The Great TAO

The Tao is actually three words, the "Tao Te Ching." And the Tao in ancient Chinese means "great way," "te" means living the great way, and "ching" means book. So, it's the book of living the Great Way, or how to live the Great Way.

Some people have called it the wisest book ever written, sort of a blueprint for living a moral life based upon the principles of the highest levels of consciousness that we know today. It was written somewhere between 2,500 and 2,700 years ago, by a man named Lao Tzu who was a contemporary of Confucius but was very much opposed to governments and laws and rules, and fighting and killing, and really believed the way to guide your life is by staying in harmony with nature. That all the answers come from nature.

There is nothing better than moderation
for teaching people or serving Heaven.
Those who use moderation
are already on the path to the Tao.

Those who follow the Tao early
will have an abundance of virtue.
When there is an abundance of virtue,
there is nothing that can not be done.
Where there is limitless ability,
then the kingdom is withing your grasp.
When you know the Mother of the kingdom,
then you will be long enduring.

This is spoken of as the deep root and the firm trunk,
the Way to a long life and great spiritual vision.
The ancient Masters
who understood the way of the Tao,
did not educate people, but made them forget.

Smart people are difficult to guide,
because they think they are too clever.
To use cleverness to rule a country,
is to lead the country to ruin.
To avoid cleverness in ruling a country,
is to lead the country to prosperity.

Knowing the two alternatives is a pattern.
Remaining aware of the pattern is a virtue.
This dark and mysterious virtue is profound.
It is opposite our natural inclination,
but leads to harmony with the heavens.

The food we eat is considered extremely important to physical, mental and spiritual health in Taoism, and a change in diet is often prescribed alongside or even instead of other treatments. The simple fact is that our bodies are not designed to deal with E102, monosodium glutamate or any other artificial additives. With the 'advances' in science our food today is coated and infused with chemicals. We have too much alcohol, acid and fat, and naturally our health suffers. As one system is upset it affects other processes in the body and the entire balance can be thrown. Persistent abuse can lead to a build up in toxins and a gradually reduced immune system, bad digestion, headaches, back pain, spots and other more serious problems. As diet is considered one of the major elements of health Chinese doctors will often use the yin/yang and 5 elements theories to recommend diet changes if the patient's intake is unbalanced.

The cliche 'you are what you eat' sums up this approach perfectly. The body is constantly repairing and renewing itself - in fact, in 10 years time you will retain not a single cell of your current body, they will all have been replaced. This applies to your skin, organs, brain, bones and every part of the body. It doesn't take much intelligence to realize that the fuel for this process, and the very building blocks of the physical body come from our food, so we really are what we eat.

Taoist Dietary Advice

The Chang Ming Taoist diet is based on simple rules, one of the most important being 'eat only food' - this means avoiding unnatural foods that the body cannot process (artificial additives, drugs etc.) and heavily processed foods that contain little or no nutritional value (white flour, sugar etc.) These are not things that the body is designed to consume, so are not really 'foods' fit for human consumption.

Additionally it recommends avoiding food which is hard to digest (e.g. dairy products and red meat) and anything acidic which upsets the delicate balance of the stomach (e.g. citrus fruits). The final recommendation is to eat the food nature intended us to eat by opting for locally grown season produce whenever possible. It also follows that organic is best, as organically grown food contains no artificial chemicals and causes less harm to the environment.

These simple guidelines dispense with the need to count calories or fat levels, or to worry about deficiencies. By eating a varied diet with lots of whole grains, seeds, nuts and seasonal fruit and vegetables you get everything you need for a healthy body and mind. After all, we are a part of the natural world, and have evolved to eat the foods that grow around us. Everything we need is readily available to us without the need to rely on man-made additives and chemicals.

Note that these recommendations should not be followed in conjunction with other types of diet, and anyone with a serious health problem should always consult their a doctor before undergoing a change of diet.

More information of Diet:

Success using The Master Cleanse
Acid Alkaline Diet Simplified
Are raw fruits and vegetables essential for your health?

Basic guidelines:

Increase intake of the following:
* Whole grains and products made with them.
* Vegetables, ideally organic and seasonal.
* Fruit, but not tropical. Dried fruit is very good.
* Seeds and nuts.
* Tofu and soya.
* Herbs
* Herbal and china tea

Decrease intake of the following:

* Red meat (hard to digest)
* Refined products such as white sugar, flour and bread.
* Tropical fruits (very acidic)
* Artificial additives of all kinds - 'eat only food'.
* Dairy products and cheese.
* Drugs - including caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
* Cold drinks and foods.
* Strong spices and chilli
* Deep fried food
* Sugar