A Different Way of Looking at Food

Your Diet and Chinese Food Theory

From the Chinese perspective, there are no miracle foods. No “one size fits all” perfect diet. But most of us, if we think about it, know that intuitively. Why does Diet A work wonders for some and not others? Ever tried a food that everyone is raving about and felt lousy after eating it? In Western medicine, counting calories and getting the right amounts of the different food groups is how diet is balanced. In Chinese Herbal Therapy, people recognize that a balanced diet includes paying attention to the energetics of foods.

By energetics we mean whether a food is warming or cooling, spicy or sweet or sour or bitter. Whether a food causes dampness or dryness and which meridians it enters. Understanding the energetics of the foods you eat will help you create a diet that is right for you.

Warming and Cooling Foods: It is important to understand that this doesn’t mean the temperature of the food but rather how it works in your body. Radishes, for example, are very cooling. Most root vegetables and some meats are warming. So it is possible to help regulate your temperature by including the appropriate foods in your diet. If you often feel cold try to keep plenty of warming foods in your diet. For those of you who have an overactive furnace, cooling foods are the answer.
Moistening and Drying Foods:
Problems with edema, bloating or phlegm indicate a tendency to dampness. If this is you, despite what you may have heard, drinking lots of water may be not help with weight loss or other dietary issues until the dampness is reduced. Bitter or pungent foods will tend to be drying but many are warming as well. Horseradish and mustard have been used for centuries as draining and drying compliments to rich meals with lots of meat. Cooling and drying foods include such things as rice, barley celery and watercress.
Flavors:
Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy tastes are also linked to how food makes you feel. Many of the spicy foods are both warming and Blood and Qi invigorating, great for certain types of arthritis.
To learn more about the energetics of foods contact me:
508 477 7271
or
508 292 0778
or
contact@traditionalchinesetherapy.com

Last updated: January 6, 2009