6. ENERGETICS & NUTRITION

Question 1

What are the 4 fundamental energetic qualities?

Answer 1

Cold, Heat, Dryness, Moisture

We need to learn how to eat again

Question 2

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

slide 5

Answer 2

a) Body heat, good circulation, strong digestion, hormones and enzymes production, mental creativity, courage, motivation.
b) Firm tissues, strong bones and muscles, stability of posture and of organ functions, mental stability, endurance, resilience, reliability.
c) Healthy nerve impulses, lightness, agility, adaptability, mental speed.
d) Healthy body fluids and mucus membranes, feelings of love and contentment, being at our ease.

Question 3

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

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Answer 3

Slightly towards heat (fire) and moist (water)

NB: point of pepsis

Question 4

What can increase heat in the body?

Answer 4

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

chili, ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme

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 and leafy foods, bitter detoxifying herbs

lettuce, chicory, rocket, green smoothies, fresh fruit, carrots (raw)

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, competitiveness.
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, fatigue, debility, poor concentration and memory

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

Sage is also a warming herb

Question 14

Give examples of :
* hot
* warm
* neutral
* cool
* cold foods

Answer 14

• HOT: Alcohol, coffee, chocolate, chilli, cayenne, dry ginger, garlic, grilled red meat, deep-fried food, hot spicy curry.
• WARM: Soup, meat / vegetable stew, beef, lamb, stir-fried or baked food, porridge, dahl, mild curry, onion, fresh ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, cumin, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, warm water, most herbal teas.
• NEUTRAL: Steamed grains, boiled vegetables, chicken, water at room temperature (= tepid T°).
• COOL: Fish, fermented food, sprouts, salad leaves, bitter greens, vegetable juice, fruit, peppermint tea.
• COLD: Raw food, smoothies, iced drinks, sushi.

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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

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

Question 16

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

Answer 16

Slowly and in cold temperatures.

ex: ginseng root, Siberian ginseng root, rhodiola (North of China)

Question 17

What increases dryness in the body?

Answer 17

• dry, windy climates and seasons,
• light, crunchy foods such
  as biscuits,
• starchy grains,
• gas-forming legumes and
• astringent herbs (green tea, cinnamon, containing tannins)

Question 18

Name an example of an astringent herb

Answer 18

Green tea, cinnamon

Question 19

Name the qualities of Yin?

Name the qualities of Yang

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

Answer 19

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 20

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

Answer 20

• 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

Mucilage: can’t break down and forms a slimy substance in the gut, which is very good for treating inflammation in the gut but also for treating the leaky gut. They act as gentle laxatives.

Question 21

• 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 21

• weight loss, dry skin, dry mucus membranes, bloating, gas, fear, anxiety, hyperactivity
• Osteoarthritis (stiff, rubbing
  and clicking joints) dry, flaking, itchy skin conditions, dandruff, wrinkled skin, dry mouth, sinuses and throat, dry cough, gas, bloating, IBS with constipation, gall / kidney stones, tremors, anxiety disorders, insomnia (waking early hours)
• Fluids, porridge, soups, broths, high water- content fruit and vegetables, root vegetables, nut milks, live yoghurt, ‘mucilaginous’ foods such as okra, chia and linseeds, sweet herbs such as liquorice, most herbal teas. Aloe vera gel and slippery elm are moistening
• Light, dry foods such as biscuits, rice cakes, popcorn, starchy grains, legumes that increase gas, and ‘astringent’ herbs such as green tea and cinnamon. Too many ‘hot’ spices also lead to dryness.

Question 22

• 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 22

• weight gain, fluid retention, watery discharges, mucus, lethargy, lumps and cysts, possessive & sentimental
• obesity, oedema, cysts, benign tumours, candida, lymphoedema, hay fever, allergies, phlegm, excess sweat, productive cough.
• soups, smoothies, dairy, sweet & high water content fruit and veg such as cucumber and melon, refined sugars and carbs, gluten, mucilaginous foods such as ripe banana, okra, gluten, chia, linseeds.
• dry, light and crunchy foods, legumes, whole non-gluten grains (oats, buckwheat, millet), ‘astringent’ herbs such as green tea, warming, drying spices (cinnamon, ginger, horseradish, most culinary herbs and spices)

I n TCM pregnancy is considered a dampness/moist condition.

