Tao Nutrition

He who does not know food, how can he understand the diseases of man?

Hippocrates, the father of Medicine (460-357 B.C)

We are all victims of the incessant diet trends, superfoods , dos and don’t s of what food

to eat., that most people seems bombarded with information that not able to understand

and much less to be applied to each one needs.

As a rule of thumb a whole food and plant-based diet it is most recommended to

prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, HBP, cardiovascular disease,

autoimmune, arthritis.

Said that, I am not promoting to be a vegetarian for the rest of your lives. Nonetheless

to say that animal protein will cause adverse effects to your optimal health.

I promote to eat all animal protein sources and organic grass fed. This is statement

does not refer to those with predisposition for a degenerative disease.

Eat a whole foods, plant-based diet, while minimizing the consumption of refined foods,

added salt and added fats.

I encounter in my practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine a general confusion in what

to eat and in many cases people are following diets that are not suitable for their

constitution. For this reason I have dedicated a section of the intake to fill out all foods that are ingested in one day, for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as added snacks.

I have been involv in the last 12 years to recollect data about the importance of the intake

of nutritional dietary habits.

It is often assumed that the food to ingest for breakfast is as follow;

Fruit used, mostly orange juice

Fresh or baked fruit.

Cereals, oats wit milk from animal source

Toast with olive oil, marmalade, cold meats, turkey, ham.

Coffee or herbal tea

The above ingredients lack of nutritional value.

Secondly there is an amount of sugars and refined carbs as well as preservatives

hidden in the bread which encourage difficulty in absorption in the small intestine as well

as intolerances and accumulation of unwanted and fermented residual foods in a long

term.

Most of my patients believe that the diet they eat is healthy because the information

delivered by marketing advertising diet trends are dedicated to confused the consumer

and so they end up following the newest one.

Healthy is an incomplete and misguided definition when it refers to diet because it does

not complied with the diverse needs for each individual based on the factors just about

to mention below.

These are the factors that when advised is given to a patient, has to be taken into

account:

• CONSTITUTION

• GENDER

• AGE

• PRE-EXISTING CONDITION

• SEASONAL CONDITIONS, LATITUD.

• INTOLERANCES AND/OR ALLERGIES ( how to overcome according to TCM)

I observe that the most concise nutritional study, ever done in the western history known

as the China Study, confirms that a whole foods plant-based diet surpasses any other

nutritional tendency across the globe.

It is proven in numerous studies done over the years across the world with thousands of

participants that a whole foods plant-based diet not only grants us with a high quality

and long independent life.

But more mind-blowing is the fact that chronic disease can be reserved. But better off

can be prevented in the first place. Those include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes,

inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, autoimmune disorders, degenerative diseases

such as dementia and Alzheimer.

The journey that you are about to take on the dedication to cook the foods you eat from

scratch and if you are not complying to do so. The conversation can end in here.

Because this is a two way road in which my role is to educate you based on Traditional

Chinese Medicine, on how to conduct this journey.

I also need to exposed that it is not an easy journey to fulfill and that ups and downs

are bound to happen.

Said that, the information given is exclusively for you and it is not appropriate that

anybody else apply the same tendencies because you feel good about it, or you are

losing weight, etc.

This system only works on 1on1 basis. Often we like to take short cuts when it comes to

food because we don’t like to employ time to elaborate dishes from scratch. In these

damn modern days seem to be a waste of time to cook. Yet we employed our spare

times in social media navigating through a pseudo reality which serve no real purpose

to nurture ourselves ranging from our physical bodies to our most spiritual existence. It

is a virtual reality that lacks on essential needs as human being. But of course we will

always find lost souls that are captured by the cheapest and opportunist which is ready

to resolve you destiny at a finger flick.

I am asking to make bow with yourself-your body is your vehicle and to keep it at is best

potential is fundamental to thrive in life with dignity, clarity of thought and self responsibility.

