Tibetan Dietary Therapy

As in Chinese medicine, the most fundamental type of treatment in Tibetan medicine is the modification of behaviour and diet.
Tibetan medicine is a “nomadic” type of medicine, that is, since the doctor travelled around the country on a yak to treat patients, he was only able to come around once every six months to a year. So not only was dietary regulation a less intrusive form of treatment, but the patient could also adhere to these instructions without constant supervision from the doctor.
According to Tibetan medicine, inadequate, excessive, or inappropriate diet will result in disease. Inadequate would be considered not enough quantity of food and liquids to sustain one, i.e. under eating or inappropriate fasting or not having enough of the proper foods. Excessive means eating too much at one time or over the course of the day. Intake of food while there is still an undigested meal present will lead to problems. Buddha stated that stagnant food (in the stomach) is the, original cause of most disease.
To avoid stagnant food, it is recommended that the stomach only be filled to % full. One half should be food and one-quarter liquid. Inappropriate diet is one in which unwholesome foods, foods that one is not accustomed to or are not appropriate to one’s ailments are eaten. It also includes the practice of untimely dining. Unwholesome foods are those that are not fresh, or whole foods. This includes any ‘junk foods” and highly processed foods. Untimely dining refers to eating the wrong foods during a particular season.

The Increasing Shift Towards Vegetarianism

“Those who eat flesh are but eating grains and vegetables secondhand How’ much better to get it direct, by eating the food that God provided for our use!” – Ellen G. White
Vegetarians do not eat meat for health, philosophical or moral reasons. Some, such as Jains and Brahmins, are vegetarians because of religious beliefs.
There are three main types of vegetarians: lacto-ovo-vegetarians, who eat dairy foods and eggs; lacto-vegetarians, who eat dairy foods, but no eggs; and vegans who consume no animal foods of any type.
Food influences every aspect of our well-being including the physical and emotional. There are arguments for and against vegetarian diet. Many argue that man was born to be a vegetarian and God intended him to be so; it is only a deviation that we have taken to eating non-vegetarian food. The argument that if nature wanted us to be meat eaters, it would have equipped us with sharp teeth to tear into flesh and given us acidic saliva to digest animal protein backs their theory. For instance, carnivorous animals have claws, teeth that can tear into flesh and a round stomach, which produces enough hydrochloric acid to digest meat. They also have shorter intestines to shorten the process of meat digestion and a liver that is equipped to get rid of excess uric acid.
That man was created as a vegetarian is borne out by the molars that are designed to crush and grind. Our saliva is alkaline in nature, which is perfect to digest plant protein; we have a stomach and greater length of intestines, designed for vegetarian food. The liver of human beings is also not equipped get rid of excess uric acid that the animal protein breakdown produces. That is one of the prime reasons for the painful disease called gout.
On the other hand the proponents of non-vegetarianism argue that all food that can be digested by man should be considered normal and healthy. Their point is that only non-vegetarian food can provide all the elements of a nutritious diet and so it is healthier than the vegan diet.
There are many factors against the consumption of meat. Animal protein is tough to digest and the food putrefies inside the system creating toxins that are harmful to the body.

Sugar consumption and tooth decay

Sugar Information
Sugar is a carbohydrate found in foods such as milk, fruit and honey, as well as in sweets and desserts. Sugar has a bad reputation, and can cause tooth decay and weight gain, but some foods that are high in sugar, such as milk and fruit, are very good for you because they contain vitamins and minerals as well as sugar. Where sugar deserves its bad reputation is in the so-called empty calories it contains-those that come without beneficial nutrients. A piece of fruit might have the equivalent of a teaspoon of sugar, but since it also contains vitamins, minerals and fibre, the calories it contains are far from empty.

Sugar consumption
People in the developed world are eating more sugar than did in the past. For example, people in the UK now get 17 per cent of their calories from sugar, as opposed to about 10 per cent only 20 years ago. Carbonated (fizzy) soft drinks such as cola account for one-third of the added sugar in some people’s diets.

Sugar and tooth decay
Refined sugar is the major, but not the only, cause of tooth decay. Other sugars, such as those from fruit or milk, also play a role. The enzymes in your saliva turn starch to sugar, so even bread becomes sweet as you chew it. The longer sweet foods stay in your mouth and the more they stick to your teeth, the worse they are for the teeth. Foods such as raisins are just as bad for dental health as sweets like caramels. If you consume sweet, sticky foods, rinse your mouth with water or brush your teeth afterwards.