Question 23

Red oozing skin conditions (such as eczema) and excess sweating are a combination of which two energetic qualities?

Answer 23

heat and moisture

Question 24

Match the following with the correct energetic quality:

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

[Heat / Cold / Moist / Dry]

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Excess cold and dryness may manifest as?

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Give an example of
* a warming way to prepare food?
* a moist way?

Answer 26

• stir fry, slow cook, bake, steam, roast
• Wet cooking methods, e.g., boiling, steaming soups, smoothies (cold and damp, but balanced by adding ginger, cinnamon etc.)

Question 27

Give an example of :
* a cool way to prepare food?
* a dry way?

Answer 27

• Raw, blending, sprouting, food served cold / at room temperature
• Grilling, baking, dry roasting

Question 28

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

Answer 28

Damp

Question 29

• Give an example of a skin condition in excess heat constitution?
• in excess cold condition?
• in excess dry condition?
• in excess damp condition?

Answer 29

• Red lesions, secondary infections (-itis), swelling, yellow exudate
• pale skin, cold extremities, slow wound healing, (ex varicose eczema, bad circulation)
• dry, flaky, psoriasis, itchy skin (dandruff, seborrheic eczema)
• pompholyx eczema (little vesicles), allergic hives, vesicles,
  Hot weeping skin lesions with clear exudate

Question 30

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

Answer 30

Excess Cold

Question 31

A dry respiratory condition can show signs of what?

Answer 31

dry, irritable non-productive cough, brown catarrh

Question 32

How is the catarrh of a damp respiratory condition?
Hot respiratory condition?

Answer 32

• Damp: productive cough, copious clear watery catarrh, allergic asthma
• Hot: acute bronchitis, bright yellow / green catarrh

Question 33

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

Answer 33

Dry

Question 34

Musculoskeletal injuries benefit from?

Answer 34

Alternating applications of hot and cold compresses

Question 35

Describe the meaning of Yin and Yang?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

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

Answer 36

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

Question 37

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 37

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 38

What properties do Yang foods have?

Answer 38

Warming, drying or moving

Question 39

Name three examples of damp clearing foods.

Answer 39

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

Question 40

What are the 4 principle imbalances of Yin-Yang?

Answer 40

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

Question 41

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

EXCESS YANG

the white surface becomes more important than the black one.

Answer 41

1. Signs and symptoms: Red face, hypertension, anger, headaches, feeling hot, thirst, constipation.
   - Tongue: Red, possibly with yellow coating.
   - Aetiology: Stress, diet, acute inflammation.
2. Avoid: Sugar, alcohol, coffee, black tea, fizzy drinks, red meats, hot spices, fried or greasy food, onion, garlic, processed foods.
   - Eat: Cooling Yin foods, bitter greens, watery fruit, melon, celery.
   - Lifestyle: Avoid stress, strong exercise, hot yoga (yoga carried out in a hot room). Consider moderate exercise i.e., walking, gentle yoga, Qi gong (Chinese system of gentle exercises and breathing)
3. Face: red ; tongue: red w/yellow coating; stool: constipation

Question 42

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

YANG DEFICIENCIES

the big white surface can not contain the small black ball which the expand.

Answer 42

• Signs and symptoms: Tired, chilly, pale, loose stool with undigested food, frequent pale urination, oedema, low libido, palpitations, lack of appetite.
• Tongue: Pale, swollen, wet.
• Aetiology: Chronic illness, old age, cold raw diet, chronic cold exposure.
• Avoid: Raw foods, salads, cold drinks, smoothies.
• Eat: Nourishing soups, stews, root veg, pumpkin, whole grains, spices, warm water, herbal teas.
• Lifestyle: Wrap up warm, avoid cold exposure, stress, overwork. Take hot baths, use hot water
  bottles, moderate exercise, such as walking or Qi gong.

