6. ENERGETICS & NUTRITION

Question 1

What are the 4 fundamental energetic qualities?

Answer 1

Cold, Heat, Dryness, Moisture

Question 2

How does the following energetic qualities manifest in the body:
a) Heat
b) Cold
c) Dryness
d) Moisture

Answer 2

a) Body heat, Good circulation, Strong digestion, mental creativity, courage, motivation.
b) Firm tisues, Strong bones and muscles, mental stability, endurance, resilience, reliable.
c) Healthy nerve impules, lightness, agility, adaptability.
d) Healthy body fluids and mucus membranes, feelings of love and contentment.

Question 3

Between which two energetic qualities lies the balance point where vital force is most active?

Answer 3

Slightly towards heat (fire) and moist (water)

Question 4

What can increase heat in the body?

Answer 4

Hot climates/seasons, hot food and drink, herbs and spices, oily foods, red meats, coffee.

Question 5

List three herbs and spices that are considered ‘heating’.

Answer 5

Chilli, ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme

Question 6

What can increase cold in the body?

Answer 6

Cold climates/seasons, cold food and drink, raw foods, bitter foods

Question 7

List three possible signs of:

1. Excess heat in the body.
2. Excess cold in the body.

Answer 7

1. Redness, burning, acute infection, inflammation, yellow discharge, loose stool, over-excitement, irritability, anger, competiveness.
2. Pale, cold, weak digestion, low energy, muscle spasms, emotional withdrawal.

Question 8

Name four conditions that result from excess heat

Answer 8

Cystitis, sinusitis, hypertension, autoimmunity, menopause, migraines, acid reflux, gastritis, ulcers, IBD, infections, stress, anger.

Question 9

In the case of excess heat, what should:

a) be avoided
b) be increased

in terms of diet

Answer 9

a) Hot foods, pungent spices, stimulants (coffee, alcohol), red meat, oily foods, processed, bbq food.
b) Salads, raw foods, bitter herbs, smoothies. Fresh air, fasting and detoxification also balance excess heat.

Question 10

What would you recommend to balance heat in acute situations, and why is this beneficial?

Answer 10

Warmth - warm teas, spices, warm wraps.
To promote sweating and release of toxins.

Question 11

What are signs of excess cold?

Answer 11

Pale, cold, weak digestion, low energy, muscle spasms, emotionally withdrawn

Question 12

Name four conditions that manifests from excess cold

Answer 12

Poor circulation (raynauds), poor digestion (IBS, low appetite), menstrual pain, hypothyroidism, weight gain, stiffness, poor memory, low concentration, depression, fatigue.

Question 13

In order to balance excess cold, what should:

a) be reduced
b) be increased

Answer 13

a) cold raw foods, smoothies, bitter herbs, frozen foods.
b) warming food and drinks, herbs, spices (ginger, cumin, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, cinammon) saunas, vigorous exercise, oil massages.

Question 14

Give 2 examples of foods that are considered:
a) Neutral
b) Cool

Answer 14

a) Steamed grains, boiled veg, water at room temp, chicken.

b) Fish, fermented foods, sprouts, salad leaves, peppermint tea, veg juice, bitter greens.

Question 15

How do plants grow if they are of a warmer energetic quality?

Answer 15

Slowly and in cold temperatures.

Question 16

What increases dryness in the body?

Answer 16

Dry & windy climates, light & crunchy foods, starchy grains, Legumes, astringent herbs

Question 17

Name an example of an astringent herb

Answer 17

Green tea, cinnamon

Question 18

Name the qualities of Yin?

Name the qualities of Yang

when yin and Yang is out of balance it is called?

Answer 18

Yin cold, moist, matter, contraction, descending, nourishing water.

Yang - hot, dry, energy, expansion, rising, moving, fire.

Yin and Yang is out of balance called dis-ease

Question 19

• What increases moistness in the body?
• Name two foods that are considered very damp.
• Give two examples of a mucilaginous herb/food?

Answer 19

• Wet climates, moist foods (porridge, soups, smoothies) high water veg & fruit, mucilaginous foods and herbs.
• Dairy, refined carbs and gluten
• Okra, linseeds, aloe vera, slippery elm

Question 20

• What are signs of excess dryness?
• Name three conditions manifested from excess dryness?
• What can balance excess dryness?
• What should be avoided in excess dryness?

