TIAN ZI

SEEDS of HEAVEN

... and beyond

When recovering from chronic illness

it is important that daily food is supporting the process of recovery. There is food and drinks to avoid and particular food and drinks to seek out. Here, we give a few recommendations based on food as it is available in Asia and nowadays world wide. Please bear in mind that the food must be free of contamination from either agricultural pesticides or environmental fall out. And: take your time to eat slowly and conscious about what exactly you are taking into your body and what it is good for.

1
Create the daily basis

Basis food is providing your body with energy and enough nutrients to recuperate. The main ingredients are beans, lentils, cereals, grains, seeds, dried fruits, and nuts. Seasoning should be done with Miso, cold pressed oil, and sea salt.


A typical basis for daily food. Its main ingredients are:
Brown rice, beans, pumpkin seeds, corn, raisins, roasted sesame seeds, cold pressed walnut oil, sea salt, and miso sauce. Many variations are possible to add diversity to the daily diet.


If you need a more nutritious diet replace the rice with lentils or beans and keep the rest of the ingredients as described above; allow yourself to be creative with the varieties of seeds and nuts you wish to add. Good seeds and nuts are from sunflower, green pumpkin, white sesame, almonds, and walnuts. The picture shows a special "baby lentil", which is particularly tasty and nutritious for building up strength during recovery periods.


Buckwheat, particularly the bitter buckwheat, makes an excellent basis for patients suffering from diabetes or gluten allergy. It requires no oil for cooking and can make a quick meal with either miso or honey. If you are in a hurry or with little cooking facilities on a camp, just fill your back bag with buckwheat pancakes.

2
Add greens

Fresh green vegetable add chlorophyll and vitamins to your diet. Make sure they are not overcooked; best is to eat them as a salad. Season with sea salt and cold pressed oil. Best choices for cold pressed oils are walnut, green pumpkin seeds, white sesame seeds, golden flax seeds.

3
Add herbs and roots

The recovery from chronic illnesses can be substantially supported by adding specific herbs to the daily diet. A root well known for its ability to assist the immune system is burdock (Arctium lappa).


Wild burdock root freshly harvested from the mountains of Yunnan and ...


...prepared nicely: it is cooked shortly and served with pumpkin and an orchid flower for decoration.

4
Add deserts

Deserts offer a healthy way of adding vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to your diet. If you are on a diet that is building up your strength, make fruit cocktails and add honey. Otherwise avoid any type of sugar or sweeteners.


A particularly healthy fruit is persimmon as it has a balanced composition of minerals. Avoid adding too much of the tropical fruits as many of them are a bit heavy on potassium.


A desert if you are still hungry: bitter buckwheat pancakes with honey and preserves.

5
What to drink?

While eating do not drink because fluids dilute your digestive enzymes. Avoid all soft drinks and check other beverages for their contents in sugar and additives. Many people benefit during times of recovery and also generally from herbal teas, which address specific health issues. Take these tees between the meals or for refreshing you during work. Good examples of health teas are the traditional Puer Teas (not the fast fermented black teas) and Jiaogulan, a herb that is widely used in Asia for its many fold health properties.

6
How to eat

Eating and drinking are an art. They can develop to perfection in everybody for her/his own style, cultural background, taste, and availability of food. It remains important to take food serious as in the saying: "we are what we eat". Food connects us to the living world and makes us part of higher concepts if we are open minded enough to allow spiritual or philosophical concepts influence our day. If all this is "too much for your taste", just do yourself only one favor: eat slowly - and find a place you love for doing this important thing: eating.


Feng shui gardens offer places of tranquility and connectedness. There, food becomes part of a holistic concept.

7
What not to eat

Avoid by all means:
white sugar (also those hiding in snacks, crackers, chocolate etc.)
anything with saturated fatty acids (e.g. anything deep fried)
refined oils (as they contain no omega un-saturated fatty acids)
peanuts
MSG
meat high in the food chain (e.g. pork)
cow milk and any milk products (chocolate, cheese, joghurt)
white flour
any product from pesticide-contaminated sites and from places with environmental pollutants.


Start revovering your health today