Question 43

1. What is the aetiology of excess Yin?
2. What are the signs and symptoms of excess Yin?
3. Lifestyle advice for a excess yin?

EXCESS YIN

The black surface dominates the white one.

Answer 43

Signs and symptoms: Sharp pains, cramps, pale / pale-blue complexion, feeling cold all the time, constipation.
* Tongue: Blue, possibly with thick white coating.
* Aetiology: Cold diet or chronic exposure to cold.
* Avoid: Raw foods, salads, cold drinks, smoothies.
* Eat: Warming soups, stews, broths, warm water and herbal teas (e.g., ginger, cinnamon).
* Lifestyle: Always stay warm, hot baths, hot water bottles

Question 44

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

YIN DEFICIENCY

Answer 44

Signs and symptoms: Low grade fever, dry throat at night, night sweats, weight loss, malar flush.
* Tongue: Red, cracked, dry.
* Aetiology: Chronic illness, prolonged overwork,
old age, anaemia.
* Avoid: Sugar, alcohol, coffee, hot spices, fried food, onion, garlic.
* Eat: Yin nourishing foods such as soups, stews, broths, braised meats, dark leafy greens, fruit, yoghurt, honey, oyster, nut milks, sesame.
* Lifestyle: Sleep more, seek stillness. Avoid strong exercise or excessive sexual activity

Question 45

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 45

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 46

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 46

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 47

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

Answer 47

• 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 48

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

Answer 48

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

Question 49

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

Answer 49

Cold

Question 50

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 50

False

Question 51

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

Answer 51

Dry constitution

Question 52

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

Answer 52

Hot

Question 53

True or False:

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

Answer 53

True

Question 54

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

Answer 54

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 55

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

Answer 55

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

Question 56

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

Answer 56

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

Question 57

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

Answer 57

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 58

Why is an understanding of ‘energetic’ constitution important?

Answer 58

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 59

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 59

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 60

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

Answer 60

• 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 61

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

Answer 61

• Hot foods are ascending, i.e., hot spices, onion, garlic, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, sugar. Avoid with heat signs: Headache, hypertension, infection.
• Stalky vegetables that grow fast and upwards are ascending, i.e., celery, asparagus, broccoli, parsley and sprouted seeds / beans.
• Stir-frying vegetables and dry-roasting grains gives them an ascending vector and adds warming energy to meals

Question 62

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

Answer 62

Stir-frying vegetables and dry-roasting grains

Question 63

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

Answer 63

• ‘Cooling’ foods are descending, i.e., cucumber, watermelon, strawberry, raw food and veg juice.
• They direct energy and fluids downwards, clear and descend heat, especially from the upper body.
• Descending root vegetables such as carrots or parsnips.
• Bitter foods are descending and clear heat,
  i.e., spinach, rocket, kale, radicchio, radishes, cabbage, lemon. Bitter leaves, with a splash
  of olive oil, relieve constipation by supporting the descending function of the digestive system

Question 64

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

Answer 64

• Wet cooking methods (steaming, boiling, braising) nourish and warm the centre / digestion,
  i.e., soup, stew, porridge, steamed / boiled veg.
• For weak digestion, dehydration and feeling cold. They keep us centred and grounded in ourselves.
• Steamed whole grains, sweet veg (sweet potatoes, squash) all nourish digestion.
• Round-shaped foods such as celeriac, sweet potato, squash, beetroot, Jerusalem artichokes, hazelnuts have affinity with the abdomen and are centering. So are warm water and herbal teas

Question 65

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

Answer 65

• Help the lungs expel pathogens,
  i.e., hot spicy food, black pepper, ginger, chilli.
• Help lungs expel mucus, induce sweat, support digestion of mucus-forming foods, promote circulation to the muscles and limbs.
• Spices can have a heating and dehydrating effect and should be used alongside foods that moisten the lungs.
• Ginger, lemon and honey tea: Ginger helps lungs to expel mucus; lemon (descending) clears heat from the lungs; honey moistens and soothes the lungs

Question 66

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

Answer 66

• Affinity with the kidney / adrenal function of preserving and supporting life (cortisol / adrenaline).
• Roasting vegetables or meat consolidates their
  volume and intensifies taste. It is the best cooking
  method for systems that need consolidation and rebuilding, as well as slow cooking.
• Nuts and seeds are the most energetically dense parts of plants that contain the blueprint and essential nutrients for new life. Bone broth is consolidating when recovering from chronic illness.
• The sour taste of naturally-fermented foods has a firming and moving action that helps consolidate blood.

