STEPHEN LEWIS finds we are only as healthy as the food we eat...

EATING plenty of fresh fruit and veg is good for you. Isn't it? Of course. But according to the ancient, traditional diets of China, Japan and India, healthy eating isn't just about counting the calories, eating plenty of greens and cutting out cholesterol. It's about achieving balance. The foods that are good for you might not necessarily be good for everyone.

Healthy eating depends on understanding the properties of the food we eat, as well as our own body and its constitution, and then balancing the two.

Nick Hudis, who with his wife Kate runs regular workshops in 'food energetics' based on the ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic (Indian) dietary theories, said: "Poor diet is the most important single cause of ill health and eating correctly is one of the most important ways of restoring health.

"Our approach is to first get the diet right because what we eat really does affect our bodies."

Food, according to Nick and the Chinese/ Ayurvedic system, has a number of different qualities or 'energies'. It can have either a 'heating' or 'cooling' effect, it has one of five 'tastes' - sweet, spicy, salty, bitter or sour - and it can be either light or heavy.

People, meanwhile, tend to fall mainly into one of three different categories or 'types' of constitution. These are: Vata (air), Kapha (water) and Pitta (fire). By choosing the foods you eat with the needs of your own body and constitution in mind, you can ensure a diet that's balanced and healthy for you, says Nick.

THE CONSTITUTIONS

Vatas, says Nick, have a lot of nervous energy. They're 'dry' and 'cold' in the Chinese sense of those words, as well as being lightly-built, changeable and indecisive. They need moisturising and warming foods such as dairy products and wheat to counterbalance their 'dryness' and 'coldness'.

Kaphas have low metabolisms, and tend to be slow, heavy, placid, contented and easy-going. They need plenty of drying and stimulating foods such as beans and cabbage to balance their metabolism

Pittas are strong, muscular, active and decisive - natural leaders but with a tendency to get impatient or frustrated. They tend to be fiery and hot and need cooling, calming foods such as fruit. Best to avoid stimulants and spices.

FOOD PROPERTIES

Heating foods (which are not the same as high temperature or even spicy ones) are foods which stimulate the metabolism and boost circulation. If we eat too many 'heating' foods it can cause irritability, high blood pressure, even inflammation.

Cooling foods have a sedative, slowing, calming effect. Eat too much, though, and it can make us slow, heavy and lethargic.

Heavy foods are rich and sustaining, but can be difficult to digest.

Light foods are easily digestible and can be rich in vitamins and minerals, but are less substantial.

THE FIVE 'TASTES'

Sweet foods include sugary ones, but also breads and some vegetables. They're essentially nourishing and building, but like all foods shouldn't be eaten in excess.

Spicy or pungent foods such as chilli are good for the circulation and for clearing the lungs and loosening up hacking coughs.

Salty foods - which include foods with a high mineral content such as kelp seaweed - are good for building healthy bones and boosting the kidneys and liver. But too many will cause your body to retain too much moisture and become heavy.

Bitter foods such as bitter greens and spinach are great for flushing toxins out of the body and cleansing the blood, and are good for the liver.

Sour foods such as citrus fruit are dry, and great for runny noses and drying up secretions generally. They also benefit the liver, but in excess can harden the joints. Not good if you have arthritis.

COMMON FOODS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

Fruit and vegetables -

Cabbage and cauliflower: cool, slightly bitter vegetables, which are excellent detoxifiers

Mushrooms: neutral (and therefore good!) as regards taste, but also dry and cooling. Good for boosting the immune system

Potatoes: a slightly sweet staple, good for building the body up

Carrots: neutral, good for digestion

Citrus fruit: cool and sour. Good for the liver and for cleansing the system

Grapes: warm energy fruit, ideal for convalescents

Tomatoes: can be both cooling (initially) and heating (in excess)

Chilli and garlic: spicy and pungent. Can stimulate circulation, lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol. Garlic is great for fighting infection, but too much is not advisable for Pittas who already have a lot of heat in their body

Meats and dairy products - heavy foods which can be difficult to digest:

Chicken: the most balanced meat, a warm energy, nourishing food

Pork: a cool energy food, good for the kidneys and bones

Beef: a neutral meat, good for improving the quality of the blood

Lamb: a hot energy meat. A good winter warmer, but perhaps not the best meat for pittas who have a lot of heat in their body

Dairy products: cool and moisturising, but not easy to digest Grains -

Rice: the best-balanced grain, especially brown rice. Rich in minerals and vitamins: an excellent staple

Oats: a calming, but warm-energy grain. Good for sleeplessness or those suffering nervous exhaustion

Barley: a cooling grain, good for people with swollen joints

Wheat: cool and sedative, slightly heavy

Nick and Kate Hudis run regular workshops and offer consultations. They can be contacted on: 01904 658618