The renowned Physician Li Shizhen of Ming Dynasty, mentor of life cultivation, said that foods and drinks are the lifeblood of people. Thus we have to have foods and drinks for our survival.
On the other hand, there is a summary report in modern medicine, that 80% of chronic unhealthy conditions (obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high fat content) are mainly a result of an incorrect diet.
Therefore, as practitioners of life cultivation, we make extra effort to explore the nutrition of various foods and choose what to eat, what time to eat them, how much to eat, and how to eat them for the health of our human body.
Five grains are for nourishment, five fruits are for supplement, five animals are for benefit, and five vegetables are for filling.
Chapter Suwen of Huangdi Neijing
Healthy eating emphasizes the rationality, science and precision of the diet structure that we should follow.
The Four Cornerstones of Health of the World Health Organization
Balanced diet
Moderate exercise
Quit smoking and limit alcohol intake
Balance mind
Motto on Foods
Mixed food is superior, avoidance is taboo
Coarse food is good, lightly salted food is good
Fast eating is harmful, slow eating is advisable
Fresh food is wonderful, overeating is bad
Balanced diet on a daily basis is a must
Food hygiene needs to be kept in mind
Forego unlicensed or poorly rated restaurants
Pagoda of balanced diet (China standard, per adult per day)
Oil 25-30g
Salt 6 grams
Dairy Milk and milk products 300g
Beans and nuts 30-50g
Livestock and poultry meat 50-75 grams
Fish and shrimp 50-100 g
Eggs 25-50 grams
Vegetables 300-500g
Fruits 200-400g
Water 1200ml
Food Pyramid (USA standard, per adult per day)
What Is the Food Pyramid Now?
The food pyramid was replaced in 2011 with a food plate: “MyPlate.”
MyPlate is based on nutrition advice from the United States government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is a graphic representation of plate, quartered into sections, where half the plate is comprised of fruits and vegetables:
Fruits
Any fruit or 100% fruit juice
May be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried
The amount each person needs can vary between 1 to 2 cups each day
Vegetables
Any vegetable or 100% vegetable juice
May be raw or cooked; fresh, frozen, canned, or dried/dehydrated
The amount each person needs can vary between 1 to 3 cups each day
Grains
Foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain
Examples include: bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, grits, rice, noodles
The amount each person needs can vary between 3 to 8 ounce-equivalents each day
Grains are divided into 2 subgroups:
Whole grains
At least half the grains consumed should be whole grains
Refined grains
Protein
All foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, processed soy products, nuts, and seeds
The amount each person needs can vary between 2 to 6½ ounce-equivalents each day
A smaller circle appears next to the plate that represents dairy.
All milk and milk products
Foods made from milk that retain their calcium content are part of the group
Foods made from milk that have little to no calcium, such as cream cheese, cream, and butter, are not included
Calcium-fortified soymilk (soy beverage) is also part of the dairy group
The amount each person needs can vary between 2 to 3 cups each day
Oils should be consumed in moderation. Avoid trans fats.
Dietary Wise Sayings
Do not overeat the three meals and you will live without illness until you die.
If you do not eat staple food you are killing yourself slowly.
Salt is the secret killer of health.
Less salt in cooking, healthy and beneficial.
Overeating will accelerate aging.
Keep yourself 80% full after eating, you will have a good stomach and intestines when you age.
One bite less you will live to be 100.
Eat meat without vegetables, you reduce nutrients by half.
Vegetables are a treasure, better than the well known wonderful Ganoderma Reishi
When you do not eat green vegetables for three days, you will see gold stars in your eyes.
Food that is not suitable for you may be a poison to you.
Men cannot go without ginger for a hundred days, women cannot be sugar-free for a hundred days.
Radish in winter and ginger in summer keep the doctor away.
Eat foods to complement the body constitution of a person.
Fish-eaters are healthy; fish-eaters are smart; fish-eaters are beautiful.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Develop healthy eating habits
Eat a variety of foods, with cereals as the main staples, both whole and fine.
Eat more vegetables, fruits and roots.
Eat more milk, soy drinks or their products.
Eat moderate amounts of fish, eggs and lean meat.
Stick to a three-meal a day diet plan.
Control the amount of foods and drinks you consume.
Drink more water and less alcohol.
Insist on Four Less: less salt, less oil, less sugar and less spices.
Stick to an acid and alkaline balanced diet.
Exercise regularly and be persistent.
Summary
Folks, that is all for now. If you think this article may be beneficial to your friends and loved-ones, feel free to forward this article to them. This is an extract of the full article which can be found on Mustang BodyWorks Infoletter.
Stay tuned for the next episode: What foods for whom.