What do they eat then?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/6/00 8:28:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

karinbischof writes:

 

<<

What do people eat then??? Can they be helped by herbs in a long term if

they cannot cook food for themselves? Food is, apart from the polluted air

most of us breathe, our source of energy. Now I am shocked. So many people

cannot cook any more? Then learning how to cook would be the first step to

health, not going to the doctor. >>

 

 

Karin, I agree. When my patients say they cannot cook herbs because they are

not at home for 1/2 hour at a time, and they spend no time in their kitchen,

it makes me very worried. Then I tell them to start the herbs cooking just

before they take a shower and by the time they are ready to leave the house,

the herbs will be cooked. They can do the second cooking later on in the day

if they have to. With these instructions, it is hard for them to say they

can't do it. Ultimately, they come up against their inner resistance to

participate in their health. Then, they might as well just forego Chinese

medicine and go for the drugs.

 

Julie

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/7/00 4:01:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

writes:

 

<< I mean I actually know how to cook and even

have done so professionally when I owned a gourmet vegetarian

restaurant. I actually specialized in soups, ironically. But I find

cooking for myself to be the utmost drudgery. Maybe I should just

take

western drugs and stop fooling myself, huh?

>>

Now, now -- I never meant to imply that people who go out of their way to

find healthy take out food cannot benefit from Chinese medicine. I applaud

those who have found such healthy alternatives. I do feel that people who put

up enormous resistance to cooking herbal tea on the basis that they " are not

home " or " are too busy " are people who are not truly commited to improving

their health -- especially when they are coming to me and paying me money

because they are suffering from a health problem. But if they really can't do

it, I give them Lotus granules instead. It's OK.

 

But, to explore my motivations here, maybe I AM biased towards domestic life.

I do have children and animals. I do not live alone. I like to cook. My

family likes my cooking. (I also like to iron; and I have a great recipe for

lavender iron water, if anyone cares!) These things give me pleasure because

they are an antidote to the stressful demands of the outside world. Balance

is the key. Someone who has no home life, I feel, is missing out on the part

of life where you create a sanctuary away from the outside world and you

nurture yourself and others.

 

Are you still shocked?

 

Julie

[Guest guest]

, juliej8@a... wrote:

> In a message dated 10/6/00 8:28:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

> karinbischof@g... writes:

>

Now I am shocked. So many people

> cannot cook any more? Then learning how to cook would be the first

step to

> health, not going to the doctor. >>

>

>

Ultimately, they come up against their inner resistance to

> participate in their health. Then, they might as well just forego

Chinese

> medicine and go for the drugs.

 

Now I am the one who gets to be shocked. Please say you don't mean

this. I feel an ethical obligation to help my patients even if they

are not scrupulous about food. I think there are lot of shades of

gray

when it comes to improving one's diet. It is not black and white.

Merely cooking at home does not guarantee good quality food. I would

rather eat fresh food from a trusted local eatery than leftovers from

my fridge any day of the week, for example. For example, if one

switches from taco bell or greasy spoon taco stands to a fresh grill

mexican place, you can easily eat a vegetarian, preservative free,

lard

free, MSG free meal that is high in fiber, fresh veggies, low in fat

and sugar and with no hydrogenated fat or lard. That type of change

is

actually far more dramatic than the next step which would be to cook

such a meal at home. On the other hand, I know plenty of healthfood

folks who cook at home, but still use margarine, eat very few fresh

veggies and often depend on devitalized leftovers several nights a

week

(such as soup or stew made several days before). With care, one can

also eat healthy pasta, pizza, indian, greek, and asian food out, as

well as soup and salad and fish (at least I have been able to do this

in San Diego and in Portland).

 

Personally, I am single and live alone and it is difficult to

purchase

and prepare small enough meals to make them economically feasible

much

of the time. Like I said, I don't care for leftovers (and I do not

think they have much qi). Sure, it is not easy to find good food and

you end up eating at the same place over and over again once you find

something up to your standards, but it works better for me than

cooking

all the time. At home, I tend to eat fresh baked bread, fruit, nuts,

almond milk, pasta with veggie sauces and thats about it. To be

honest, I think the elimination of hydrogenated fat and excess

sweets,

moderation with animal products and the consumption of abundant

veggies, however this is accomplished, are the keys to good

nutrition.

Home cooking is icing on the cake, not the cake itself (no pun

intended). Many people don't know how to cook or don't enjoy it

(which

may hard to grasp for those who do). To suggest that eating their

own

poorly prepared, overspiced or tasteless meals is essential to good

health is shortsighted. I mean I actually know how to cook and even

have done so professionally when I owned a gourmet vegetarian

restaurant. I actually specialized in soups, ironically. But I find

cooking for myself to be the utmost drudgery. Maybe I should just

take

western drugs and stop fooling myself, huh?

 

todd