Biran Online

If you think of Aikido as a michi, or path, then sooner or later your attention turns to your diet. I have tried so many diets as I have matured in my thinking and training: soul food, vegetarian, macrobiotic, fasting.

At around 14 or 15, I started looking into diet; one of the first was the "mucus-less" diet of Prof. Arnold Ehret. I was still living with my parents so I started eating more fruits and vegetables, but still ate what everyone else was eating.

After high school, I became a vegetarian. I thought it would be easy but it was difficult for me, since everyone was worried about my health and I drank more then I ate. So after a few years, I was back to my old eating habits – but still drink more then I ate.

My first few years of Aikido, my diet wasn't my main focus. I was eating mostly whatever I wanted, since I didn't gain any weight and drank way too much. It was not until I help build the University Avenue dojo that my views about whole foods matured. Editor's note: Biran and Biran Online will be featuring essays on diet and Aikido practice for the next few issues. Please send contributions through your chief instructor or directly to the Biran editor. Let's make this an ongoing dialog! I worked at a job during the day and help build the dojo at night. Chiba Sensei came by each night with pots of Mrs. Chiba's cooking for us. Each time I would be tired, but after having simple, whole food, I felt great and ready to go again, even though I was burning the candle at both ends at that time. By the time I became serious about my diet, I had pickled my stomach.

I'm of African, Native American, German and Irish descent, so I feel the best diet for me is a mainly plant-based diet that makes the body chemistry alkaline. This includes fruits and vegetables that are rich in enzymes. I base my diet on nature, in that I try to eat food that is local, i.e. that which grows in the same environment in which I live. Moreover, I try to eat food that is in season (spring, summer, fall, winter). This can be hard because I live in California, and because of refrigeration and worldwide transportation, I can find all my favorite food year-round.

Next, I eat food which is as close to its natural form as possible. All the rice I eat is brown; no chicken parts (chicken nuggets) or over-processed foods. Finally, I ask myself, "Does the food have life in it (ki), like fruits and root vegetables?"

By the time the University Ave. dojo closed and we moved to Fairmount Avenue, we had a large kitchen where Mrs. Chiba could give cooking lessons to members. I still pickle garlic in my home now the way she taught us – it's good to help build the blood. I also made basic changes to my diet at that time. When I eat meat, I include different colored vegetables, cooked and raw, and sweet potato or rice – all alkaline foods to balance the acidic. Also during this period I first tried the 10-day brown rice fast with members of dojo. It was the first time I had experienced such a constricting diet: Two rice balls for breakfast and lunch, as much rice and miso soup as you wanted for dinner. Small pickled or salted vegetables were the side dishes.

Having a family with kids has shown me that diet is the foundation of life activities. I must have foods that help me stay fit, but also foods that support Bonnie and Cheyenne, as well as the boys' health and development. Even though we take the nourishment of the stomach and spleen as the foundation of the human body, if the ki of the kidneys is stable and vigorous, the fire in the tanden will rise and make the ki of the spleen temperate and plentiful. (1)

So understanding this, I use man's forgotten diet, herbs, as an extension of nutrition. God created leaves, branches, trunks and roots for our consumption, but people reject foods that are unappealing to the eyes, nose or mouth. As man learned to cultivate his food, he naturally chose to cultivate only those foods that appealed to his senses. I've been using herbal teas for years, mostly now rooibos, made from a bush grown in South Africa. It has a high level of antioxidants and is full of minerals such as zinc, copper, calcium and potassium. In the last year, I have also been using pine pollen tincture. Trees have a long history of use in medicines and foods, even though we only seem to use maple now (maple syrup).

This comes from my study of Taoists and the seven glands. These seven glands may be visualized as vessels which are attached to one another by a series of tubes (in reality, these are blood vessels). Balancing and raising the energy to its proper level through the seven-gland system is the Taoist way of strengthening the immune system. The sexual glands form the base of the glandular complex and the action of tree pollen is strongly androgenic, increasing free testosterone levels in blood and restoring the androgen/estrogen balance. By restoring energy to the sexual glands, pine pollen sends energy to the other six glands, namely the adrenal, pancreas, thymus, thyroid, pituitary and pineal glands.

Finally, to support this practice, I have started eating more androgenic foods such as celery, corn and cucumber. They work by strengthening and toning the adrenal glands and kidneys.

I would like to mention one thing that is very important about diet, and that is water. The human body is 60 percent water, so you need to drink adequate amount every day. Water is the main carrier of blood; it helps regulate body temperature and maintains the sea salt constancy of the blood. I have learned to chew my water, to taste it in my mouth. This also hold true for your food. Chew your food well, as taste is the doorway for mindful eating. This is the reason for prayer before eating. It is not just being thankful; it is to make eating a holy experience, so the energy (ki) from the food can enter the body. It is very helpful to have water a half-hour before meals to clean the stomach and make it ready for food. Don't drink much water with meals, especially cold water, which cleans away the digestive juices and makes food sit in your stomach.

I don't believe in being extreme about anything – no more restrictive, single-focus diets. With the extension of nutrition, my goal is to eat nutrient-dense food in appropriate amounts. As I concern myself with the fitness and maturing of my body, the importance of nutrition becomes obvious. By healing myself as much as possible using natural remedies and by preventing illness and injuries through nutrition, I reclaim the responsibility, the direction and the power over my own body. The dialogue which occurs between mind, body and spirit in the process of self-directed healing opens up whole new areas of self-expression and mastery.

(1) Yojokun by Kaibara Ekiken translation by William Scott Wilson. P. 123

Archie Champion is chief instructor of Central Coast Aikikai.