【Description】
The so-called “diseases of affluence”, such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, plague many people these days. In fact, eating a balanced diet is more important than eating “good” food. When a diet is unbalanced, it can burden the body and cause various diseases.
Grandmaster JinBodhi speaks in a lighthearted manner about the law of a balanced diet. Let’s listen to his guidance on the enjoyment of eating a healthy diet.
【You will learn】
- Some of the causes of obesity
- Foods with cooling properties
- How to eat a balanced diet
【Featured aphorisms】
- Manifest a higher realm by enjoying the fragrance, taste and beauty of natural food.
【Content】
I have read American health studies for the past 10 years. Those who have high rates of heart diseases, obesity, and diabetes are the 2nd and 3rd generations of Asian immigrants. When Asian children are fed the same food Westerners eat, they tend to become obese. Huge hamburgers are put in the small Asian stomach. They enjoy them but eat so much they feel like throwing up. When these calories aren’t burned, obesity is the result. They tend to contract illnesses related to obesity.
Their ancestors’ diet consisted of vegetables and soups, but they eat hamburgers. It is a shock to the body. Most immigrants who have heart diseases and diabetes are Chinese, especially the 2nd generation. I have seen many obese children. This is obvious especially in Chinese kids. When I came to Taiwan, I discovered the girls here all have slim waists. I was quite disappointed in the West, as the girls over there, including the Chinese girls have waist thicker than mine. On the bright side, when I walk with them, I feel protected and safe!
But sadly, they don’t realize that the unhealthy diet causes the problem. When their grandmas offer them congee and Chinese food, they don’t want it. They want Western food, but their stomachs can’t handle it. So they tend to put on weight. Those who have kids overseas better ask them to return to lose weight. Let them practice to get a slim shape. Many kids and teenagers think our Chinese plain congee is tasteless. The Chinese kids who grow up overseas think the same.
What we want is to find it tasty despite its tastelessness. This is a mental state, right? When we eat simple food, we should learn to savor its original taste. This is also a mental state. It is healthy and good. Also, all bitter food eliminates internal heat in our body. When you feel your tongue is a bit stiff and has a white coating, or you feel internal heat, eat something bitter. The best example is bitter melon. What else? Mustard greens. Also winter melon. Winter melon eliminates internal heat. Western celery also eliminates internal heat.
Don’t wait until your body overheats. It will be useless. This is the therapy of a balanced diet. When you feel internal heat, just eat some green vegetables and it will be regulated. When there is severe internal heat, eating very cold food may cause 2 negative effects. One is the internal heat, and the other, even worse, is the harm of icy cold. Be the person male or female, eating overly cold food harms the fertility and the kidney circulation. So don’t wait for the body to get overheated or too cold before you do something about it.
Sometimes, our subconscious mind reminds us to eat certain foods at certain times. Say, someone may get a craving for watermelon. The desire for watermelon indicates their body has internal dryness or heat. It may be related to hot weather. So, they need to eat watermelon to cool down. There is vinegar made with plums or apples in Taiwan, right? Some may be craving this vinegar these days. That is good news. It is a cooling method to regulate the spleen and stomach. You may eat some. Plums are cold, cooling in nature. That helps vent internal heat. Eat a proper amount; don’t overeat it.
All spices that make dishes delicious are hot, such as pepper, chili, or star anise. All things that make dishes delicious are warm, fiery, hot, and dry. They shouldn’t be eaten too much. In contrast, most fruits are cooling, balancing the heat in the body. Fruits that grow in the hottest climate tend to dispel heat. Apples are harvested in autumn. So comparing the nature of apples to pears, which is cooler? Pears. They are harvested in the hottest season. So, they counter the hot weather. Nature is a wonder and a perfection. The local produce balances our body. Eating local fruits and vegetables in season is a diet conforming to the season. It is a good method.
Foods that cause us illness are those not in season. For example, if in Taiwan’s winter one eats excessive watermelon and plums, it tends to harm the body. Try to eat less of those not in season. Nowadays greenhouses can produce crops in any season. But the human body has to conform to Nature. Better eat food that is in season. Ask the older generation who knows best, our mother or grandmother. Their dietary habit of following the season is healthy.
The Laws of Balanced Healthy Diet: 1. Follow our grandparents’ dietary habit. 2. Learn about the nature of food and balance our diet. 3. Eat food in season.