Chinese Medicine Diet Therapy
Traditional Chinese Medicine views nutrition from its energetic effects on the body rather than purely its biochemistry. At the heart of the classification of foods is the theory of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang represent the two opposing polarities of the body and finding balance between these two forces leads to health. Balancing Yin and Yang is a primary focus in other Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Adding Chinese diet therapy to your acupuncture and herbal program can greatly enhance the outcome as you not only provide the raw materials necessary for healing, but also can avoid certain types of foods that could be irritating to your particular syndrome. Some foods are considered warm and tonifying to the body while other foods are considered cool or cold and moistening or detoxifying. Some foods are good at building Qi (energy) or blood while others nourish Yin and Yang. A trained acupuncturist or traditional Chinese medicine doctor can diagnose and identify TCM syndromes and then recommend a particular diet that compliments the acupuncture and herbal treatments being employed to resolve the disharmony.
The heart of Chinese diet therapy is to identify the imbalance in the body and then consume foods of the balancing energetic nature while avoiding foods that may aggravate the condition. A person who is diagnosed with a Yin deficiency for example, would be lacking in the cooling, moisturizing, nutritive, calming and/or feminine aspects of the body which could manifest in a large number of different conditions characterized by relatively excess Yang (hot, dry, active). These could include conditions such as insomnia, menopausal hot flashes, anxiety and restlessness, eczema, chronic low grade fever, etc. Treatments would involve using acupuncture that stimulate Yin as well as herbs and foods that are cooling, calming, and Yin nourishing while hot, stimulating, and drying foods that damage Yin and promote Yang such as spicy foods, alcohol, coffee would be avoided.
Yin represents the energy in the body responsible for moisturizing, calming, and cooling the body. When Yin is deficient, there is a relative excess of Yang energy resulting in symptoms of heat, dryness, and over activity. This type of heat in acupuncture/TCM theory is called deficiency heat and differs from full heat in that it arises from a deficiency of Yin.
In general choose from the following foods to tonify Yin:
- Most Grains: wheat, barley, millet, oats, amaranth, etc
- Most Vegetables: alfalfa sprouts, artichoke, asparagus, kelp, mung bean sprout, pea, potato,seaweed, beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, yam, zucchini
- Fruits: oranges, apples, peaches, avocados, bananas, lemons, limes, mangoes, pear, persimmons, pineapple, pomegranates, watermelon
- Beans: black beans, soya, kidney, adzuki, lima, mung, tofu
- Nuts and seeds: coconut and coconut milk, almonds, sesame seed, walnut, black sesame seed,
- Fish: fish in general but especially clams, squid, oysters, mussels, salmon, sardine
- Meat: beef, duck, chicken, pork, kidney
- Dairy: cheese, eggs, cow’s milk
- Seaweed: Spirulina, Chlorella, Seaweed, Kelp
- Oils and condiments: flax oil, honey, olive oil, coconut oil
Common supplements: American ginseng (not Siberian), royal jelly
Examples of every day western foods that can be used to build yin, include:
- Fresh Fruit Smoothies
- Green Drinks and Protein Drinks
Foods to avoid:
- Hot, Spicy, Stimulating foods: coffee, tea, alcohol, processed foods, spicy herbs.
Yang deficiency
Yang represents the energy in the body responsible for warming, stimulating, and drying the body. When Yang is deficient, there is a relative excess of Yin energy resulting in symptoms of cold, excess moisture, and inactivity. An acupuncturist diagnosing Yang deficiency would employ acupuncture to help stimulate and warm yang Qi while recommending warming Yang townifying herbs and foods. Spicy, aromatic, and warm, foods that are easily broken down into energy are generally considered good foods to tonify Yang.
In general choose from the following foods to tonify Yang:
- All grains including: quinoa, rice, wheat germ, etc.
- Vegetables: mustard greens, leek, onion, radish, garlic, scallion, chives, squash, sweet potato, turnip
- Fruit: cherry, litchi, peach, raspberry, strawberry
- Nuts and seeds: walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, pinenuts, pistachios
- Fish: anchovy, shrimp, lobster, mussel, prawn, trout
- Meat: beef, chicken, lamb, venison, kidney
- Herbs and spices: cinnamon, basil, horseradish, black pepper, ginger, cayenne, chive seed, clove, dill seed, fennel seed, fennugreek seed, garlic, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, tumeric, thyme, white pepper
- Beverages: chai tea, jasmine tea
Common supplements: Korean ginseng, malt sugar, vinegar
Foods to avoid:
- Cold foods such as an overabundance of raw vegetables, salads, smoothies and iced drinks.
