Free Naturopathic and TCM resources
Start Here: How to Use Traditional Chinese Medicine Nutrition on This Site
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approaches food differently than modern nutrition trends.
Instead of focusing only on calories, macros, or “superfoods,” TCM looks at how food interacts with your body’s patterns, digestion, and environment.
This page explains how to use the information on this site in a practical, grounded way.
What This Site Is About
This website provides educational content based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and naturopathic nutrition principles, including:
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Food energetics (warming, cooling, neutral)
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Digestive patterns such as Spleen Qi deficiency
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Yin and Yang balance
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Seasonal eating
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Common imbalance patterns like Dampness or Liver Qi stagnation
The goal is understanding, not diagnosis.
What This Site Is Not
To be clear:
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This site does not provide medical advice
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It does not diagnose or treat conditions
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It does not replace healthcare professionals
TCM dietary theory is used here as an educational framework, not a medical prescription.
How to Read TCM Nutrition Content Correctly
One of the most common misunderstandings about TCM food advice is treating it like a rigid rulebook.
Instead of asking:
“Is this food good or bad?”
TCM asks:
“In this context, for this person, at this time — how does this food behave?”
That’s why the same food may:
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Help one person
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Worsen symptoms for another
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Feel supportive in one season and draining in another
A Simple Way to Use This Site
If you’re new, start here:
1.) Learn the Basics
These pages explain foundational concepts:
Understanding these makes everything else clearer.
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2.) Explore Common Patterns
Many symptoms relate to recognizable TCM patterns:
You don’t need to identify with everything — patterns often overlap.
3.) Look at Meals, Not Just Foods
TCM works at the meal level, not ingredient isolation.
Pages like:
show how foods work together in real life.
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Why One-Size-Fits-All Diets Often Fail
Many people eat “healthy” and still feel:
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Tired
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Bloated
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Cold
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Overstimulated
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Hormonal symptoms
From a TCM perspective, this often happens because:
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Digestion is overcooled
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Meals are mismatched to constitution
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Seasonal needs are ignored
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Foods are correct individually but imbalanced together
This is why personalization matters.
Where NaturaBalance Fits In (Optional Tool)
Some readers prefer to apply these principles manually.
Others find it helpful to use a structured educational tool.
NaturaBalance is a web-based application designed to:
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Help users explore TCM food energetics
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Analyze meals through a TCM lens
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Learn how seasons and constitution influence food choices
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Encourage observation rather than restriction
It is an educational aid, not a medical service.
You can explore it if structure helps you learn.
A Final Note
TCM nutrition is not about perfection.
It’s about:
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Awareness
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Adjustment
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Context
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Gentle consistency
If you’re new, start small:
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Warm one meal a day
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Notice how food makes you feel
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Observe patterns over time
That’s where real understanding begins.