Answer 20

• weight loss, dry skin, dry mucus membranes, bloating, gas, fear, anxiety, hyperactivity
• osteoarthritis, dry itchy skin conditions, dry mouth, dry sinuses, dry throat, dry cough, IBS, Constipation, gall, kidney stones, tremors, anxiety, insomnia
• Fluids, soups, smoothies, high water content fruit and veg, root veg, nut milk, mucilaginous foods/herbs, herbal teas, liquorice, live yoghurt
• light, dry foods, starchy grains, astringent herbs, too many hot spices.

Question 21

• What are signs of excess moisture?
• Which conditions are caused by excess moisture?
• What should be advised to decrease when balancing moisture?
• What should be increased to balance moisture?

Answer 21

• weight gain, fluid retention, watery discharges, mucus, lethargy, lumps and cysts, possessive & sentimental
• obesity, oedema, cysts, benign tumour, lymphoedema, hay fever, allergies, phlegm, excess sweat, productive cough.
• soups, smoothies, dairy, sweet & high water content fruit and veg, refined sugars and carbs, mucilaginous foods.
• dry, light and crunchy foods, astringent herbs, warming & drying spices (cinnamon, ginger, horseradish)

Question 22

Red oozing skin conditions and excess sweating are a combination of which two energetic qualities?

Answer 22

heat and moisture

Question 23

Match the following with the correct energetic quality:

1. Courageous
2. Resilient
3. Kind
4. Adaptable

[Heat / Cold / Moist / Dry]

Answer 23

1. Courageous = heat
2. Resilient = dry
3. Kind = moisture
4. Adaptable = cold

Question 24

Excess cold and dryness may manifest as?

Answer 24

IBS, weak digestion, gas, bloating, constipation, and anxiety.

Question 25

Give an example of a warming way to prepare food?

Answer 25

stir fry, slow cook, bake, steam, roast

Question 26

Hot weeping skin lesions with clear exudate are a sign of which energetic?

Answer 26

Damp

Question 27

Give an example of a skin condition in excess heat constitution?

Answer 27

Red lesions, secondary infection, yellow exudate

Question 28

Stuck, difficult to clear, degenerative lung disease is a sign of?

Answer 28

Excess Cold

Question 29

A dry respiratory condition can show signs of what?

Answer 29

dry, irritable non-productive cough, brown catarrh

Question 30

Stiff, clicking and cracking joints is a sign of which excess?

Answer 30

Dry

Question 31

Musculoskeletal injuries benefit from?

Answer 31

Alternating applications of hot and cold compresses

Question 32

Describe the meaning of Yin and Yang?

Answer 32

The Chinese concepts of dualism and balance & opposite forces which are distinct but also related and connected to one another.

Question 33

Yin and Yang theory provide an accessible language for describing which 3 principles?

Answer 33

1. The qualities of living beings and their environments.
2. Patterns of health and disease.
3. The properties of foods and other medicines.

Question 34

1. Which one is cooling and nourishing- yin or yang?
2. List three cooling foods.
3. Name as many nourishing foods as you can.

Answer 34

1. Yin
2. bitter, leafy greens, watery fruit and veg such as pear, melon, celery.
3. soups, stews, broths, braised meats, dark leafy greens, fruit, yoghurt, honey, oyster, tempeh, nut milks, sesame

Question 35

What properties do Yang foods have?

Answer 35

Warming, drying or moving

Question 36

Name three examples of damp clearing foods.

Answer 36

Non-gluten grains, mushrooms, fennel seed or cinnamon tea, horseradish, black radish, ginger, seeds (mustard, cumin, cardamom, star anise), Szechuan pepper

Question 37

What are the 4 principle imbalances of Yin-Yang?

Answer 37

1. Excess yang
2. Deficient Yin
3. Excess Yin
4. Deficient Yang

Question 38

1. What are the signs and symptoms of excess yang?
2. What lifestyle advice would you give in a case of excess yang?
3. What facial, tongue and stool observation would be seen in Yang deficiency?

Answer 38

1. Red face, hypertension, anger, headaches, feeling hot, thirst, constipation
2. Avoid stress, strong exercise, hot yoga. Instead: walking, gentle yoga, Qi gong
3. Face: Tired, chilly, pale. Tongue: pale, swollen, wet. Stool: Loose.

Question 39

1. What is the aetiology of excess Yin?
2. What are the signs and symptoms of excess Yin?
3. What you would expect to see in a yin deficiency tongue?
4. Which food a yin-deficient person should avoid?

