Click here to listen to part one of our interview with Andrew Sterman

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below—how has this conversation shifted your perspective on simplifying food?

In the second part of our interview with Andrew Sterman, we delve deeper into how to cultivate health through Classical Chinese Dietary Therapy. 

Everything we consume is not necessarily absorbed or digested by our body so regardless of how healthy we’re eating, if our digestive system or overall health is suffering, we may never reap the nutritional value offered by the healthy food we consume.

Cold food and drinks, for example, can inhibit the Stomach’s ability to digest properly according to Chinese Medicine and is said to insult the Lungs and Stomach.
A simple switch to warm and appropriately cooked food can lead to better digestive health and improved energy levels.

Andrew believes providing tools along with sharing his teachings are the best way to guide people to make healthier choices. In the two volume series of his books Welcoming Food, Andrew Sterman provides a foundation on nutrition—which is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of health. Andrew Sterman hopes one’s intuition will eventually guide them towards healthier and more nutritious food. 

Diet as Medicine and Simplifying Food

Diet is medicine. We’ve all heard this before but what does that really entail?

Andrew Sterman suggests we look at the larger picture that often reveals a pattern of habits that accumulate with the potential to affect our health. With diet, we understand one slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream is not damaging unless you’re suffering from a health condition such as diabetes or otherwise.

When food is consumed often enough, it can potentially become medicinal and influence our health—for better or worse. This is what we need to keep in mind. If we want to support healing, we have to address and identify patterns and habits in our diet that can have a negative impact on our wellbeing. 

While food shortage and inequity in the access of food are prevalent around the world and should be rightfully acknowledged, affluent countries on the other hand have turned food into an entertainment industry with extravagant flavors and nuances emerging everyday to keep up with the demand. Andrew Sterman emphasizes that this is not necessary and simplification should be favored over overshadowing unnatural and indigestible food. When the ingredients are good, you would be surprised to learn how dramatically flavors are enhanced. 

We have to eat meals that we can personally digest or what Andrew Sterman calls clear meals. Meals should be prepared in a way that acknowledges the changes we experience in our lives and the diversity that exists in our digestive health. What may feel like a good meal to one individual may not feel like a good meal to another. 

Generally, Andrew Sterman recommends reconsidering how we think about food. For those who are healthy, for instance, switching fructose based sweets to maltose is a much healthier option for the liver. It soothes digestion and is traditionally used in Chinese Medicine.

Andrew Sterman asks that you also reconsider recipes, especially baking recipes that often call for two or more cups of sugar. Instead of completely eliminating foods that  you enjoy, look at ways to cut down the sugar and substitute it with healthier and delicious alternatives that balance your meal rather well. For instance, instead of using the two  cups of granulated sugar listed in the recipe, use one cup of barley malt and honey that expands the taste dimensions of the food and also nourishes your body. 

Sterman shares a wealth of knowledge in the two volumes of Welcoming Food, where he explains the energetics of food and also shares delicious and wholesome recipes.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below—how has this conversation shifted your perspective on simplifying food?

References:

Andrew Sterman’s website: https://www.andrewsterman.com/

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