Read the label
Sugar comes in many different forms, both naturally and as refined products. All sugar is the same: brown sugar is no better for you than white sugar, nor is honey any better than table sugar. Processed foods often contain sugar, even if you cannot see it listed in the ingredients. It might be hidden under a different name: barley malt, brown sugar, cane sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, maple syrup, sorbitol or sucrose.

Does what you eat cause IBS?

Colon therapy- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a condition that is characterized by cramps, bloating, constipation and diarrhea. While IBS doesn’t harm the intestines or cancer, it can turn a person’s life upside down, making it difficult to go to work, attend social outings or travel. Experts don’t know why some people develop IBS and others don’t. It’s thought that sufferers may have a colon that’s extra sensitive to stress and even certain foods, or that the immune system is somehow involved. What is known is that in people who have IBS, the colon doesn’t function normally: It may go into spasms or respond too strongly to outside stimuli, such as stress, or transport contents too quickly-causing diarrhea-or too slowly, causing constipation. Though there’s no cure for IBS, doctors usually recommend a combination of stress management techniques, regular exercise, and even medication to ease symptoms. And since many people often complain of IBS symptoms after eating certain foods, or large, rich meals, dietary changes make sense, even though no single food or dietary pattern has been implicated in the syndrome.
Now a study, published in the American journal of Gastroenterology, suggests that some IBS sufferers actually may have a hypersensitivity to common foods. British researchers tested the blood of 108 IBS patients and 43 healthy controls for IgG4 antibodies to 16 common foods, including milk, eggs, wheat, cheddar cheese, rice, yeast, potatoes, peanuts, cod fish, chicken, lamb, beef, pork, tomatoes and soy bean. Doctors also performed skin prick tests-which exposed patients to the same 16 foods-to determine allergic reactions. The result was that IBS patients had much higher Igg4 antibody lavels than did people in the control group to wheat, beef, pork, lamb and soy bean. Borderline significance was detected for egg yolks and egg whites. There was no significant correlation between antibody levels and the severity and frequency of symptoms. But the mechanism that leads to increased levels of Igg4 antibodies is still speculative, say the researchers. However, higher levels have been linked to food hypersensitivity in people with atopic condition such as eczema, hay fever and asthma, which suggests a similar process, might be occurring in IBS sufferers. Further research in this area could pave the way for more effective treatments.

Weight loss tips while dining outside

As soon as your food is served, ask for a box and put half of your meal into it, to take home. Restaurant portions are usually twice the size they should be anyway.
• Don’t ruin a nice, low fat salad with creamy dressing. Go for the vinaigrette or oil and vinegar, and use them sparingly. These days you also get low cal dressing and low cal mayonnaise, which are great substitutes in look and taste.
• Don’t let yourself down by getting (or sharing) a dessert. Order some fruit or Jell-O instead, if you must have something sweet. Or if must have, go for a sorbet, which is made of frozen ice, or a smoothie, which is made of fresh fruit and yoghurt.
• Arrive with a healthy meal in mind and ask for it without opening your menu. This will spare you the pain of looking at an array of temptation. Salads and soups are the safest bet.
• After each bite, put your fork down, and don’t pick it up again until you’ve completely swallowed the last bite.
• Drink a glass of skim milk before you leave your house. This will fill up your stomach and help you eat less.
• Look for restaurants that serve ‘contemporary’, ‘spa’ or ‘lean’ cuisine.
• When ordering seafood, choose the leanest types, such as haddock, sole, trout, scallops, shrimp and crab.
• And lastly, never treat your controlled diet as a pain. A well thought of ‘lean meal’ will give you the best of both taste and nutrition.

Food For All Seasons

Almost all scriptures and ancient medical texts mention the potency of certain foods during specific seasons. Nature has created vegetables and fruits according to the requirements of the season. If watermelons and cucumbers are generally found during the summers, there is a reason for it. These vegetables and fruits have a high water content and quench thirst and that is the reason they are available during the hot months, whereas fruits and vegetables like peas, cabbage, cauliflowers and apples are available during the winter time because they have certain warming properties in them. The human body responds differently to different seasons, we also need to eat differently. It is advisable to eat the right kind of food during the appropriate season because of the natural goodness that is contained in them.
Just as our body requires more energy to cater for the normalizing of body temperature during winters, it need a lot of moisture during the summer to combat the drying and dehydrating effect of high temperature. Food is, therefore, to be planned to provide the required contents.

