Dietary advice to support your acupuncture treatment
Before you proceed:
These suggestions are meant to serve as support for your acupuncture treatment, and a guidance for substitutions and gradual changes, and are not a strict diet, weight loss regime or source of additional stress.
Please enjoy food and life, have realistic goals for change, and keep a weekly (and not a daily) overview.
Try to eat regularly (which includes ALWAYS having breakfast and nice nutritious things in your bag, like the snack bars suggested and/ or a box with a nut mix).
It is important to make SLOW and REALISTIC changes that align with food you like, and to remember that this is a guideline for about 80% of the time, and again, not a strict regime.
Please follow only the guideline you have been instructed to follow, and which supports your individual condition and treatment plan.
If you have any allergies or serious medical conditions please act responsibly, and consult with your GP or a specialist.
If you have any doubts or further questions please contact the clinic.
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1. In general
a. Morning:
Begin your day with warm food and drink.
First begin with the day with hot water with lemon slices (about half a lemon, preferably organic).
After you have drank 1-2 cups of this, you can have breakfast. Preferably drink coffee after breakfast, so not on an empty stomach.
If you can manage a warm breakfast most days that is already a great beginning.
Oat, millet or rice porridges are very good source of nutrition and warmth. Soak the grains in the fridge in your preferred milk the night before and cook for a few minutes in a small pan (or in a rush in the micro-wave). Add cinnamon, a bit of honey or date syrup, goji berries, fruit slices, nuts etc, depending on what you like. This is a very filling breakfast which supports the digestive system and will give you more energy for the day!
Eggs and toast are also a good option, though try to eat both while still warm.
If you like granola, substitute it with muesli (without sugar) and sweeten it as needed with dry fruit and a bit of honey or agave syrup. You can add crushed linseed to the muesli as it’s a great source of fiber.
Try to continue drinking mostly warm during the day (about 1.5 to 2 liters) - either water with lemon, or the herbs suiting your condition. Avoid drinking refrigerated water during the winter and opt for room temperature water when not drinking something hot.
b. Snacks:
Try to plan your snacks in advance, especially if not working from home, to keep up your energy and not opt for unhealthy options.
Options for snacks:
Fruit
Nuts (walnuts, almonds etc), dry fruit (if blood sugar levels are not an issue), raisins, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin). Make a box with a mixture of these to place in your work or school bag.
Bittersweet chocolate: if you like chocolate try to rise the cacao content of the chocolate you consume by 5-10% every couple of weeks until you get to a minimum of 80% cacao.
NAKD bars (they do not contain any added sweeteners or sugars).
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2. Warming Yang and improving digestion
a. Foods to warm Yang
Fibrous and leafy green vegetables (e.g. sweet potato, avocado, kale, broccoli, spinach)
Legumes and pulses (e.g. green beans, beans, lentils)
Ginger
Cinnamon
Oats
Millet
Curcuma
Soups (eaten warm)
In general:
Eat mostly warm and cooked foods and drink warm drinks.
Try to avoid raw salads (or eat them with something warm) and shakes, and don’t eat ice cream every day in the winter.
b. Herbs to add to warm water:
Ginger
Cinnamon
Dry red dates (rinse for a few seconds and tear each into 2-3 pieces)
Dry longan fruit
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3. Nourishing Yin Qi
a. Foods to nourish Yin Qi
Yam/ cassava
Avocado & avocado oil
Sweet potato
Black beans, kidney beans
Chickpeas and hummus
Black fungus
Snow fungus
All nuts, and especially walnuts (including nut pastes which are 100% nuts)
Tuna, sardines
Eggs
Spinach, broccoli, kale (dark leafy greens)
Cooked beets
Blackberries
Mulberries (dry)
Papaya
Pomegranate
Black sesame
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
b. Herbs to add to warm water
Lotus seeds
Puer Tea
Goji berries
Dry red dates (rinse for a few seconds and tear each into 2-3 pieces)
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4. Tonifying Blood deficiency
a. Foods to nourish Blood
Dark green vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale etc)
Seaweed
Spirulina
Beets (cooked)
Pomegranate
Goji berries
Grains (oats, barley, rice etc)
Tuna, oysters, sardines
Bone broth
b. Herbs to add to warm water
Dry red dates (rinse for a few seconds and tear each into 2-3 pieces)
Goji berries
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5. Lowering Blood pressure
Curcuma pills (with black pepper - this helps the absorption), 1000mg x day
Corn hair tea (available in Chinese shops, watch out for sugar content in the ready made tea bags).
All foods listed above to nourish Yin Qi.
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Most Chinese herbs and ingredients are available from Asian supermarkets (e.g Amazing Oriental)
Black Fungus Soup
Black Fungus (a big handful) - soak in warm water for 15 min and then chop
Garlic - a few cloves, chopped or crushed
Ginger - chopped fine.
