Chinese Nutrition applies the traditional healing properties of foods to correct disharmonies within the body. Over the course of several millennia, countless experiences were gathered using food for prevention and healing of disease.
Chinese nutrition differs from Western nutrition in that it does not talk about the biochemical nature of foods. Rather, Chinese nutrition deals on an energetic level where balance is the key. Foods are selected according to their energetic qualities, such as warming, cooling, drying, or lubricating. Thus, Chinese nutrition would seek to warm the coldness, cool the heat, dry the dampness, and lubricate the dryness and so forth.
By carefully studying an individual's imbalances, one can choose appropriate foods to bring about a balanced state of health. For example, an excessive individual who is exhibiting conditions of heat in the body could use cooling foods. For a deficient individual who tends toward coldness, warming foods would be chosen. In this way health is achieved.
Foods all have specific qualities inherent within, determining the effect the food has on the body. Then the method of preparation either enhances or neutralizes the foods. Generally speaking, warming food raise the metabolism and cooling foods lower metabolism. Balance in the diet is essential to good health.
Americans are perfect examples of an overfed and undernourished country. We are constantly bombarded by information on diets from food companies, current faddists, and diet cultists, yet the picture is very incomplete. According to the Chinese point of view, the body is looked at as a whole, working together in harmony. Just as every little screw and bolt on a machine has an important purpose, if one part is broken the whole suffers. Our body is a very intricate machine that works together as a whole.
Western medicine tends to focus on only the diseased part of the body. It tries to attack and kill the diseased cells, not taking into account why those cells are diseased to begin with. It is not just because the cells are exposed to viruses ad bacteria. We are constantly exposed to these; our mouth is full of bacteria. Yet why is it that some people break down and get sick and others do not, when both are exposed to the same pathogens?
Our body is equipped with a healing mechanism that is greater than any invention. It is so unique that it has this system that can repair the body's disharmonies, given the right chance to do so. Through inappropriate lifestyle, diet, thoughts, and actions, we abuse the workings of this delicate system.
Always keep in mind that the body's own healing system is very powerful. Suppressing a headache with aspirin does not take away the underlying cause. The headache is a warning of some disharmony. Thus, we should work on the underlying cause and use natural healing methods to enhance the immune system so the body can heal itself.
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Physical Symptoms |
Physical Symptoms |
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Red complexion |
Pale complexion |
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Easily sweats |
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Usually feels hot |
Usually feels cool or cold |
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Frequent thirst |
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Desires cold liquid |
Dislikes cold, prefers warm liquids |
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Strong appetite |
Weak appetite |
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Prone to constipation, dark urine |
Prone to loose stools, copious urination |
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Tends to low energy, sleeps more |
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Tends toward loud voice |
Tends toward weak voice |
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Sometimes dry couch with yellow sputum |
Tend to copious, white sputum, edema |
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Women may have early, heavy menstruation |
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Dizziness |
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Personality Type |
Personality Type |
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Tend to outgoing, aggressive personality |
Tend to introverted, quiet personality |
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Easy to anger or irritate |
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Foods to help correct |
Foods to help correct |
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Fresh fruits |
Garlic, ginger, green onion |
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Juices |
Black beans, sesame seeds |
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Green and other vegetables, etc. |
Chicken, lamb, etc. |
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Foods to Avoid |
Foods to Avoid |
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Hot, spicy food |
Cold, raw food |
The five tastes (Flavors) and Their Properties
Key:
Taste
Associated organ Pair
Examples of food with the flavor
Functions of the taste i.e. What it does in the body
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Pungent taste |
Functions: Dispersing, invigorating and promoting circulation. Opens pores, promotes sweating, and expels pathogens |
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Lungs Large Intestines |
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Ginger, garlic, mint |
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Sour taste |
Functions: Absorbing, consolidating, and astringent functions. Stops excessive discharge of body fluids. Includes Astringent taste |
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Liver Gall Bladder |
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Lemon, vinegar, Chinese sour plum |
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Bitter taste |
Functions: Drying dampness and dispersing. Often clears heat. Reduces dampness and edema. |
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Heart Small Intestines |
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Rhubarb, apricot kernels, kale |
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Salty taste |
Functions: Softening and dissolving hardness. Lubricates Intestines. |
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Kidney Urinary Bladder |
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Salt, soy sauce, seaweed |
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Sweet taste |
Functions: Tonifying, harmonizing, and decelerating. Strengthening. Relax pain. Includes Bland flavor such as barley. |
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Spleen, Stomach |
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Yams, corn, rice |
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More About the Book
Food has been used to treat illnesses for many centuries, and we still incorporate food in our treatment of disease today. Chicken soup for cold, rice for diarrhea, Chamomile tea for relaxation. The Chinese have used food as medicine for over 5000 years, and still incorporate food in their daily diet. From simple teas to complex multi course meals, all consumed to maintain health or effect a cure for any given disease.
