This is an excerpt from our Spring 2015 issue. Subscribe here to have our Spring issue delivered direct to your door or pick up a copy in one of our stockists.
Ditch the Diet Mindset
Tune in to instincts and energies.
By Colleen Kennedy.
Everyone seems to be an expert on food and fitness lately, and while this may have unleashed some great scientific information at our fingertips, it is not always the right information to apply to all circumstances. Between the cyber world, bookshelves, health food shops and pharmacies, how do we know what to eat anymore? Why are we not listening to our own instincts on what suits our bodies?
Biochemically, we are not all the same, so surely we all shouldn’t be eating the same diet. There is no such thing as the best diet for everyone. While the science of some diets can appeal to certain sectors of the population, a good start is to begin to understand your own constitution, your own unique biochemical makeup in an ever-changing environment. The art of being able to adapt to your environment and to use your foods to rebalance and support your essence dates back to the Chinese system of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Indian system of Ayurvedic Medicine. Both of these cultures use a system of energetic and constitutional analysis. How our body responds to particular foods, activities, emotions and how we interact with other living organisms, all play a role in determining the best way to bring balance back to our lives, including what we eat.
The Chinese work from a system of Yin, Yang and the five elements. The Ayurvedic model is based on tridosha, or three types – Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Both systems understand how food and herbs can interact with our physical and psychological processes.
This is an excerpt from our Spring 2015 issue. Subscribe here to have our Spring issue delivered direct to your door or pick up a copy in one of our stockists.
Coleen Kennedy graduated in Herbal Medicine and Naturopathic Nutrition from CNM and lectures in Herbal Medicine at CNM Galway and Dublin. For information on CNM courses in Natural Therapies available nationwide. See naturopathy.ie
