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The three pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are nutrition, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Good nutrition is the easiest way to create and maintain the body’s health and wellness. Chinese dietary therapy introduces practical and system balancing recommendations for a healthy, holistic diet. In TCM, the stomach and the digestive system (spleen/pancreas) forms the basis for the health of the whole body. The digestive system is responsible for the intake of food, and the proper assimilation of that food into nutrients for energy and building the body (blood, fluids, muscle, and brain power!)
In TCM energy is a central concept. Foods that are energetically rich are the most important. This includes fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating locally grown produce and products available seasonally is one way to incorporate healthy items into your diet. Whole grains and rice are also important. Fresh fish and poultry are good proteins, in addition to tofu and beans/legumes. Red meat should be eaten sparingly as well as fats and sweets.
The TCM concept of yin and yang describes the energetic balance of foods, and is central to Chinese dietary therapy. Yin is darkness, yang is light. Yin is the shady side of a hill, while yang is the sunny side of a hill. Yin is moist and cooling, while yang is acrid and hot. Therefore, yin foods are important to eat in the summer (a yang time); to offset the heat, and yang foods are important to eat in the winter to offset the cold. Yin foods include cucumber, watermelon, salads, and fruits. Yang foods are beef, garlic onions, and coffee. Chinese dietary therapy is about balancing the yin and yang, and the five flavors…this is easy!
The five flavors are sweet (earth), acrid (metal), salty (water), sour (wood) and bitter (fire), which correspond to the five phases. The thermal nature of foods includes hot, warm, neutral, cool and cold. Balancing the five flavors and the thermal natures of foods within a meal promote easy digestion and assimilation of food in the body.
One easy way to balance the five flavors and utilize the thermal nature of foods is to eat in accordance with the seasons. In the summertime, eat locally grown and harvested fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Fruits and vegetables are usually yin foods and either neutral, cool or cold thermally. Another way to balance foods is to eat according to your constitution. It is often difficult to diagnose your own TCM pattern (constitutional imbalance) without a trained TCM practitioner (although not impossible!). For example: if a person has weak digestion (tendency to diarrhea, bloating, gas), tends to feel cold, has sluggish energy and is easily tired, a Chinese diagnosis could be one of deficiency and cold. This person has an excess of yin or is more yin in nature. In this case, a diet of more warming, tonic foods would be recommended (even in summer). This person may want to limit raw, cold salads and fruits and eat more stir fried veggies with garlic and ginger, white or brown rice, more soups and stews (lamb, chicken or beef) with black tea or wine.
For another example: if a person is always hungry, feels hot and sweaty, is easily irritated, has facial or body acne and headaches, a Chinese diagnosis could be one of excess heat. This person has an excess of yang energy. In this case, a diet of more cooling, moisturizing yin foods would be recommended. This person would need to limit warming foods such as red meats and poultry and concentrate on eating cooling foods such as watermelon, bananas and oranges, dandelion salads, cucumber, tofu and dairy products.
Deciphering Yin and Yang Foods
Balanced Watermelon Salad with feta and mint in a balsamic dressing (Summer)