Question 67

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

Answer 67

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 68

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

Answer 68

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

there is also umami..

Question 69

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

Answer 69

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 70

What can sugar cravings indicate?

Answer 70

Sugar cravings indicate digestive weakness. Giving in to them further compromises digestion. Substitute sugar with naturally sweet fruit and veg, raw honey, stevia, molasses.
Sweet has affinity with the digestive system.
* Most common flavour, found in most foods to some degree. Supports and strengthens digestion, providing nourishment. Has a centring action.
* Distinguish naturally sweet foods (whole grains, legumes, root vegetables) from ‘empty’ refined sugar (no nutritional value and lead to candida, weight gain, diabetes, cardiovascular disease)

Question 71

True or false:

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

Answer 71

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.

Consolidating or astringent action, counteracts leakage of blood or fluids and helps store blood, therefore, sour is a good companion to blood- building foods. Include naturally-fermented pickles, apple cider vinegar, miso, rye sourdough, citrus.

Question 72

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

Answer 72

1. ginger
2. black pepper
3. mustard
4. cayenne
5. horseradish
6. onion

contain sulphur and glucosinolates

. promote circulation and move energy upwards and outwards.
* Disperses mucus from the lungs and induces a sweat, thus supporting immunity.
* Spicy foods eventually cool the body via sweating. In excess, they over-stimulate and exhaust energy and can be dehydrating

Question 73

True or False:

Salt is beneficial for adrenal fatigue

Answer 73

True.

• Moves inward and downward from the exterior, drawing
  the action of food towards the centre and root of the body.
• The kidneys filter water, control blood pressure and regulate red blood cell synthesis. A little salt benefits the kidneys and helps adrenal fatigue
• Salty pickled vegetables are good during winter, as they increase storage capacity and bring heat deeper and lower.
• Salt moistens dryness and increases water retention; therefore, avoid in damp states, hypertension or oedema. Excess salt can weaken the bladder, kidneys and heart.

sea / rock salt, not refined table salt!

Question 74

In which conditions should salt be avoided?

Answer 74

In damp states such as hypertension or oedema.

Question 75

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

Answer 75

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 76

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

Answer 76

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 77

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

Answer 77

Pungent or spicy foods i.e., black pepper, ginger, chilli, spring onions, garlic help the mucus and induce a sweat. Use in moderation as excess consumption causes heat / dryness.
* Roasted almonds, pine nuts and thyme support lung function.
* Yoghurt, honey, rye sourdough bread and fruit moisten the lungs. Broccoli and cauliflower support the lungs (they look like lungs) and help expel mucus

Question 78

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

Answer 78

Cold-pressed oils

Question 79

List five foods that support the kidneys

Answer 79

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

• Dishes cooked with bone, cartilage and marrow (e.g., bone broths) are deeply nourishing and help recovery from adrenal fatigue and chronic illness.
• Cold-pressed oils support hormonal health (which relies on the adrenals).

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

Question 80

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

Answer 80

• 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 81

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

support the Shen (TCM)

Answer 81

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

• However, Chinese Medicine is rooted in Daoist philosophy, and spiritual practices are the traditional primary method of nourishing the Spirit.
• Cooking methods involving expansion (e.g., soufflés) or swirling (e.g., scrambled eggs) resonate with the emotional heart (the swirling movement resembles singing and dancing as expressions of joy).
• The bitter taste helps drain bitterness from the heart

Question 82

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 82

• 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 83

What energy of the following is dominated by?

Childhood
Teenage
Mature
Old Age

Answer 83

Moisture
Heat
Dryness
Coldness