My Top 5 favorite Traditional East Asian Medicine Nutrition Books

Traditional East Asian dietary therapy is a customized approach to creating therapeutic diets. Many factors affect the dietary recommendations in this tradition including but not limited to the individual’s physical constitution, symptoms that are being experienced, whether the condition is caused by excess or deficiency, current season of the year, and the environment the person is living in. Dietary recommendations will change as factors affecting the person’s health changes. 

 I recommend working closely with a licensed Traditional East Asian Medicine practitioner or trained Traditional East Asian Nutritionist to develop a nourishing and therapeutic meal plan to heal your body. The books below are resources that will help you better understand the recommendations made by your licensed practitioner, the therapeutic properties of everyday foods and delicious healing recipes. I personally have all of these books either on my bookshelf at home and at the clinic.  Full disclosure I am an Amazon Associate and I earn from qualifying purchases from the links below.

Cover of the The Tao of Healthy Eating by Bob Flaws

  1. The Tao of Healthy Eating: Dietary Wisdom According to Chinese Medicine By: Bob Flaws

The Tao of Healthy Eating is a clear, and straightforward introduction to the basic theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine nutrition recommendations. Bob Flaws explores topics such as food allergies, obesity and more. He includes a quick reference to the properties of over 200 common western foods. This a basic book for a beginner on this topic. Click this link to purchase on amazon https://amzn.to/3vKMklA


Cover of The Five Elements Cookbook by Zoey Xinyi Gong

2. The Five Elements Cookbook: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine with Recipes for Everyday healing By: Zoey Xinyi Gong Photography By: Cassie Zhang

I recently discovered The Five Elements Cookbook from a recommendation by a colleague. It has quickly become my favorite resource. Zoey Xinyi Gong shares her journey back to the traditional foods of her family and return to health. Zoey is a talented Chinese Medicine Food therapist, registered dietitian, chef, food influencer and entrepreneur. This book has beautiful full color photographs, an easy to understand description of the basic diagnosis and theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Food Therapy, a reference section to food ingredients,herbs and spices, and delicious medicinal recipes. Click this link to purchase on amazon https://amzn.to/4aVI55u

A photo of the cover of "Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions with Modern Nutrition" by Paul Pritchford

Cover of Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford

3. Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition By Paul Pitchford

In this comprehensive book the author combines the best of eastern and western nutrition to give the reader a path to healing. It has a therapeutic guide on dietary treatments for modern health issues. Paul Pitchford goes beyond just the delicious recipes he includes but also describes the ways we prepare and consume food affect our wellness. Click this link to purchase on amazon https://amzn.to/3xvIvRy

Cover of Feed Your Fertility By: Emily Bartlett, L. Ac and Laura Erlich, L. Ac 

4. Feed your Fertility: Your Guide to Cultivating a Healthy Pregnancy with Medicine, Real Food and Holistic Living By: Emily Bartlett, L. Ac and Laura Erlich, L. Ac 

This book is written by Fertility experts Emily Bartlett, L. Ac and Laura Erlich, L. Ac. They go beyond nutrition and help individuals navigate nutrition and  lifestyle choices while trying to conceive. They guide you on how to eat to optimize and nourish your fertility with whole foods. Click this link to purchase on amazon https://amzn.to/4aAbdj0

Cover of Sitting Moon By: Jessica Chen and Daoshing Ni

5. Sitting Moon: A guide to Rejuvenation after Pregnancy By: Jessica Chen and Daoshing Ni

This book provides a  month worth of comprehensive recipes and meal plans based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Nutrition Therapy with the focus of recovering after pregnancy.  It also gives information on healing common postpartum issues and tips on how to prepare for a new baby in the home. I feel like I was personally very fortunate to have fellow Traditional East Asian Medicine practitioners as friends after I gave birth to my child. They prepared and brought many of the soups and teas featured in the book or used traditional family recipes similar to the ones found in Sitting Moon. I felt an increase in energy, noticed increased milk production and improvement in overall mood after drinking the teas, consuming the soups and receiving acupuncture. It was such a powerful healing experience. Traditionally members of the family would prepare the recipes found in this book for the postpartum mother so she can focus on healing herself, nourishing and bonding with her new baby. Click this link to purchase on amazon https://amzn.to/4d0HiSO

Bonus: Chinese Nutrition By Dr, Christine Chang, DAOM

I know I said this is my list of 5 favorite Traditional Medicine Nutrition books but the list did not feel complete without giving a shout out to Dr. Christine Chang who I met and had the honor to learn from during my master’s degree at Emperor’s College. Not only did she supply us with this fantastic course reader which I still reference in my practice.  She also prepared a different medicinal soup recipe for our class every week of the semester and encouraged us to research and prepare recipes for our classmates. She showed all of us weekly the power of food as medicine. Unfortunately this book is only available directly from Dr. Chang so you will have to study with her to get your copy!


Please share this Blog with someone you know who can benefit from the information. If your are interested in booking an appointment for further guidance on Traditional East Asian Medicine Nutrition Therapy click the following link www.cosmicwaveacupuncture.com/services




shannon Jontz