Tao of Food

Diet in Taoist practice

( Caution: the following is not to serve as medical nor medicinal advice to anyone.  If you suffer from sickness, please see a licensed health professional.)
 

What is the best food to eat in the cultivation of Taoist practice for health and longevity?
One of the favorite answers that I love to quote from my teacher is:
" Not very much."
Of course, the student wants more detailed answers as to what food groups to ingest and their combination.  But If they really think deeply about the answer, "the not very much" is a wonderful answer to all the food fetishes that exist.

If a vegetarian only eats a large quantity of lettuce, he will definitely be malnourished. However, if he eats not very much but a little of everything, from beans to grains to green leafy vegetables, his diet will be balanced.

Some macrobiotic practitioners that I know personally have a tendency to crave certain food groups.  After all, eating nothing but brown rice and Miso soup for years will make chocolate seem irresistible. The Chinese Macrobiotic point of view is that a Macrobiotic diet is a healing diet and should be stopped once one's ailment has cleared up.   It's the same concept as when we take herbal soup for a sickness.  Once the sickness is cured, the medicine should be stopped.
 

If you are a young healthy person, with no sickness, than a vegetarian diet is possible.  But if you have a lack of energy or some other deficiency, then meat broth should be consumed from time to time.
How much meat, grain, or vegetables should I eat?
Open your mouth, count your teeth.
Notice that your teeth are the combination of flat vegetable choppers, the front teeth, meat tearing teeth, the incisors, and the molars for grinding grains.
When you count the different teeth and their different functions, you gain a basic idea of how to combine the different food groups.
In general, based on our combination of teeth, the diet should be composed of 30 % leafy vegetables, 20 % meat and 50% grain.  The basic combination of a Chinese dish of beef with snow peas served with a bowl of rice.
The Chinese people do not consider that milk can be digested.  But if your cultural heritage allows you to take milk go ahead and drink some.

For the Taoist there is no rule against eating meat.
Likewise, in Buddhism, there is no rule against eating meat that is not killed specifically for you.  Remember, the early Buddhists had to beg for their food and they were not allowed to be selective.  They had to take whatever was given.  No wonder Allen Ginsberg once quipped that Buddha died of bad pork.  Actually, he died of a poisonous mushroom.  So be careful now, you mushroom lovers.
 

Once a month, you should set aside one day to avoid eating anything that is solid and drink either vegetable broth or meat broth.

I have a special Power broth that I've developed and if you want the formula please email me and I will email you the formula.  Of course in your email you must state that you totally absolve me of all possible legal responsibility.  Then try the formula at your own risk.

So the great debate about food is very easily resolved.

  1. Not very much.
  2. Count your teeth.
  3. Cleansing broth once a month.


Finally, if you want to investigate the way of eating further, there are some excellent books written by the Kushi Institute.  My wife  studied with Evelyn Kushi back in the 80's .  The Kushi contributed greatly to the whole organic food idea and eating as a way of healing.  Wonderful people.
 

email me at Dantao

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