Answer 39

1. Cold diet or chronic exposure to cold.
2. Sharp pains, cramps, pale / pale-blue complexion, feeling cold all the time, constipation
3. Red, cracked, dry tongue
4. Sugar, alcohol, coffee, hot spices, fried food, onion, garlic

Question 40

Explain how energetic qualities change across a life-cycle, and how lifestyle advice you give will differ between:
1. Childhood
2. Teenage & adulthood
3. Mature years
4. Old age

Answer 40

1. Childhood is dominated by moisture. Reduce (as much as possible): Dairy, sweet or high water content fruit and vegetables, refined sugars and carbohydrates. Increase: Light, crunchy and dry foods, whole grains, vegetables, and aromatic spices such as peppermint (if tolerated).
2. Teenage years & adulthood are dominated by heat. Reduce: Very hot food and drink, pungent spices such as chilli, dry ginger, red meat, oily foods, stimulants such as coffee and alcohol. Increase: Salads, raw food, green smoothies, bitter vegetables and detoxifying herbs.
3. Mature years are dominated by dryness. Reduce: Light foods such as biscuits, legumes that increase gas, starchy grains. Astringent herbs such as green tea, too many hot spices. Increase: Soups, stews and smoothies, sweet and high water-content fruit and veg, root vegetables, nut milks, mucilaginous okra, chia and linseeds, liquorice, most herbal teas.
4. Old age is dominated by coldness. Reduce: Frozen and refrigerated foods and drinks, too many cold, raw and ‘bitter’ leafy foods, cold smoothies, sushi. Increase: Warm, cooked and mildly-spiced food and drinks that increase body temperature, digestive power and circulation.

Question 41

Explain how energetic qualities change across the seasons, and how diet needs to adjust across the year to keep us in balance:
1. Spring
2. Summer
3. Autumn
4. Winter

Answer 41

1. Spring is dominated by moisture. Reduce: Dairy, high water-content fruit and vegetables, gluten, refined sugars and carbs. Increase: Light, crunchy, dry food, whole grains, vegetables, spices. (Ideal time to detox, using nettles and cleavers)
2. Summer is dominated by heat. Reduce: Red meat, oily foods, stimulants. Increase: Salads, raw foods, green smoothies, bitter vegetables and detoxifying herbs.
3. Autumn is dominated by dryness Reduce: Light, dry foods such as biscuits, gas-forming legumes, astringent green tea, hot spices. Increase: Warm and hearty soups, stews, broths, root veg, high water-content fruit and veg, sweet herbs such as liquorice, herbal teas.
4. Winter is dominated by cold. Reduce: Refrigerated and frozen foods, iced
   drinks, cold, raw food, leafy foods, sushi. Increase: Warm cooked, spiced food and drinks to raise temperature, digestive power and circulation.

Question 42

Why is focusing on an individual’s innate constitution helpful?

Answer 42

• Our constitution gives characteristic strengths, which can be used to our advantage in life.
• However, the constitution also gives a
  tendency to certain types of problems.
• Staying in good health depends on making appropriate diet and lifestyle choices to balance rather than aggravate our constitution.

Question 43

What would you expect the character to be of those with the following innate constitutions:
a) Hot
b) Cold
c) Dry
d) Moist

Answer 43

a) Fiery disposition, motivated, energetic, courageous.
b) Cool, composed, steady nature.
c) Quick, light and adaptable nature.
d) Calm, reliable, loving nature.

Question 44

Which constitution would be more prone to poor circulation, tense muscles, weak digestion?

Answer 44

Cold

Question 45

True or false:

Those with MOIST constitutions should increase foods such as dairy, cold smoothies and mucilaginous foods such as chia, linseed and okra.

Answer 45

False

Question 46

Breathing exercises and more social interaction is good lifestyle advice for those with which innate constitution?

Answer 46

Dry constitution

Question 47

Which constitution type is most prone to inflammation, stress,
irritability, anger and over-acidity?

Answer 47

Hot

Question 48

True or False:

COLD types should reduce raw and bitter leafy foods whilst increasing spices such as ginger and cinnamon.

Answer 48

True

Question 49

Is it possible to have one constitution but suffer imbalances of other energetic qualities? Explain.

Answer 49

Yes, because diet and lifestyle excesses can shift us in any direction.
For example:
* If someone with a hot constitution uses too many raw, cold foods, in cold climates and seasons, they can eventually get cold problems such as weak digestion and cold extremities.
* If someone with dry constitution eats too many sugars and refined carbs in wet climates and seasons, they can eventually get damp problems such as mucus congestion and weight gain.

Question 50

How should an energetic imbalance which differs from an innate constitution be treated?

Answer 50

In this situation, focus first on the quality that is aggravated. Once balance is restored return to general constitutional
recommendations, but avoid extremes.

Question 51

What energetic quality does all acute conditions share? Name two typical states where this will manifest.

Answer 51

Heat.
Injury, infection, inflammation
(fever, redness, yellow discharges)

Question 52

What approach would you take in the case of acute HEAT?