Fresh Shittake (or whatever other fresh mushroom you can find) - sliced
Rice Vinegar
Sesame or rice oil
Miso Paste - 2 tbsps
Goji Berries
Wakame (optional)
Bok Choi (or fresh baby spinach)
Spring onions - chopped
Black Beans
Sesame seeds (optional)
Fermented Japanese Garlic (optional)
Sea or Himalayan Salt
Fill a big pot about 2/3 of the way with water and add 2-3 tablespoons of Miso paste and the wakame.
Add the Goji berries
Mince the garlic, turmeric, and ginger.
Add your shiitake, button mushrooms etc and black fungus. Add about half the can of black beans and some sesame seeds.
Add 3 tbsps of rice vinegar. Let it cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes.
After 40 min chop Bok Choi and / or spring onions and add to the soup, add the rest of the back beans and check/ add salt, pepper and chili powder/ flakes.
Stir for a few minutes until the boy choi is slightly wilted.
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Italian Chickpea soup
2 x 400g tins of chickpeas
1 onion
1 stick of celery
1 small potato (optional)
Salt
6 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
A sprig of fresh rosemary
1 tsp of tomato puree/concentrate
A small pinch of dried red chilli flakes (optional)
1.2 litres of water
A pinch of salt
A parmesan rind (optional)
120g small dried pasta such as tubetti or ditalini, or 200g fresh egg lasagna sheets cut into small squares
Black pepper
1 Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Finely dice the onion and celery, and peel and cut the potato into chunks. In a large heavy-based pan, warm the olive oil, add the onion and celery and cook gently until soft and fragrant.
2 Add the potato and stir until each chunk glistens, then add the rosemary, tomato and chilli (if you are using it), stir and cook for a minute before adding the chickpeas. Add 1.2 lites of water, a pinch of salt and the parmesan rind if you are using it. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
3 Remove half the soup from the pan and pass it through a food mill or use an immersion blender to make it smooth, then return it to the pan.
4 Remove the cheese rind (a cook’s treat). Taste and add more salt if necessary. Bring the soup to a steady but moderate boil, add the pasta and then – stirring pretty attentively – cook until the pasta is tender, adding a little more water if necessary. Taste to check seasoning, adding black pepper if you wish. Serve with a little more olive oil poured over the top.
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Sweet Potato Dal
Fry coriander and cumin seeds in neutral oil, add a few chilli flakes, then add cumin, curcuma and coriander powder, add fresh chopped coriander and stirr for a couple of minutes.
Add two big chopped onions, a few cloves of garlic, chopped ginger, salt and black pepper and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Add two diced medium-small sweet potatoes and continue stirring.
Add about 300 gr of dhal (soaked for at least 2 hrs in lukewarm water)
Add about 1/2 a cup of coconut milk
Cook until everything is soft and correct seasoning. You can puree de Dal a bit if you wish with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
Garnish with fresh coriander and lime or lemon slices and a swirl of coconut milk.
You can eat the dal as a soup or serve with rice as a main dish.
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Dal with Spinach
400 gr red lentils, rinsed and soaked in lukewarm water for at least 2 hrs
2 tsp ground turmeric
2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
250g fresh coconut pieces, cut into 1cm cubes (optional)
500ml boiling water
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 onions, thinly sliced
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
12 big handfuls of baby leaf spinach
juice and zest of 4 limes
sea salt flakes to taste
Preheat the oven to 180
Place the lentils, turmeric, coconut milk, coconut pieces, boiling water and garlic into a roasting tin or lidded casserole dish. Mix the onions, cumin and oil on a chopping board, then scatter them over the lentils. Cover tightly with foil or a lid, then transfer to the oven and cook for 45 minutes.
As soon as the dal is cooked, stir in the baby leaf spinach until it has just wilted. Adjust the texture to your preferred consistency with a little boiling water. Stir in the lime juice and zest, taste and adjust the salt.
Serve with rice, naan bread or chapatis, fresh chopped corriander leaves and extra lime wedges.
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Chickpea Tandoori
11 cloves of garlic
About 1/2 a finger length of finely chopped fresh ginger
Salt
400 gr of tomatoes or cherry tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
2 tsp Cumin, 2 tsp turmeric, a few chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs tomato paste
Two tins of chickpeas (400 gr each), or 800 gr (drained) cooked chickpeas
200 ml olive oil
Mix everything in a cast iron or oven proof pan. Bake in 150 degrees for 75 min and stir half way.
Serve with rice and garnish with coriander and a slice of lime or lemon.
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Egg Massala
6 boiled eggs
4 tbsp oil
2 ½ cup onions chopped (about 2 large)
3 tsp finley chopped ginger
1 ½ cup tomatoes ripe, chopped (about 2 large)
2 to 4 green chili slit or chopped
1 to 1 ½ tsp red chili powder or paprika
1 ½ to 2 tsp garam masala or kitchen king masala
¼ tsp turmeric or haldi
1 tsp Salt
4 tbsp mint or coriander leaves or both
6 tbsp curd or yogurt or coconut or 12 cashew nuts
Coconut milk to add wort the water
2 bay leaf or 1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp cumin
4 cardamom pods (optional)
2 inch cinnamon or 1 tsp cinnamon powder
Pour 3 cups water to a pot. Gently place the rinsed eggs and boil on a medium heat. Cover the pot & boil until you see cracks on the eggs. Turn off the stove and rest the eggs for 10 mins. Discard the water & keep the eggs immersed in cold water to cool down.
