Energy, health, & vitality

with Kenneth Morehead

There is more to food than meets the eye! Food has energy that ascends and descends, and warms and cools our bodies. Conventional western medicine focuses on the physical. But Dr. Kenneth Morehead explains how limited that approach can be. He is a licensed doctor of oriental medicine and is a nationally board-certified acupuncture orthopedist. As such, he has quite a different take on how to approach wellness!

In today’s episode, he covers a myriad of topics, originating from Asian medicinal principles. He looks at how specific foods affect our vitality. He discusses how our eating habits and diet should change as we age. And he discusses the effects of a variety of foods and how they can help address health concerns. Dr. Morehead’s main objective is to teach us to pay attention to our bodies so that we can achieve better balance and health.

Notes

When Kenneth Morehead was in the seventh grade, he read a book that changed the trajectory of his life. He became interested in diet and nutrition and it became a life-long passion. As a young man, he began to realize that the Western medical philosophy was focused primarily on the physical and he was intrigued by the Asian approach, which focused on energy and balance.

As he discusses the latter, you will learn:

the name of the book that changed his life
how an acupuncturist opened his eyes to a different approach to wellness
how he began shadowing/learning from the acupuncturist’s practice
the benefits and drawbacks of his own time on the macrobiotic diet
how we have three macro nutrients that our bodies need: protein, carbohydrates, & fat
how “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon Morell helped him understand the need for fat in the diet (it is the most nutrient-dense of all the macro nutrients).
what he appreciated most from the Asian approach to medicine and healing, contrasted with the Western approach
how the world is spiritual electromagnetic spectrum physical level
how chi follows the mind and even our intention affects our health
how Asian medicine believes our vitality is linked to our digestive health
how our digestive needs change as we age
how fruit’s energy is to cool and cleanse.
how, as we age, we need to eat a more warming diet
why children should not be given lots of cold beverages or fruit
why younger people may trend toward raw diets and vegetarianism
the importance of finding a balance point: inflamed, hot, excess v. cold, cleansing, detoxing
why balance is important in terms of energy of foods
why we also need a balance of pungent, sour, salty, sweet, bitter tastes
the definition of a “full sweet”
what foods are weakening/cooling
why people who eat out are the least well
what it means when we crave sweets (we’re craving strength and vitality)
the three principles of warm/cold, balance, and ascend/descending energy