Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes the body builds, maintains, protects and repairs healthy tissue throughout life; the balance between these functions changes as we age. Pursuing the goal of life-long wellness requires us to adjust and match our nutritional intake according to our age group. Every food possesses unique properties with specific nutritional value. Some foods are blood builders, others are brain foods, and yet others are muscle foods while the rest may be energy foods. It is in our best interest to have a wide selection and keep rotating our choices for the sake of variety.

To stay healthy, you should eat according to your age and physical needs. A diet that does not provide adequate nutrition to support the physical demands made on it, or is in excess of what the body needs, is harmful and could lead to serious health problems. Eating three meals a day at fixed times, in moderation, and with lots of variety is recommended.

Nutritional Needs Change Throughout Life

Childhood

TCM is concerned about children's diet since their body constitution tends to have the following characteristics:

◆The spleen and stomach always under-function which makes them vulnerable to digestive problems such as vomiting, diarrhea and parasitic disease.

◆A child's body is purely yang. Children have a tender and delicate yin-yang balance because their bodies are not yet fully developed. During this time of rapid growth and development, yang qi dominates creating a state of relative yin deficiency. This relative yin deficiency means children can suffer more easily from vomiting or diarrhea leading to loss of body fluids.

A well-known Chinese idiom says, If you want your children safe and well, don't let them let them eat too much or be overly warm. TCM holds this as the basic principle for small children's diets. Training in cold resistance (having children better able to tolerate cold temperatures) enhances circulation of the blood and qi (vital energy) and makes the skin and subcutaneous tissues more firm and smooth. The stomach and intestines should not be overly occupied, otherwise undigested food easily turns into evils such as heat evils, phlegm or static fluid, which causes related digestive problems. Proper diet can prevent the onset of disease in addition to promoting growth and development, and is therefore vital during childhood.

A golden rule of the thumb is that all food should be easily digested; fish, lean meats, soups, dairy products, eggs and vegetables are all suitable. The body is developing healthy bones and muscles and requires a diet rich in protein and calcium. Children are highly active and should eat regularly to maintain high energy levels. In contrast, over-consumption of sweet, fried and greasy foods is not advised since these can't be digested properly; instead, TCM believes these foods cause evils such as fire and production of phlegm. Coffee, tea, spicy food and liquors are prohibited.

Adolescence

Adolescence continues to be a period of active growth and rapid development, especially of the sex organs. According to TCM, during puberty, the kidneys create a substance for promoting sex function, which is called tian-gui from the abundance of stored kidney essence. As a result, a male will produce sperm and a female will begin menstruation signaling that the sex organs are mature and capable of reproduction. As the adolescent's body mass increases and the organs mature, the demand for nutrients changes accordingly.

Adolescents should increase their daily intake, especially of fish and meat; these foods tonify the kidneys and replenish the marrow, and help to speed up development. In other words, adolescents require a good quantity and well-balanced diet with lots of calories and nutrients as they develop. Fresh germinating vegetables such as broad bean sprouts, bean sprouts or bamboo shoot are recommended. Spicy or sour foods, and concentrated tea or coffee are not encouraged. These make the internal balance fluctuate which, for example, leads to emotional disturbances.

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