to the climate you live in and the change in seasons.
An energetically centred diet is one based on whole grains, vegetables and legumes. These foods are energetically centred, being neither too warming, cooling, drying nor too mucus-forming. They have a naturally sweet taste and can be eaten freely at any time of year or in any climate. However, it is essential to adjust this basic diet according to climate and seasons. In cooler seasons and climates, include foods that warm the body and, in warmer seasons and climates, include foods that cool the body. Similarly, in dry climates/seasons include foods that moisten the body and in humid/wet climates/seasons, include foods that are less mucus-forming.
All of these guidelines must be considered in the context of your own needs, including pre-existing health conditions, the amount of physical activity you undertake etc. In the next post, I’ll discuss how to adjust the energetically centred diet according to the climate and seasons.