We heard of superfoods which I am a great advocate of taking them as supplements

rather than a replacement to main meals.

Lets start with the quantity of food to be eaten in the main meal of the day

We all heard the say eat breakfast like a king lunch like an ambassador and dinner like

a beggar. Most of the population have adopted the contrary due to the life style we are

engaging nowadays.

Here is the fact, study related to obesity taken place in the United States. Two groups

same food was ingested just reversed the quantity of calories. Group one started with

the largest amount breakfast lunch dinner. Group 2 largest amount was dinner

decreased to lunch and breakfast. The outcome was that group one lost 30% of weight.

Just to show that only changing the amount ingested at the appropriate time of the day can guarantee the desired results. Let alone the amount of energy acquired because of the increase of quality of sleep and a better tune up in the metabolism.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine , the metabolism of each organ pertains to certain times

in the day each of the twelve organ or systems has a two hour period which their

physiology is at its best.

Let’s begin to comprehend why is best to eat in the morning time.

During the early morning times. 5-7am pertains to the large intestine. 7-9 am stomach

and 9-11 am spleen.

Best in the early morning is to start hydrating the system particularly the large intestine,

which hydrating in the epithelial cells is highly recommended to aid the peristaltic

movement and so cleanse the body from unwanted material ready to excrete.

By hydration we mean the intake of solely water. This is most recommended liquid

substance to take in because at this particular time, which as I mentioned above is the

large intestine 2 hr cycle.

What happens if lemon, lime or any fruit is added? the digestive enzymes will kick in and

this would defeat what our task is right now.

And if you are wondering the fact that adding those fruits in the water will alkalized your

blood promoting a cleansing effect, that is contrary to what the system (large intestine) needs at this particular time.

Let’s add the fruit and/or veggie later on once the body has cleanse itself and have

completed his first role of the day.

As you know by now there might some individuals which would benefit of it.

I am consider to be the wood element. From the five element theory and throughout the years I am learning to harmonize the attributes that go with it and so become wood that characterized flexibility. With that I would like to say that in my practice I do find those individuals who have a tendency for higher levels of acidity that would benefit of few drops of lime or lemon mixed with the water.

This is one of the reasons that as a doctor of Chinese Medicine, I have not been

granted with the free pass to advice about one way of treating the body in spite of the

benefits that might cause in the majority of patients.

And that is why TCM was not developed to be treated a group of people but rather on 1-

1 basis. The result is an elegant system that works because it treats the individual,

rather than the masses.

Neither its approach demonstrated a trend of dietary habits that has changed in

thousands of years. As in TCM, Tao Nutrition being part of the main pillars of Chinese

Medicine is developed from the stand point of maintaining, preserving and preventing

disease.

So as we started the lecture this statement confirms the old say from the father of

Medicine

Hippocrates ‘let food be thy medicine”

Perhaps is the highest form of Medicine as one of my professors stated from the

classics.

and my next question is how far down the rabbit hole are you prepared to go?

WHAT IS MY ROLE?

All consultations can be done online or in person, for those living in south Florida and

are willing to travel to my office. First consultation will take two hours and be paid in

advance via bank transfer. (This policy applies for all instances whether is treated online

or in person. It is required to pay 50% of the fee prior to consultation and a non-

refundable fee is applied. There is a cancellation waiver of 48 hrs prior to the time of the interview.

• Medical intake form to be filled in before consultation takes place.

• To understand that this program is a lifetime commitment.

• To educate on the dietary habits tailored to your needs that you are about to endeavor.

• To guide you step by step through a diverse variety of dishes which will be suited foryou at a weekly basis.

• To encourage other activities complementary to this lifestyle.

• Outdoor sport is highly recommended to favor the production of the so called happy hormones: endorphins….

• To assist you with acupuncture and other Chinese herbal formulations.

• To guide you to buy best quality products which guarantees organic, non-GMO production.