Answer 52

Always address the heat first using WARM treatments:
- Teas, baths and blankets promote sweating which stimulates immunity and cools the body in fevers.
- External warming rubs containing aromatic herbs (tiger balm, ginger), especially when alternated with cold treatments, reduce inflammation and pain.
- Once acute phase passes return to constitutional advice.

Question 53

Why is an understanding of ‘energetic’ constitution important?

Answer 53

If we understand the ‘energetic’ constitution we can live in a way that keeps the body and mind in balance.
- Only when we are balanced is our Vital Force, immunity and homeostasis strong and stable.
- What constitution and energetics teach us is that there is no general pattern of illness, nor one correct way to eat and live, per se. We all have different risks and different requirements across the seasons and across a lifetime

Question 54

Suggest FOUR important pieces of an energetic dietary and lifestyle advice for a client who has:
1. a HOT constitution; experiencing GORD.
2. a COLD constitution with weak digestion & cramping IBS pains.
3. a DRY constitution with stiff painful joints.
4. a DAMP constitution wanting to lose some weight.

Answer 54

1. HOT: Increase water, raw foods, leafy greens, bitter detoxifying herbs. Reduce oily foods, red meat, chemical additives, stimulants. Lifestyle: gentle forms of yoga, tai chi, and exercise in fresh air.
2. COLD: Increase warm drinks, cooked foods and spices. Reduce refrigerated, frozen foods, iced drinks, raw and bitter leafy foods. Lifestyle: get ‘fired up’ with more vigorous (cardiovascular) exercise.
3. DRY: Increase fluids, stews, soups, smoothies, mild aromatic spices, okra, chia, linseeds, liquorice. Reduce light food, legumes, astringent herbs (e.g. green tea). Lifestyle: Recommend breathing exercises and more social interaction.
4. DAMP: Increase whole grains, warm, dry, spicy foods. Reduce dairy, sweet / watery fruit and veg, refined sugars, carbs, okra, gluten, chia and linseeds. Lifestyle: challenge themselves
   and take more risks in life (i.e. be adventurous).

Question 55

Name three other important aspects of food energetics that can enable practitioners to fine-tune their dietary recommendations.

Answer 55

• Direction: Foods have different energetic ‘vectors’. Namely ascending, descending, centring, consolidating or spreading out to the exterior.
• Flavour: Bitter, sweet, sour, pungent, salty.
• Organ affinity: Different foods support specific organs by virtue of their flavour, colour or appearance [doctrine of signatures].

Question 56

Name four foods that are considered ascending. When should these be avoided?

Answer 56

Hot foods such as spices, onion, garlic, coffee, chocolate, alcohol and sugar. Avoid with heat signs: Headache, hypertension, infection.
[Also considered ascending, are stalky vegetables that grow fast and upwards i.e., celery, asparagus, broccoli, parsley and sprouted seeds / beans.]

Question 57

Which food preparation methods can give food an ascending vector, thereby adding warming energy to a meal?

Answer 57

Stir-frying vegetables and dry-roasting grains

Question 58

Name four foods with descending quality and give one example of how they can be used therapeutically

Answer 58

• ‘Cooling’ foods: cucumber, watermelon, strawberry, raw food and veg juice.
• Descending root vegetables such as carrots or parsnips.
• Bitter foods such as spinach, rocket, kale, radicchio, radishes, cabbage, lemon (clears heat)
• Example: Bitter leaves, with a splash of olive oil, relieve constipation by supporting the descending function of the digestive system.

Question 59

For which conditions are centering foods useful and how are they best prepared to help center and ground us?

Answer 59

For weak digestion, dehydration and feeling cold.
Wet cooking methods (steaming, boiling, braising) nourish and warm the centre / digestion,
i.e., soup, stew, porridge, steamed / boiled veg.

Question 60

Which kind of food spreads out to the exterior and how are they therapeutically useful?

Answer 60

Hot spicy food, black pepper, ginger, chilli.
They can help the lungs expel pathogens and excess mucus. They induce sweat, support digestion of mucus-forming foods, promote circulation to the muscles and cold limbs and extremities. Useful in colds and flu.

Question 61

What types of food are useful for chronic fatigue, deep cold, chronic illness and old age.

Answer 61

Consolidating foods such as nuts, seeds and bone broth.
Roasting vegetables or meat consolidates their volume and intensifies taste. It is the best cooking method for systems that need consolidation and rebuilding.

Question 62

Food with which energetic signature can be prescribed for someone who has weak digestion, feels cold and exhausted?