Then remove the shells. Pierce with a fork randomly to make some gashes. This helps the eggs to absorb the flavours.
Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin, bay leaf, cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon. Allow them to splutter.
Add onions, sprinkle salt and fry till onions turn slightly brown or caramelise to enhance the aroma.
Optional step - Skip this step if using yogurt. While the onions fry, make a fine paste of the cashews or coconut with some water. You can also blend together tomatoes and cashews.
Add ginger garlic paste to the onions and saute till it becomes fragrant.
Next add tomatoes, fry till they turn mushy.
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Beet Salad
3-4 cooked beets, sliced
1 firm apple, sliced
2 handfuls of walnuts
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add 1 tbs olive oil, 2 tsp balsamic vinegar or 1 tsp balsamic concentrate, salt and black pepper. Optional - 1 tsp og honey or agave syrup.
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Pear tonic to nourish Lungs
4 pears, peeled and cut
Half a finger of ginger, shredded
1 Cinnamon stick
10 Cloves
Goji berries, about 25
4 red dates, rinsed and cut in halves
Lemon or orange peel, 3 cm piece
Optional - honey or agave syrup to sweeten
Put everything in a pot, cover with about 1 liter water and bring to a boil. Con tinue cooking on low fire until the pears are soft.
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Banana Bread
2 ripe bananas
2 eggs (or vegan flaxseed eggs)
175 ml oil/ 260
3 tbs milk, plant baked milk or water
200 gr pitted dates
150 gr flour, oatmeal or oat flakes
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp salt
Nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper (as desired).
Optional- nuts, blueberries, almond flakes, chopped bittersweet chocolate
Optional- slice extra banana in two lengthwise and place on top of cake before baking
Warm the oven to 180c.
Mix everything in above order.
Place in a cake tin or muffin mould, and bake for 45 minutes to one hour. Check with a toothpick before removing from the oven. If baking muffins, remove 15 minutes earlier (after checking with a toothpick).
Let cake cool for ten minutes before removing from the tin.
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Energy Balls
300g dates (pitted; if dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and squeeze water out)
2-3 handfuls of walnuts and/ or almonds
3-4 tbsp of cacao powder, preferably raw
Some coarse sea salt, preferably grey or Himalayan.
Optional - a handful of goji berries, 1-2 tbsp of nut butter of choice, chia seeds, sesame seeds etc.
Optional - extra cacao powder, desiccated coconut, chopped nuts or peanuts for rolling the balls in.
Blend the dates in a food processor to form a paste (add some lukewarm water if needed). Add the cacao powder and the sea salt (and the nuts butter if using), blend again. Add the nuts, pulse until you achieve the desired texture.
Add the goji berries if using, mix by hand.
To form the balls wet your hands and roll some of the mixture to achieve balls which are about 2 cm wide. Roll the balls in your desired coating if you wish.
Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container lined with parchment paper.
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Banana Ice Cream
Chop and freeze a banana or two (about 3 hours minimum)
Blend together with 3 tbsps of yogurt or plant based yogurt or milk. Add more yogurt gradually until desired consistency is reached. Take care not to blend too much as ice cream will begin melting.
Serve immediately or freeze, sprinkle with green tea powder, chopped nuts, chopped bittersweet chocolate etc.
Alternatively you can add some chopped frozen mango to the bananas.
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Healthy Hazelnut and Cacao Paste
1 cup hazelnuts
2 tbs coconut oil, melted
8-10 tbs cacao powder, preferably raw
5-6 tbs date syrup (agave syrup is also an option)
3 drops liquid stevia (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of coarse sea salt
10-12 tbs (or 180 ml) sugarless plant based milk
Process nuts into a butter in a food processor. Stir the cacao, vanilla and date syrup into the melted oil, adding this mixture to the nut butter. When this is incorporated, slowly add the almond milk to achieve desired consistency.
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Traditional Chinese menstruation nutrition
Make one or both of these recipes, and begin consuming 2-3 days before your flow begins. Continue consuming throughout the days of the flow.
Sweet Soup
2-3 handfuls of red dates (jujube), rinse and remove pip
2 handfuls of walnuts
A handful of goji berries
Optional: 2 tbsp of a sweetener of choice (not white sugar).
Boil all ingredients in water, turn down the fire and simmer for 20 minutes.
Preferably consume warm.
Sweet Rice Congee
1.5 litres of water
1 cup white or preferably black rice
1/2 cup dried longan fruit
10 red dates (jujube), rinse and remove pip
2 cm ginger piece, peeled and thinly sliced
Optional - sweeten to taste (not with white refined sugar).
Bring everything except the ginger to a boil in a pan and then simmer for 2 hours, until the congee has the consistency of a soup. Ladle into a bowl and sprinkle with the ginger slices
During your flow avoid cold drinks, cold and raw foods and keep your feet warm in all seasons.