[?] Subscribe To This Site

Your Healing Diet

Do you need a healing diet? Most of us do.

If you feel sluggish, fatigued, stuck, or have insomnia, allergies, skin outbreaks, headaches, that is your body talking to you. Your body wants a detox diet for a while.

You can go on a detox or healing diet for a week, a month or longer.

A pure diet includes lots of vegetables, greens, some fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, herbs, and beans. The diet avoids dairy, bread, wheat, caffeine and sugars; these foods are too congesting and depleting.

The healing diet is not the same for everyone, though. Your body constitution will determine what works best for you. Traditional Chinese healing has some helpful guidelines on your constitution and body type.

Your Body Constitution.

Chinese healing says we are born with either a yin constitution, and we are more reflective and gentle, or a more yang constitution, and we are active and dynamic, getting things done!

Or we are a mix. But often one will predominate. Who are you?

The yin body type has a cooler body, moist skin, more body fluids. They may be introspective, intuitive, have a soft voice, a gentle nature, be receptive and compassionate. When out of balance, they may be fearful, unclear, pale, cold, anemic, withdrawn, and have low energy.

The yang body type has a warmer body. They are outgoing, active, positive, have a loud voice and a focused mind. They can be logical, urgent, goal oriented, and desire filled. When out of balance, they may get angry, impatient, tense and have a red face. They are oriented to action, and don't know when to stop!

You may have some qualities of both types, but usually one will be stronger. We can have a constitution that can be hot, warm, neutral, cool or cold. It's a spectrum.

This is a simplification of energetics, but its a good place to start and experiment with feeling energy. Do you need warmth and support, or do you need to cool down and be set free?

When you know your general tendency, you can choose your foods for balance. Cooler types can warm up with more cooked foods and proteins, warm types can handle more fruits and raw foods.

Three Versions of the Healing Diet.

Paul Pitchford in his book "Healing with Whole Foods", describes three versions of the healing diet. He calls it the Regeneration Diet. Here are some guidelines; be sure to adjust this to your body!

Diet A: for the yin-cool person: cooked whole grains, vegetables, seaweeds, beans, sprouts, herbs, small amounts of spices, mostly cooked foods, some raw, either moderately cooked food if you feel cold, or lightly cooked if you don't feel cold. Whole fruits in moderation, no fruits juices. You may need small amounts of animal foods, maybe once a week or so, tonic herbs and gentle cleansing herbs.

Diet B: For those with strength who feel neither too hot or too cold: Fruits, vegetables and their juices, sprouts of seeds, grains and legumes. Have more raw foods, lightly cooked vegetables and salads. Have cooked grain about once a day.

Diet C: For the yang-warm person: All grains are sprouted, all food is raw, except for a daily vegetable soup. You can use wheat grass and barley grass drinks and cleansing herbs. This is for the strong, loud, people who feel hot and inflamed.

It helps to be flexible. You may start with a more intense cleansing diet with juices and salads, then add in more cooked foods.

The Raw food diet is popular now. But if you are cool body type, raw foods,(which are cooling)are not helpful! You may do better with strengthening and warming foods.

I tend to be yin-cool, and raw foods in excess cause digestion problems. I like mostly cooked foods, tonic herbs and occasional meat(in small amounts). This is my balance.

Healing Reactions

As you cleanse, you may experience a healing reaction--headaches, body aches and pains, skin rashes, anger or depression. This should last a few days to a week.

If you give up coffee, headaches are likely! Try some bancha tea, it's a green twig tea that has just a bit of caffeine and it's healing and alkalizing. Or take naps. Getting of caffeine can be a challenge. Caffeine really is a drug!

Eating greens and chlorophyll can help. Radishes and lemon juice help the liver release fats. Also, try this: mix 1 tsp apple cider vinegar in a third cup of water. This can help the liver release. The liver cleanses the blood of toxins so it is working hard as you clean up your diet.

The best time to cleanse is in spring or fall, when the body naturally cleanses itself.

Also, take time to rest, and have some stress reduction and emotional awareness practices to rely on, for you are in for some transformation! Meditate, journal, and pray for a new you to emerge. Get support and plan your meals.

How long do you follow this healing diet? Listen to your body. Some people start out on raw foods for week and feel so good, they keep going. Then after awhile, they adjust to more cooked grains and beans. Other people don't do well with raw foods and enjoy warming soups. It's interesting how different we are.

That's the basics of a healing diet. Your diet can be adjusted to take into consideration specific health issues, like candida, adrenal fatigue and more. Check out the articles below for more healing ideas.

Return from healing diet to home page

Here's more articles on food and healing you may enjoy:

Do you have adrenal fatigue?

tips for healthy weight loss

Here's all about the vegan diet

Health benefits of flax seeds

here's some healthy eating guidelines

Here's what the experts say: the healthy eating pyramid

Tips for a heart healthy diet

Superfoods are delicious

Here's the anti-inflammatory diet

Calcium rich foods for strong bones

Cruciferous vegies fight cancer risk