Eat Right for your Body Type according to TCM

From the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, eating a healthy balanced diet is quite different from the standard Western Medicine view of proteins, carbohydrates, nutrients and vitamins. In TCM, having balance and harmony are key and a well balanced diet consists of all 5 tastes- sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter. All foods and herbs have a particular taste as well as an energetic temperature which can help heal our bodies.

The concept of balanced Yin and Yang energies in TCM are important in achieving optimal health. Yin is slower, soft, cold, passive, feminine, earth, night and the moon. Yang is faster, hard, hot, aggressive, masculine, sky, day and the sun. The bodily organs and foods we eat all have a Yin or Yang nature and we need to choose the right foods to gain harmony within the body. Yin organs store bodily materials such as blood, fluids or qi/energy; Yang organs are ones that control functionality. Any organ can suffer from excess yang or deficient yin due to external or internal factors but with the consumption of the appropriate foods, it can be rebalanced. Each individual also can be more yin or yang nature, for example a yang person can be easily excited, active, irritable and restless whereas a yin person is more easily tired, less active and quieter. Eating for your yin/yang nature can help rebalance these forces to allow for better functioning of your digestive system, metabolism, energy levels etc.

As mentioned earlier, food has an energetic nature which can be described as cold or hot, yin or yang. Yang foods (ex: alcohol, excess sugar, beef etc ) are stimulating to the body and consuming too much can stress the organs. Yin foods (green leafy greens, cucumbers, pears etc) are calming and have a sedative influence on the organs. When a person has excess yang , eating foods or herbs rich in yin energy would benefit them, vice versa for someone with yin deficiency. Summer is yang, therefore eating more cooling yin foods would be appropriate to cool the body. Winter is yin and eating hot yang foods would warm the body. However due to different individual constitutions, eating cooling yin foods during winter may be more suitable for certain conditions. During a nutritional consult, the practitioner will assess what body constitution a particular person has and advise of nutritional changes most beneficial for their body type.

Since food is essential in feeding the body, it needs to be properly assimilated in order for it to exert its healing functions. Proper digestion of food is required but how do you know when your digestive system is working properly?

Constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomit, bad breath, burping, bloating, cramping, smelly flatulence, heart burn, mouth ulcers or regular skin breakouts along the jawline (on or beneath) are signs of a poor digestive system. If you are experiencing these symptoms on a semi-regular to regular basis, it is time to change your diet to boost its digestive function so long term ill effects don’t occur such as nutrient deficiencies or imbalanced body energies that can lead to other negative health issues.