Each food has its own characteristics. In very ancient times Chinese TCM practitioners used specific foods to balance the body’s yin and yang and to treat disease. Because Chinese medicine discovered that most foods have either cooling or warming characteristics so when you eat cooling foods, it is adding cooling effects to your body and eating warm foods will adding warming effects to your body so they can be used to balance the body which may be deficient in yin or yang. Chinese medicine has divided food into three characteristics;
1) cooling food
2) warming food
3) balanced food (neither cool nor warm)

1) Effects of cooling foods

Cooling food has effects of clearing heat and toxins, cooling and calming the blood and nourishing yin. These types of food are suitable for people who have heat constitution of the body. Usually these people have the following symptoms; The body feeling hot, perspiration, thirst, constipation, pungent wind and stool, burning of the anus area after bowl movement, anxiety, red eyes, red face, emotional, head aches, vivid dreams, ulcers in the mouth or tongue, cold sore’s around the mouth, red tongue with a thick yellow coating on the tongue, rapid pulse, heart burn and dark or yellow urine.

If you have any of the symptoms listed above, the following cooling foods are suitable to be eaten;

Cooling foods:
Celery, chinese radish, cabbage, cucumber, tomato, mushrooms, eggplant, green vegetables, spinach, bananas, pear, oranges, apples, kiwi fruit, winter-melon, watermelon, sweet melon, chicken eggs, duck eggs, rabbit, crabs, seaweed, green tea, peppermint tea, mung beans, lotus root and tofu.

2) Effects of warming foods

Warming foods have the effects of raising the yang, energy (qi) of organs and warming and improving the circulation and dispelling the cold. These types of food are suitable for people who are yang deficient. Usually with the following symptoms; cold hand, cold feet, cold body, diarrhea, stomach pains or discomfort after eating or drinking cold things, bloating after eating, lack of energy, sore joints, oedema and fluid retention.

If you have any of the following symptoms listed above, it is suitable to eat more of the following foods;

Warming foods
Onion, chives, ginger, spring onions, garlic, chilli, pumpkin, coconut, cherries, peaches, dates, nectarine, lamb, deer, chicken, ham, goat milk, prawns and pepper.

3) Foods which are neither warm nor cold, and are suitable for any type of body;

Neutral foods:
Chinese cabbage, carrots, sweet potato, potato, black mushrooms, peanuts, olives, lemons, grapes, plums, sunflower seeds, pork, beef, duck, fish, oysters and cow milk.

The food we eat affects our body’s balance, in the clinic we find that many diseases are caused by eating the wrong foods. Therefore it is important to know your own body’s constitution so you can find out what foods are best for you. If you do not know your constitution you can make a visit to an experienced TCM practitioner to find out.

Traditional Chinese medicine also believes that during different seasons we should eat more certain cooling or warming foods which can help to combat the changing weather. As chinese medicine also considers that human body and health are associated with the environment, so changes in the weather can affect our body and therefore our health. For example, in summer, it is very hot and dry, which can cause the body to acquire heat and can dry out our body leading to dry skin, constipation and lack of fluid in the body. Thus if we eat more cooling food, it can balance the body which has been attacked by the hot summer.

Usually we suggest you to eat local seasonal fruit and vegetables as they are most suitable for the body during a particular season.