About TCM Food Therapy
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) food therapy (食疗, shí liáo) is a holistic approach to health that uses food as a form of medicine. Unlike Western nutrition, which focuses primarily on calories, vitamins, and macronutrients, TCM food therapy classifies food based on its energetic properties, flavors, and effects on the body.
This approach is based on the idea that food is not only nourishment, but also medicine for the body, meaning that one's diet can prevent or heal imbalances in the body. This approach has been practiced for thousands of years in China and is still widely used today.
By choosing the right foods, you can balance your body's energy, strengthen your organs, and prevent illness.
Core Principles of TCM Food Therapy
TCM food therapy is based on two fundamental concepts: Yin & Yang and the Five Elements.
Yin and Yang in Food
In ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang represent two complementary and contrasting forces that are believed to make up all aspects of the universe, with yin representing darkness, coldness, passivity, and femaleness, and yang representing light, warmth, activity, and maleness.
In this context, yin foods are cooling, hydrating, and nourishing. Think of foods like watermelon, cucumber, and tofu. Conversely, yang foods are warming, energizing, and stimulating. Some examples include ginger, lamb, and chili peppers.
With TCM food therapy, the goal is to maintain a yin-yang balance in the body by not eating too many yin foods or too many yang foods at the same time.
The Five Elements & Food (五行饮食wǔháng yǐnshí)
In TCM, foods are categorized based on the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each element corresponds to a season, organ system, and type of food.
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Wood → Spring, Liver → Sour foods like citrus fruits, green vegetables.
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Fire → Summer, Heart → Bitter foods like dark leafy greens, tea.
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Earth → Late Summer, Spleen → Sweet foods like pumpkin, rice.
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Metal → Autumn, Lung → Spicy foods like garlic, onion.
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Water → Winter, Kidney → Salty foods like seaweed, black beans.
