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Ch'ang Ming

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Ch'ang Ming (長命 Pinyin: Chángmìng) is a series of dietary and health recommendations based on the theory and practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Ch'ang Ming or long life diet was first introduced to the West by Chan Kam Lee (李陈金 Pinyin: Lǐ chén jīn) who was a Taoist teacher and Chinese herbal medicine practitioner who came to London in 1930 from Weihaiwei in Shandong Province, China. He took the Taoist principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and adapted them to Western foods and eating habits. Ch'ang Ming gained popularity in the West when Chee Soo, who was a student of Chan Kam Lee from 1934, published his book The Tao of Long Life[1] in 1979 which was an international best seller for Aquarian Press an imprint of Harpercollins and was translated into French[2] (distributed in Canada, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal and Eastern Europe), Italian,[3] Spanish[4] and Indonesian.[5] This book also contains information about Taoist philosophy, the nutritional values of various foods' vitamin and mineral content, a list of useful herbs, and information about Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis such as observation methods and pulse taking. Chee Soo ran a herbal clinic in London in the 1970s and used the Ch'ang Ming approach to help people with various illnesses. When he came to Coventry in 1982 he taught Ch'ang Ming as part of a program of Health and Massage courses including weekly evening classes, weekend courses, and a week long summer course every year. He also published several books which include details of the Ch'ang Ming diet which was recommended to be used in conjunction with other methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine such as Anmo or Taoist massage, Tao Yin breathing exercises, K'ai Men Qigong, herbal therapy and contact thermogenesis or heat treatment (including moxibustion).[6][7]

Basic principles

The basic principles of Ch'ang Ming are to eat natural, organic wholefoods which have not been grown using artificial fertilizers or pesticides and which do not contain chemical additives, and which are locally grown and in season. Highly refined and processed foods are to be avoided and food should be cooked as little as possible to retain all the vital nutrients.

"The colourings, flavourings, additives, preservatives, artificial fruit acids and so on that are contained in the packaged and canned foods on sale in supermarkets and shops greatly add to the amount of chemicals regularly consumed, plus the drugs taken for illnesses, by the average Westerner. Added to all this, a great many things that are eaten contain residues of pesticides, detergents, and so forth. The strain of the human body trying to cope with such toxic matter that you consume every day of your life is considerable and in addition, there are the natural toxins and acids that the body produces during its own daily work which weaken the metabolism and make it a prey to ill health when it need not be." [8]

It does not advocate raw or uncooked foods which can induce cold energy or Yin and weaken the spleen in line with recommendations from Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners. Although it is not a strictly vegetarian diet it advocates reducing consumption of meat especially red meat and animals which include a lot of animal fats. The basic principle of this approach is to eat mostly Yang foods and avoid Yin fresh fruit and cold energy foods such as citrus fruit, although the approach is also to eat locally grown seasonal fruit and vegetables. This means the diet varies depending on location and local climate.

Foods to avoid

  1. Refined and processed foods. If any colourings, preservatives, flavourings, or other chemicals are included, don't touch it.
  2. Any grain foods that have been processed, especially white bread and anything made from white flour.
  3. All deep fried foods.
  4. Coffee, alcohol, tobacco, chocolate and other sweets.
  5. Spices, rock salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar, pickles, curry.
  6. Meat such as pork, beef, mutton and lamb.
  7. Salmon, mackerel, shark, swordfish, tuna and whale.
  8. Sugar.
  9. Ice cream, artificial jellies, synthetic fruit juices.
  10. Potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, rhubarb, spinach.
  11. Concentrated meat extracts, soups and gravies.
  12. Milk, cheese, butter, dairy yoghurt, boiled or fried eggs.
  13. Lard or dripping that comes from animal fats.
  14. Any bird or fish that has a lot of fat tissue.

Foods that may be eaten.

