Chinese Nutritional Strategies 1.1.3

The middle Jiao and food have always been of central importance in the Chinese pursuit of health. It is hoped that all practitioners recognize the potential of this area and approach the wealth of traditional information available from China with reverence and admiration. The "Chinese Nutritional Strategies" (CNS) app serves as a valuable tool to access some of this invaluable information.

Peter Torssell
Journal of Chinese Medicine
February 2014

"People who practice medicine must first thoroughly understand the source of the disorder and know what has been violated. Then, use food to treat it, and if food will not cure it, afterwards apply herbal medicine." - Sun Simiao (Tang Dynasty)

The Chinese Nutritional Strategies (CNS) app is a resource meticulously crafted to provide practitioners of Chinese medicine with convenient and comprehensive access to centuries of nutritional wisdom.

At its core, the CNS app houses a database featuring over 300 common foods, each detailed with its temperature, flavor, effects, recommended uses, notes, seasonal suggestions, and categories for differential diagnosis. This extensive database offers searchability by any of these parameters, empowering the practitioner to curate a list of recommended foods that can be easily shared with patients via email or in print.

What sets the CNS app apart is its flexibility. Practitioners have the ability to customize all aspects of the database. For instance, by adjusting the characteristics associated with a particular food item like watermelon, practitioners can tailor recommendations to align with specific dietary traditions or treatment protocols.

The app also introduces a distinctive seasonal recommendations feature that guides practitioners on the optimal timing for prescribing Chinese nutritional therapies. Based on diagnosis and seasonal context, foods like watermelon can transition between recommended and cautionary categories, emphasizing the importance of considering local climate and seasonal influences in dietary recommendations.

This wealth of knowledge within the CNS app has been curated, refined, and translated by Toby Daly, PhD, LAc. Dr. Daly's academic journey spans from an undergraduate degree in Food Science to extensive training in Traditional Chinese Medicine under various mentors, culminating in a PhD in Classical Chinese Medicine. His diverse background brings a unique perspective to this comprehensive nutritional resource.