Eating For Your Body Type: Dry Type

Food fads will come and go, and some people will swear by one diet which does absolutely nothing for the next person. Seems pretty apparent that not everyone is going to have the exact same nutritional needs. While one person will thrive on a strict vegetarian diet, the next will feel that they're missing something. Certain body types require different diets to feel healthy. In my next few blogs I'll be pointing out some of the common body types according to Chinese Medicine and giving some dietary advice for each. Look out for yours!

Dry Body Type

Characteristics of people with dry body types include dry skin, may be prone to rashes, have internal heat symptoms such as hot flashes or just run hotter than others, women who have lowered estrogen levels, thirst, dehydration, hyperactive thyroid, may be prone to insomnia or anxiety. Get the picture? This person is just kinda hot and dry. If this sounds like you, you can benefit from incorporating certain foods into your diet which are cooling and create internal moisture, bringing you back to a more balanced state.

To build internal moisture for a dry body type, a good suggestion would be to make your diet 40% fruits and vegetables, 40% complex carbohydrates, 10% legumes and vegetable protein and 10% animal protein.  Consuming foods that are considered "moistening" will nourish and hydrate your body.

Moistening Foods

  • Spinach

  • Chard

  • Asparagus

  • Lettuces

  • Cucumber

  • Blueberry

  • Radish

  • Beets

  • Legumes

  • Sweet Potato

  • Watermelon

  • Pear

  • Sardine

  • Oyster

  • Cheese (in small amounts)

  • Eggs

  • Pork

  • Coconut Milk

  • Sesame Seed

  • Honey

  • Pineapple

  • Tomato

  • Crab

  • Clam

Drinking plenty of water, herbal, and green tea will also help support your health by creating internal moisture. Avoid foods that will dehydrate, deplete, or overstimulate the system such as coffee, sugar, alcohol, and fatty, spicy, or overly dairy laden rich foods.

Super Easy Moistening Side Dish

Here's a quick and healthy one for ya! Heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Add a couple cloves of chopped garlic and stir for about 15 seconds. Add asparagus which has been cut or trimmed the way you like it and saute until crisp-tender. Season with a little salt and pepper and sprinkle with white sesame seeds at the end. You can eat this one hot or cold, it's good either way!

This is just a quick reference for you to take a look at. Often our patterns of disharmony are a little more complicated, but an acupuncturist will be able to help. Live in Austin? Book an acupuncture appointment and you'll receive more detailed nutritional and lifestyle advice to help you attain your health goals!

 

 

NutritionSarah JohnsonAcupuncture, Eastern Medicine, WellnessComment