AUGUST 19, 2011

Cooling Your System The Chinese Way

Posted by Dorothy under Community Interests, Interesting Reads, Wellness2 comments

 

I am pretty sure that a lot of us are familiar with the meaning of yin and yang ( cool and hot or inactive and active ). In Chinese medicine, some food can be categorized as cooling or heaty. Also, a human body can be said to be cold or heaty. Most Westerners find this concept strange and difficult to comprehend because when the body feels hot, they cool it down by having a cold drink. So, let me help clarify the Chinese concept of a cold or heaty body.

When the body is said to be cold, one becomes inactive, tired and lethargic. Just imagine how your body reacts to the cold and gloomy winter. All you want to do is stay indoors and sit by the heater or fire.

When the body is heaty, the body feels hot, you feel thirsty, agitated and short tempered. It is the feeling you have when the weather is above 28 degrees and the sun is right above your head.

The Chinese believe in the balancing of yin and yang energy in the body to avoid sicknesses. So, when the body is cold, one should have heaty foods to neutralize. Example of common heaty foods:

Ginger and Honey – Boil some water and throw in sliced ginger, and a little honey
Coffee
Mangoes
Peaches
Vinegar
Beef
Chicken

On the other hand, when the body is heaty, consume some cold foods. They are:

Barley – Boil some barley seeds and add in rock sugar – serve as a drink
Chrysanthemum – Can be found as a tea
Winter Melon – Normally used in soups
Banana
Watermelon
Yoghurt
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cucumber

The heatiness and cooling effect of foods refer to their capacity to generate sensations – either hot or cold in our body. They do not refer to the state of the food but its effect on our bodies. So bear in mind, a glass of cold drink may not be the solution for a heaty body. If you are in doubt, start experimenting and be sensitive to changes in your body.

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