  1. Anything made from natural whole grain, that has not been refined, e.g. brown rice, buckwheat, wheat, barley, millet, rye, maize and includes bread, cakes, puddings, biscuits, breakfast foods, etc.
  2. All locally grown vegetables that are in season, especially root vegetables, excluding those items in previous list, No. 10.
  3. Soya-bean and mung-bean shoots.
  4. Seaweed.
  5. Locally grown fruit and berries (moderately).
  6. Nuts, preferably roasted—but not salted.
  7. Low fat natural yoghurt.
  8. Honey (sparingly).
  9. Cottage cheese or vegetarian cheese.
  10. Herb teas and China teas.
  11. Vegetable margarine and oils (e.g. sesame, sunflower, safflower).
  12. Eggs, but only scrambled or in omelettes—better still eat the yolks only.
  13. Natural sea salt, sesame seed salt, soya sauce.
  14. All dried fruits—cherries, raisins, currants etc.
  15. All grain milks, rice milk and coconut milk.
  16. Wild vegetables and herbs.
  17. Fruit drinks made from locally grown fresh fruit—ideally, make your own.

Utilise the following, if necessary.

  1. Non-fat fish excluding those in Food to avoid list, No. 7.
  2. Sea-food—shrimps, prawns etc. But be wary of crab.
  3. Wild birds—pheasant, pigeon etc.
  4. Wild or free range chicken, turkey etc.
  5. Skimmed milk or powdered skimmed milk.[9]

Advocates of the Ch'ang Ming diet

Author, Reflexologist and Acupuncturist Aileen Yeoh in her book "Longevity: The Tao of Eating and Healing" (published by Times editions 2004 ISBN 9789812328281) has written a detailed section on Ch'ang Ming dietary and lifestyle recommendations and how they related to the theory and practise of Traditional Chinese Medicine.[10] In her capacity as a biochemist and dietary advisor she has written a series of articles in The Straits Times detailing the advantages of a Ch'ang Ming diet and linking certain Yin and Yang properties of various foods with common illnesses.[11]

Ch'ang Ming is recommended by schools who are teaching the Lee style Taoist Arts such as Lee style T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Feng Shou Kung Fu, K'ai Men Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine based mostly in Britain and who have clubs in France, Germany, and The Netherlands who trained with Chee Soo.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

References

  1. ^ Soo, Chee (2008). The Tao of Long Life. Seahorse Books. ISBN 978-0-9545244-3-2.
  2. ^ Soo, Chee (1983). Le Tao de Longue Vie. Le Jour. ISBN 2890441539.
  3. ^ Soo, Chee (1985). Il Tao di Lunga Vita. Siad Editoni. ISBN 8844300575.
  4. ^ Soo, Chee (1986). El Tao de la Salud. Editorial Kairos. ISBN 8472451631.
  5. ^ Soo, Chee (1996). Hidup sehat menurut Tao. Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama. ISBN 9796053624.
  6. ^ Soo, Chee (2011). The Taoist Ways of Healing. Seahorse Books. ISBN 9780954524449. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Soo, Chee (2006). The Taoist Art of K'ai Men. Seahorse Books. ISBN 0-9545-244-11.
  8. ^ The Tao of Long Life page 11
  9. ^ Soo, Chee (2008). The Tao of Long Life. Seahorse Books. ISBN 978-0-9545244-3-2. pages 120-121
  10. ^ http://nuherbs.com/resources/cookbook_reviews
  11. ^ The Straits Times 12 July 1984 Page 2 - Recipes for Chang Ming diet. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19840712-1.2.100.4.2.aspx
  12. ^ http://smarthealthywomen.com/articles/chang-ming-diet/
  13. ^ http://www.lishi.org/changmingguide/
  14. ^ https://www.bookdepository.com/Chang-Ming-Long-Life-Gisela-Gibbon/9780953841622
  15. ^ http://www.keithroost.com/grandmaster-c-chee-soo---a-generous-legacy-of-daoist-arts.html
  16. ^ http://www.acupuncture-tuina-courses.co.uk/lee-style-tai-chi/
  17. ^ http://dr-taichi-salford.weebly.com/dr-tai-chis-salford-blog/chang-ming-eating-further-advice
  18. ^ http://www.taichihull.co.uk/LFA-Chang-Ming.html
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