Now that we are well over a month into 2006, how's your list of New Year's resolutions coming along? For many of us, having a healthier lifestyle and losing that spare tyre we've gained over the silly season was somewhere near the top of the list. We've been bombarded with messages telling us to cut out carbs, eat fat-free-fat and chew on as many salads as possible but as Bart Simpson says, "you don't make friends with salad"! Even the heads behind the CSIRO Diet are taking criticism from all corners. Who are we to turn to?

Let's take a look at the Chinese - a society which has been doing it well for centuries and continue to practice time-proven, simple and effective ways to keep themselves svelte. Just look at their figures, it's not often you see the Chinese walking around with reserve tanks squeezed under their tops!

So what's their secret? For a start, the Chinese diet is based on the theories of Yin and Yang. Yin can be described as cooling, nurturing, slow-moving, quiet, and even feminine. Yang is regarded as heating, explosive, fast-moving, loud and masculine. A load of waffle you say? These ideas are integrated into every aspect of their eating, from the food itself, to how it is eaten and who with.

The Chinese art of healing was developed over 2,500 years ago. It treats the body in a very poetic way. Think of it as another language for biology. The body is made up of many different kinds of Qi (energy), which flow through the organs and 12 main meridians. The Spleen (Yin) and Stomach (Yang) are essential when looking at digestion and weight loss. Imagine they act as a cooking pot inside of you. As a rule, they like warming and neutral foods, to digest food with friends and family and for this to happen between the hours of 7am and 3pm.

Who would have guessed that your Stomach and Spleen could place so many demands? With the principles of Yin and Yang at play, it is an act of having your body in balance and working in harmony with the fuel that you place inside.

Similarly, these channels don't like excessive amounts of 'damp' food (which that makes you feel heavy and produces mucus, such as dairy products, sugar or deep-fried, refined and processed food) and they also don't like too much cold natured food (which includes raw veges, fruit, salads and food eaten from the fridge, some of which have been previously widely-recommended) as these can put out the digestive 'fire'.

 With these principles in mind, everyone has different lifestyles and their balance is dependent on them. People blessed with strong Qi, rarely catch colds, don't get tired, sleep well, feel re-vitalised in the morning, have no complaints with their digestive system and are not overweight. They are able to eat more raw food than those who are constantly tired, have loose stools, a swollen, greasy-coated tongue and who may be overweight. Generally, no food is considered bad, but they are considered in relation to you, your lifestyle, emotions, symptoms, body shape and energy levels.

A Chinese Medicine practitioner will assess you to establish whether you are more Yin or Yang, which will help them develop an appropriate eating plan for you. These plans stretch far beyond 2006, they are for life. Once you know and can embrace this, your new vibrant lifestyle is easy to manage on your own.

Rebecca Young is a Chinese medicine practitioner who graduated with high distinction in Bachelor of Health Science (Traditional Chinese Medicine) at the University of Technology, Sydney. She has diagnosed and treated numerous patients successfully utilising these theories.