This book focuses on the type of foods westerners are accustomed to, allowing the reader to easily understand and access the information they are interested in. Although there have been many books written on this topic, the beauty of this book is that you will not find another cookbook to follow blindly, rather a learning tool for you to comprehend the indications and effects that your favorite foods impart on your system. You will learn what foods to eat for certain ailments and reach the goals you wish to achieve. This way you will be able to cook using your own favorite recipes, incorporating the foods of your choice, according to the condition you wish to address.
In essence, this book takes the wisdom and knowledge of the ancient Chinese and teaches you how to fish, so you will be able to feed yourself for years to come.
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Chapter 3
Basic Principles Of TCM As It Relates To Food
Although the Chinese have used food as medicine for many centuries, the concept here in the West is not totally new to us. A simple example is chicken soup used to combat colds. What is new, is the view the Chinese hold that all food has its own inherent properties, which can be used to our advantage. Once you learn the functions of the food you normally consume, you may notice that your favorite dish or type of food may be causing an imbalance in your body. A treatment method would be to decrease the consumption of such a food or increase the consumption of another food, which has the opposite effect. A counter balance is effected, leaving you in a more neutral and stable state.
The following charts indicate the properties of food in relation to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The following format enables you to locate the food of choice and determine if it is appropriate for the effect you are trying to achieve. You can also look up the function and indications in order to find what type of food you should consume to achieve a desired result. The following charts include the type of food, its nature and flavor. We have incorporated the functions of the individual food in relation to the Traditional Chinese Medicine and have added Western medicine's symptoms for easier reference. This will allow you to learn what the functions are of the individual food you are interested in. You can also choose what type of food to eat based on the symptoms you have.
Cereal:
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Flour |
Neutral |
Sweet |
- nourish Heart |
- insomnia |
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Millet |
Cool |
Sweet/Salty |
- Tonify Kidneys |
- diarrhea |
Chapter 4
Diet Therapy
As mentioned earlier, the use of food as medicine is incorporated into many cultures including western societies. Unfortunately, western society does not look at food in the same way as the Chinese and we do not reap the benefits from the foods we consume. Many who do not understand this concept tend to be skeptical of its virtue and ignore its therapeutic capabilities. The use of food as medicine is a slow process and therefore, for the most part gradual in its therapeutic effect. This is not to say that you will not see any results in the short term, but understand that results may be gradual in nature. The true benefit of this type of treatment is in its ability to prevent disease not just treat disease. Once you incorporate this type of treatment in your daily regime it is not uncommon to find that your dependence on western medications decreases over time.
In this chapter we will introduce you to basic easy to prepare recipes, with a minimal use of herbs. Hopefully the simple format will allow readers to incorporate the contents of this book into their daily lives without much difficulty. The use of herbs and food combined to produce diet therapy must follow some simple guidelines. These are:
1. You should strictly follow professional prescriptions. The goal is to maximize the overall desired effect to suit different patient conditions. Swaying from the recommended ingredients and their amount may alter the overall effect desired. Different herbs have different natures, and it is important to refrain from altering the recipe.2. The use of a high number of herbs will result in a taste similar to a herbal decoction which defeats the concept of palatable food as medicine.
3. Many using this book may not have access to Chinese herbs or have difficulty in finding rare ingredients. Most big cities have China-towns, which will mail order many herbs needed.
4. The time required in cooking herbs varies from herb to herb, making it much more complicated with respects to cooking food. Different herbs require different cooking times, and therefore must be added into the preparation at different times to maximize the effectiveness and benefit.
The following section of this chapter deals with the preparation of "foods as medicine"? for specific medical conditions. We have chosen familiar preparations of food such as soups, stews and tea; we have also included congee recipes. Congee is a form of rice gruel, which is prepared throughout China. Chapter 8 deals with congee exclusively, including its method of preparation. It is therefore recommended to read this chapter on congee prior to attempting any congee recipes here.
The other methods of cooking should follow personal styles. If a recipe calls for a stew, prepare the recipe using your own personal method of making a stew adding the ingredients listed. Some recipes call for stir-fry. In this case basic stir-frying techniques are called for. Soups should be made with water as a base to your liking. Teas are basic and straightforward, no explanation is needed here.
For more on this topic, purchase my book "Food as Medicine, A Traditional Chinese Medical Perspective". Please contact Ted at: ted@zaclinic.com to place your order.
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