Answer 62

Centring.
Round-shaped foods such as celeriac, sweet potato, squash, beetroot, Jerusalem artichokes, hazelnuts have affinity with the abdomen and are centring. So are warm water and herbal teas.

Question 63

List the five main food flavours and the organ each has an affinity for.

Answer 63

Bitter = Heart
Sweet = Spleen (Spleen in Chinese Medicine refers to the digestive system)
Sour = Liver
Pungent = Lungs
Salty = Kidneys (including adrenals)

Question 64

Which bitter foods can be used therapeutically and how do they function?

Answer 64

Foods such as spinach, rocket, kale, radicchio, radishes, cabbage, lemon, citrus peel, bitter herbs such as gentian.
* Drains and dries dampness and clears heat.
* Stimulates appetite, digestive juices, clears cholesterol, candida, inflammation and infection.
* Clears heat from the lungs and liver, and bitterness from the heart.

Question 65

What can sugar cravings indicate?

Answer 65

Sugar cravings indicate digestive weakness. Giving in to them further compromises digestion. Substitute sugar with naturally sweet fruit and veg, raw honey, stevia, molasses.

Question 66

True or false:

Sour foods cause internal heat, over-contraction and stasis.

Answer 66

False.
Sour food is cooling for internal heat. It also helps digest fatty foods and increases absorption by stimulating gallbladder and pancreas secretions.
In moderate quantities, sour moves energy, but excess can cause over-contraction and stasis.

Question 67

List four pungent foods that promote circulation and move energy upwards and outwards.

Answer 67

1. ginger
2. black pepper
3. mustard
4. cayenne

Also: horseradish; onion

Question 68

True or False:

Salt is beneficial for adrenal fatigue

Answer 68

True.

sea / rock salt, not refined table salt!

Question 69

In which conditions should salt be avoided?

Answer 69

In damp states such as hypertension or oedema.

Question 70

What is the ‘doctrine of signatures’?
Give two examples.

Answer 70

The link between appearance and effects, whereby plants and foods carry ‘signs’ of their properties.
Examples:
* Kidney beans have affinity with the kidneys, due to their ‘kidney’ shape and colour.
* Fruit, in general, supports the lungs because they grow in the canopy of trees, and trees are the same shape as lungs.

Question 71

Name four types of food that have an affinity with the digestive system

Answer 71

1. Sweet foods [whole grain rice, oat, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, sweet potato, squash, root veg]
2. Wet-cooked foods [soup, stew, porridge, dahl]
3. Round-shaped foods [beetroot, celeriac, yam, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts]
4. Spices [ginger, cinnamon, cumin, caraway, cardamom]

Question 72

Name four foods that can be used therapeutically for lung conditions.

Answer 72

1. Broccoli and cauliflower
2. Pungent foods: black pepper, ginger, chilli, spring onions, garlic.
3. Roasted almonds, pine nuts and thyme.
4. Yoghurt, honey, rye sourdough bread and fruit moisten the lungs.

Question 73

Which food that has an affininty with the adrenals can be used to support hormonal health?

Answer 73

Cold-pressed oils

Question 74

List five foods that support the kidneys

Answer 74

1. Kidney beans & black beans
2. (black) sesame and chia seeds
3. walnuts & chestnuts
4. nut milks
5. fish & shellfish

Also: seaweed, miso, mushrooms, rock and sea salt

Question 75

Which foods should be cosumed to support the liver and why?

Answer 75

• Dark leaves and vegetables help build the blood, while their bitter taste helps clear heat (i.e., spinach, sorrel, rocket, kale, chard, artichokes, brussels sprouts, celery, parsley, asparagus, broccoli, coriander, bay leaf, basil, sage, rosemary).
• Red-coloured foods build the blood (i.e. raisins, red dates, red grapes, berries, rosehips, beetroot, beans, lentils and vegetable juices).

Question 76

Which foods are said to support the emotional heart and can uplift the spirit?

Answer 76

Pistachio, poppy seeds, rose, vanilla, lotus seeds.

Question 77

When could seemingly healthy food fail to nourish an individual?

What does the therapist need to keep in mind other than the nutritional value of food?

Answer 77

• When it goes against an individual’s energetics.
• If the individual feels aversion towards them.
• When eating is a chore.

Remember: Food should be a source of pleasure, and cooking an expression of love for oneself and for those we prepare food for. Sometimes less healthy foods inspire hope and healing if a individual delights in them. Don’t be too strict with yourself and clients.

Question 78

What energy of the following is dominated by?

Childhood
Teenage
Mature
Old Age

Answer 78

Moisture
Heat
Dryness
Coldness