Dietary Coaching


Want some Dietary coaching but things have not worked in the past. Here at Eastern Medicine we don’t believe in dietary education. Dietary Coaching on the other had believes that the traditional calories in calories out dietary therapy is of little use.

We do not need dietary education to eat less, we need to teach our bodies to crave healthy food and to learn how to both recognise it and make it part of our lives. This can be an emotional journey as we all know we don’t always eat for fuel, it is often woven into our self-esteem and our relationships.

Food is often the centre piece of our social lives.  Dr Stephen Phillips Eastern Medicine is well experienced at supporting people on their journey to a healthy diet and normalising our bodies weight. Prior to studying Chinese Medicine and Dietary coaching Stephen qualified as a Personal Trainer and Whole-food and Vegan dietary therapist and Triathlon coach.

It was during this time working with fit healthy people he noticed they were not necessarily happy or healthy even when they were fit.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”   Hippocrates

Although the precepts of Eastern food therapy are neither systematic nor identical in all times and places, Stephen has studied both Macrobiotic & Chinese Dietary therapy and Ayurveda. Along with these Eastern Medical approaches his personal training & fitness background, has led him to use a combined approach using the principles of both modern research and classical theories to bring his clients to optimal health and restore balance when they are ill. His style of Dietary coaching works with your dietary choices. \Changes are made slowly and in a way that empowers you.

Some of the principles followed come from Traditional Chinese & Japanese Medicine and classifies Food items as “heating” (re ; “hot”) or “cooling” (liang ; “cool”). Heating food is typically “high-calorie, subjected to high heat in cooking, spicy or bitter, or ‘hot’ in colour (red, orange)”, and includes red meat, innards, baked and deep-fried goods, and alcohol. They are to be avoided in the summer and can be used to treat “cold” illnesses like excessive pallor, watery feces, fatigue, chills, and low body temperature caused by a number of possible causes, including anemia. Green vegetables are the most typical cooling food, which is “low-calorie, watery, soothing or sour in taste, or ‘cool’ in colour (whitish, green)”. They are recommended for “hot” conditions: rashes, dryness or redness of skin, heartburn, and other “symptoms similar to those of a burn”, but also sore throat, swollen gums, and constipation.

Rather than impose a diet upon you, you will counselled based on your current eating habits and his diagnosis of your “imbalance” (dis-ease).

Each session commences with a traditional Pulse diagnosis and Tongue inspection and then follows with a discussion about the foods you are drawn to and those that you avoid. Each session is personally tailored to you in a un-rushed and relaxed manner and can be accompanied by a cup of Tea should not Acupuncture be required.

You can book you session at the bookings page.

Need some help finding balance, losing some kilo’s or just making peace with your body and what you eat.