• To get ready and fully equipped with kitchen utensils, necessary to prepare a diversity of dishes that you are about to find out.

One of the key elements to success in the most gratifying endeavor on your health

investment, is the time commitment which takes perseverance, dedication, education

and the professional guidance to achieve the best results.

INITIAL CONSULTATION

Intake form to be filled out prior to appointment date. This will facilitate me a brief

knowledge of the patient’s present state.

A brief summary of the information acquired in the intake form, will be disclosed by the

practitioner to the patient. A follow up questionnaire based on the signs and symptoms

gathered by the practitioner will be extended to design the most suitable diet to the

patient for the next week.

In case there is a preexisting condition, the first step is to regulate the symptoms within

a period of one to three months. For those residing in South florida and willing to travel

to my practice. They can take the advantage of receiving acupuncture, herbal medicine,

vitamin and homeopathic injections as well as nutritional supplements For those who

the appointments are set online, only herbal medicine as well as nutritional supplements

will be available. Meanwhile, a development of the nutritional guidelines will be

designed on a daily basis.

In case of non pre-existing condition the nutritional program will take different course.

The guidelines will be solely the nutritional diet program with the availability of an

appropriate directory of simple and nutritious recipes tailored to the constitution of the

individual. These recipes are not to be taken at any time during the year because Tao

nutrition plays a fundamental role in the foods that are eaten depending on the seasons.

So these means that a recipe to design in the summer at this particular time of the year

might not be necessarily suitable for the next year even though the season coincides.

Because we treat the food as medicine and so the recipes can be altered depending on

the clients progression.

Time is a factor that the patient has to commit to if they want to succeed. They are

about to take on to a Life-style where food preparation takes time and also takes a

relaxed attitude where the intention and attention is fully dedicated to the more act of

cooking. It can be called- the state of flow. Said that, it is not my intention for you to

dedicate your day solely to shop, cook and eat. I am aware that you might not enjoy

such spared time.

A method that I have practiced for years is to plan my three meals per day, in a four day

interval. This exercise allows me to shop faster and more efficiently since I have a

shopping list ahead of time where I know what to buy. It also provides me with a record

of the foods that I am ingesting. As a result I avoid opting to eat the same veggies,

fruits, etc. There is something to be said about overloading our system, depriving it of

the best posible nutritious food choices, enjoying the diversity that nature provides us.

I owe to say about the fact of the incessant bulleting of misguided and opportunistic

information delivered in the Western world, particularly in the most affluent countries.

There is not scientific evidence on the reductionist approach, i.e. South Beach diet,

Paleo, ketogenic, Raw, fruitarians,…..Tao Nutrition is a wholistic and integral form of diet

in which the individual is exposed to gain the most beneficial properties of the food and

so food is used for the benefit of preventing, maintaining and preserving optimal and a

vibrant sense of well-being.

The exquisite way of designing what foods to eat for each individual is determined by a

primary health practitioner with a Masters degree in Acupuncture Oriental Medicine and

a Bachelors degree in Health Science, rather than an unqualified, opportunistic and

reductionist. As an Oriental Medicine practitioner, I have been witnessing unsustainable

dietary tendencies from thousand of patients over the years has driven me to design a

world-wide Tao nutritional diet program available in two languages, Spanish and

English. As a health practitioner, I have experienced the positive outcome, reversed pre

existing-conditions, chronic diseases when patients follow dietary guidelines, from the

stand point of Tao Nutrition.

---

Monika Uriarte-Arri is an experienced health practitioner serving the Miami community. She helps her clients to achieve thriving wellness trough acupuncture, movement therapy, natural remedies, and nutritional coaching.

Her specialties include fertility and woman's health, digestive wellness, stress and pain management, and mai-zen (cosmetic acupuncture). She works in partnership with Clinic Libessart, Coral Gables, and accepts all major insurances. Click here to schedule your session with Monika.