Diet & Food Energetics

A balanced diet in TCM terms is different from the Western perception of good health. Rather than breaking down the vitamins and minerals down to it’s component parts, the Chinese look at how various foods affect the Qi of the organ system that it influences. For example, there is a tendency for those wishing to lose weight tend to swap out carbohydrates for leafy salads and green smoothies. This type of eating damages the function to easily digest the food and can potentially cause further weight gain by the creation of waste byproducts, know as Damp and Phlegm. Instead, try warm, clear vegetable broths with ginger or steaming the vegetables before consumption. Cooked cucumber and cos lettuce are a popular staple in Asian cuisine- very delicious!

For more information, please see Daverick Leggett’s book “Helping Ourselves: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Food Energetics”.

Lena’s Diet

Lena is lucky enough to grow a lot of fruit and vegetables from her polytunnel and garden but not everyone has access to such freshness. However, very little of what she grows is eaten raw in this chilly Scottish climate due to the taxing effect of unheated food on the Stomach and Spleen’s function of transformation and transportation of food essences. To fully uptake the nutrition of the food and to enable the organ to remain healthy, cooking the food is regarded as a healthier way to eat.

A Balanced Meal

Growing up in a Chinese household, Lena’s evening meal would consist of a bowl of rice with other accompaniments. These side dishes would include a sour dish, a salty dish and a pungent dish. There would always be cooked greens and often something fermented too. The meal would be finished off with something sweet like orange segments or lychees. There was also a bitter beverage to drink, such as a type of tea. Therefore, it can be seen that all 5 flavours were experienced on a daily basis, hence each of the 5 Zang-Fu organ systems are being stimulated in a positive way for optimal functioning.

Basic Foods-Energetics

There is a saying that the Stomach likes it “warm and dry'“ and so it is no surprise that it is connected to the Earth element along with it’s paired Zang organ, the Spleen. The Earth season is associated with late summer and one can imagine it’s produce that would suit it’s main role of digestive functioning. Think of late summer squashes and borlotti bean harvests!

Those patients with Spleen Qi deficiency, Lena would recommend the following:

  • Start the day by drinking something hot, for example: chai tea or hot water with lemon and ginger (limit coffee because of it’s laxative nature and impact on the Kidneys).

  • Eat something hot with every meal, e.g. if a sandwich is eaten at lunch, combine this with some soup.

  • Limit cold foods and drinks (temperature and food energetics e.g. avoid watermelon which is energetically Cold in nature).

  • Try to have something fermented each week, e.g. sauerkraut, fermented tofu.

  • Include naturally orange coloured vegetables into the diet: butternut squash, carrots, sweet potato, suede.

  • Avoid bananas, peanut butter, wheat and as these are all Phlegm-producing and will impair digestive function.

  • Limit eating deep fried foods or very sugary items as these contribute to the formation of toxic Heat and Damp.

Those patients with a Blood deficiency should eat iron-rich foods but in TCM, Blood is not exclusive to iron. Typically naturally red foods are beneficial for the Blood, such as cherries, beetroot and jujube berries (red dates available at the Asian supermarket). Other ways of boosting Blood are by drinking nettle tea, eating seaweed and having a little red wine (depending on the patient’s constitution).

Types of Cooking

  • Steaming- neutral

  • Boiling- warmer than neutral

  • Baking- warm

  • Stir fry- warmer

  • Fry- hot

  • BBQ/ roasting- hottest

    (Fermenting food makes it slightly warmer than it’s Cold, raw form. For example, yoghurt is warmer than milk. Microwaving is not generally recommended.)

Coffee and Caffeine

Whilst a stimulant and Yang in the way it creates an energetic response, TCM practitioners actually regard long term consumption of coffee as cooling because of it’s depleting action on Jing (finite life essence). It is especially not recommended for women with reproductive issues because of it’s action on the central penetrating vessel that connects with the gynaecological organs.

Alcohol

Alcohol is energetically Hot in TCM but there are different grades and have a heating action on whole system, especially the Liver and Kidneys. The coolest alcohol is beer but it is also very Damp producing which masks the Heat. Next is wine, where white is cooler than red. Spirits are the hottest and can be offset with a mixer although patients should bear in mind that orange juice is also Hot and Damp producing. Fermented drinks are generally better than non-fermented, e.g. champagne digests easier than prosecco.

Raw Food Diet

In theory, a raw food diet makes sense and is certainly a very healthy diet in regions of hotter climates. Sadly in the UK, our seasons tend to be on the cooler side and people do not have as much Yang energy outwith the summer. Therefore, it is important to prepare the food in a way to fully uptake it’s nutrition. There is little value in eating the best quality raw organic produce if that person is suffering from diarrhoea caused by a weak Spleen.