Dairy Products

(Fat-free or low-fat milk, curd, buttermilk, cheese, cottage cheese)
Superpowers: Strengthening bones, firing up weight loss, building muscle
Secret weapons: Calcium, vitamins A and B 12, riboflavin, phosphorus, potassium
Fight against: Osteoporosis, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer
Dairy is nutrition’s version of a typecast actor. It gets so much good press for strengthening bones that it garners little attention for all the other stuff it does well.
But there’s mounting evidence that calcium is a prime belly buster. A University of Tennessee study found that dieters who consumed between 1,200 and 1,300 milligrams of calcium a day lost nearly twice as much weight as those taking in less of the mineral. Researchers think calcium probably prevents weight gain by increasing the breakdown of body fat and hampering its formation.
Low-fat yoghurt, cheeses, and other dairy products can playa key role in your diet. But plain milk should ideally be your major source of calcium. Liquids take up lots of room in your stomach, so your brain gets the signal that you’re full. A little cocoa stirred in can help curb sweet cravings.
Another way to take in more milk is to have it as a shake. Smoothies – blended mixtures of milk, low-fat yoghurt (curd), ice, and fruit (grapes, banana, berries, oranges) – can act as meal substitutes and as potent snacks. You can even add whey powder or peanut butter to the mixture for more nutrient punch. Also their thickness takes up space in your stomach.

Build more bone

Skeleton key- so you think osteoporosis was an old woman’s disease. Wrong! Instead, science has shown that bone loss starts insidiously in young adulthood.
During childhood, your bones grow rapidly, doubling in mass at least twice until puberty. During adolescence, bone mass doubles again. You now have almost all of the bone you will need to carry you into your adult years. In your mid-20s, bone mass peaks.
The pendulum swings the other way in your 30s, when you lose more bone than you build. Women lose bone faster, of course, due to declining estrogen, but men catch up after age60. Reason: Less physical activity, low calcium as they get older. Also, new research shows that chronic stress can decrease bone mass.
  To stop bone loss try these strategies:
• Increase calcium intake. Enjoy fat-free milk, yoghurt, beans, leafy green vegetables, & calcium – enriched juices, cereals soy foods, and cottage cheese.
• Stay aerobically active. Walk, jog or bike at least 30 minutes a day. This helps lower excess body fat and strengthens the leg bones and muscles.
• Lift weights at least twice a week. This increases muscles mass and strength, stimulates bone building, and increases your calorie burn.
• Try something new. Want the best exercise for preventing osteoporosis?  Simply jump-straight up and down –for 2 minutes. (Don’t lock your knees when you land, and wear athletic shoes.) The jolt your hipbones get “instructs” them to make more bone.
Yoga, Tai chi, qigong, martial arts, and Pilates also help build and maintain strong bones.
• Keep stress levels under control. Learn how to turn it off with simple meditation done throughout the day.

Increase Your Liquidity

Water is not exciting, but its an important element in your Flat abs plan. Drinking about 8 glasses of water a day has a lot of benefits: (a) it helps keep you satisfied (often when we interpret as hunger is really thirst). (b) it flushes the waste products your body churns out when processing protein or breaking down fat. And (c) it transports nutrients to your muscles, to keep your metabolism clicking.

Don’t get sidetracked by imposters such as colas and soft drinks. Even diet colas are not a good idea. New research shows that they don’t help keep weight down, for reasons that are still not clear. So stick with plain water. Otherwise, the best drinks you can have are low-fat milk and green tea.

Another drink you should definitely keep off your list, if you want flat abs, is Alcohol. For starters alcohol won’t make you feel full or decrease the amount of food you’ll eat. Thirdly, it can inhibit your production of testosterone and human growth – two hormones that help burn fat and build muscle. So, nix the Happy Hours.

Plastic Menace

Phthalates, a chemical used in the manufacture of toys, polyesters, PVC pipes and cosmetics, may be linked to the development of lupus, according to recent research using mice.

Researchers from Indiana State’s life sciences department injected mice with phthalates and found the injections triggered lupus, caused development of lupus-related kidney complications and considerably shortened the lifespan of mice with a genetic predisposition to the disease. The injections did not have negative effects in mice that are not predisposed to the illness. In lupus which is a form of arthritis, the immune system engages in friendly fire against the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. Scientists believe there is a genetic predisposition to the disease; it is known that environmental factors – possibly including exposure to phthalates – may also play a critical role in causing this autoimmune disease.

Given the widespread use of phthalates more extensive research is warranted, researchers report. Other experts question the finding and suggest that data from rats cannot be extrapolated to humans.

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