Beginner’s guide to TCM food classification
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Food is the cornerstone of life. It nourishes by providing needed vitamins and minerals. It allows children to grow and can enhance longevity.
In traditional Chinese medicine, food is used to prevent and treat illnesses. Each food is categorized into either yang or yin. The categories refer to temperature, taste and herbal content.
Eva Zhang, a TCM consulting doctor, herbalist and acupuncturist at Shanghai East International Medical Center, explains the finer points of yang and yin foods and herbs.
“Yang means the food is warm or hot,” she says. “This is an inherent property, not necessarily referring to the surface temperature of the food. Likewise, the effect of a food or herb is not always related to its flavor.”
She cites broccoli as an example, which is classified as “bitter,” and millet, which is classified as “salty.” Taste relates to an intrinsic quality, although in most cases, the two will coincide, she adds.
The taste of yang foods can be pungent, sweet or bland. Foods in that category are more likely to be seasonal products plentiful in the winter. These foods should be cooked by stir-frying, stewing, baking, deep-frying, roasting, grilling or barbecuing. They give the body energy, causing heat to rise.
“Yin, on the other hand, refers to foods that are considered cool or cold, and with a taste that is sour, bitter or salty,” Zhang says. “These foods are most plentifully found in the summer, and are often eaten raw or steamed. Yin foods restrain the body’s energy, causing heat to abate.”
There are also many foods with very mild yin and yang traits. These foods are considered “neutral.” Examples include rice, corn, kale and carrots.
“Even if you do not have detailed knowledge of yin and yang, consuming a broad range of foods will give you a balance,” she says.
Foods can be harmful or cause illnesses such as allergies, food poisoning and lactose intolerance in some people or under certain conditions. The times we eat and the amount of food we consume can also negatively affect the digestive system. It’s not good to go too long without eating, or to gorge and drink too much at one sitting. Overeating one type of food can also produce negative effects.
Sometimes certain foods just don’t agree with specific bodies.
“Traditional Chinese medicine believes that individual bodies may be inclined to either ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ constitutions,” she says.
Those on the “hot” side may experience more constipation, heartburn or mouth ulcers. If that is the case, they should avoid foods that raise the heat of the body. This includes spicy foods, coffee or hot soups. By contrast, people who are in the “cold” spectrum may get upset stomachs from drinking too many cold beverages and eating ice cream. They should avoid raw or cold foods.
Eating too much from only one flavor group can negatively affect various organs. For example, eating only spicy foods can make people sweat too much and reduce water content in the body, making the lungs dry out. Likewise, too much salt in a diet can negatively affect the filtering process of the kidneys.
Undigested food in the digestive tract can lead to chronic ailments. This may happen if food is not digested properly and particles become stuck in the intestines. Signs that food has accumulated in the digestive tract may include poor appetite, belching or gas with a foul odor, bloating or diarrhea. In severe cases, painful heartburn with a bitter taste in the throat and mouth can occur.
If remedial steps are not taken, gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, pancreatitis and gallstones may occur. Polyps may also develop in the colon, leading to colon cancer.
Foods and herbs have specific therapeutic actions beyond their temperature, color and taste. A food may either tonify, or strengthen, a particular substance or function in the body or it may reduce or regulate the influence of a pathological condition.
Lychee, for example, reduces cold and regulates blood circulation to treat pigmentation on the face. Kidney beans tonify yang. Therefore, considering all the qualities of the food we eat is important to fully understand their therapeutic effects.
Putting out the summer fire
People are likely to have excessive “internal fire” in summer, so food that reduces heat is beneficial.
“‘Internal fire’ is important to the body, but too much can cause symptoms like eye dryness, ulcers and red facial rash,” says Liu Jianguo, director of Shanghai Ren’ai Hospital’s traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation department. “A proper diet is important to avoid bad effects.”
In hot weather, people should avoid eating too much sweet, rich food, while adding more yellow and green vegetables and seasonal fruit to their diets. “Bitter” vegetables like balsam pears and lettuce, fruits like apricots, grapefruit and aloe, and drinks like tea are helpful. Cucumber congee is also helpful in reducing internal heat.
“It can also eliminate bad breath,” Liu says. “And drink plenty of water. Pressure on the zhaohai point, on the inner side of the foot, is effective in easing body heat.”
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