Energetics & Nutrition

Question 1

Energetic Qualities: HEAT

Answer 1

• Manifests in a warm body temperature, transformative processes such as digestion, hormones, mental creativity, inspiration, and characteristics such as courage and passion.
• Heat - good circulation and body heat, strong digestion, mental creativity, courage and motivation.

Excess Heat:
• Signs: redness, ‘burning’ sensations, inflammation, acute infection,
yellow discharge, loose stool, over- excitement, competitiveness, ‘fiery emotions’ such as irritability and anger.
• Conditions: cystitis, sinusitis (any condition ending in ‘-itis’), hypertension, auto-immunity (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis), menopause, migraines, acid reflux, gastritis, ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory skin diseases, infected wounds, stress, mania, anger management problems.

Question 2

Energetic Qualities: COLD

Answer 2

• Manifests in body structure, firm tissues, stability, and characteristics such as endurance, resilience and reliability.
• Cold - firm tissues, strong bones and muscles, mental stability, endurance, resilience and reliability

Excess Cold:
• Signs: pale, cold, weak digestion, muscle spasm, tiredness, debility, low motivation, emotional withdrawal.
• Conditions: poor circulation (cold hands and feet, Raynaud’s), poor digestion (low appetite, colicky pains, IBS), menstrual cramps, hypothyroidism, weight gain, stiffness, poor memory and concentration, exhaustion, depression.

Question 3

Energetic Qualities: DRYENESS

Answer 3

• Manifests in nerve impulses, lightness of the body, mental speed, and characteristics such as agility and adaptability.
• Dryness - healthy nerve impulses, lightness, agility, adaptability.

Excess Dryness:
• Signs: weight loss, dry skin and mucous membranes, gas, bloating, hyperactivity, feelings of fear and anxiety.
• Conditions: osteoarthritis (stiff, rubbing
and clicking joints) dry, flaking, itchy skin conditions, dandruff, wrinkled skin, dry mouth, sinuses & throat, dry (non-productive) cough, gas, bloating, IBS with constipation, gall / kidney stones, tremors, anxiety disorders, insomnia (waking early hours).

Question 4

Energetic Qualities: MOISTURE

Answer 4

• Manifests in our bodily fluids (e.g. lymph, synovial fluid), mucous membranes, transportation of nutrients, and characteristics such as love and contentment
• Moisture - healthy body fluids, moist mucous membranes and feelings of love and contentment.

Excess Moisture (Damp):
• Signs: weight gain, fluid retention, watery discharges, mucus, lethargy, nausea, lumps and cysts, feelings of over-sentimentality and possessiveness.
• Conditions: obesity, oedema, benign tumours, cysts, candida, lymphoedema following surgery, hay fever (watering nose and eyes), thick phlegm, allergies, wet (productive) cough, weeping skin lesions, excess sweating

Question 5

Energetic Imbalance: Food temperature examples

Answer 5

• 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.
• COOL: Fish, fermented food, sprouts, salad leaves, bitter greens, vegetable juice, fruit, peppermint tea.
• COLD: Raw food, smoothies, iced drinks, sushi.

Question 6

Energetic Imbalance: Combinations

Answer 6

Energetic qualities often combine into mixed presentations, and, therefore, manifest mixed excesses. For example:

• Excess hot and wet (bleeding, weeping lesions, hot red oozing skin diseases, sweating, irritability). To restore balance: reduce both hot and moist foods, whilst increasing both cold and dry foods.
• Excess cold and dry (IBS with weak digestion, spasms, gas, bloating, constipation, anxiety). To restore balance: reduce both cold and dry foods, whilst increasing hot and moist foods.

Question 7

Energetics: Preparation & Serving

Answer 7

Food preparation and serving methods affect energetics:

Question 8

Energetic Differentiation

Answer 8

• Energetic practitioners differentiate diseases energetically. The energetic ‘root cause’ of disease can then be addressed and clients restored to energetic balance and health.
• Observe and question your clients carefully about signs and symptoms to establish if
heat, cold, dryness or moisture are aggravated.
- For heat use raw foods, bitter tastes, green smoothies.
- For cold use warm cooked meals, spices.
- For dryness use soups, smoothies, linseeds.
- For moisture use dry, crunchy foods, whole grains, green tea.

Question 9

Energetic Differentiation: SKIN

Question 10

Energetic Differentiation: PHLEGM

Answer 10

Question 11

Energetic Differentiation: ARTHRITIS

Question 12

Yin & Yang Foods:

Answer 12

• Yin foods are cooling, hydrating and nourishing. They are used to balance excess heat or dryness, or to rebuild
a system depleted by exhaustion or illness.
• Cooling yin foods include bitter, leafy greens, watery fruit and veg such as pear, melon, celery.
• Nourishing yin foods include soups, stews, broths, braised meats, dark leafy greens, fruit, yoghurt, honey, oyster, tempeh, nut milks, sesame.

Question 13

Yin & Yang Foods:

Answer 13

• Yang foods are warming, drying or moving.
They are used to balance excess cold or dampness.
• Warming foods and drinks include soups, stews, dahls, warm porridges, beef, lamb, stir-fried or baked food, onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, warm water, herbal teas.
• Foods and spices that clear dampness include non gluten grains (dry-roast then cook as a side to veg or tea), mushrooms, fennel seed or cinnamon tea, horseradish, black radish, ginger, seeds (mustard, cumin, cardamom, star anise), Szechuan pepper.

Question 14

Excess Yang:

Question 15

Yang Deficiency:

Question 16

Excess Yin:

Question 17

Yin Deficiency:

Question 18

Life Stages & Energetics: CHILDREN

Answer 18

Childhood is dominated by moisture❗️
• Children often have runny noses, ‘wet’
productive coughs and allergies.
• 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).

Question 19

Life Stages & Energetics: TEENAGERS

Answer 19

• Teenage years & adulthood are dominated by heat❗️
• Teenagers have ‘hot’ red acne and angry outbursts. In adult years ‘hot’ symptoms such as inflammation, stress, high blood pressure are more common.
• 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.
• For acute ‘heat’ problems such as fevers, use warm teas and mild spices to promote sweating which cools the body.

Question 20

Life Stages & Energetics: MATURE YEARS (<50)

Answer 20

• Mature years are dominated by dryness❗️
• After the age of 50, we start to get dry signs such as wrinkles, joint stiffness, decreasing physical strength and stamina.
• 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.

Question 21

Life Stages & Energetics: OLD AGE

Answer 21

Old age is dominated by coldness❗️
• In our senior years digestive power weakens, circulation reduces, we feel colder, and there is declining mobility, exhaustion and withdrawal.
• 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 22

Seasons & Energetics: SPRING

Answer 22

• Spring is dominated by moisture❗️
• Productive cough, runny nose, watering eyes, allergies, hay fever.
• Reduce: dairy, high water content fruit and vegetables, gluten, refined sugars and carbs.
• Increase: light, crunchy, dry food, whole grains, vegetables, spices. This is an ideal time to detox using the fresh green leaves that emerge in early spring such as nettles and cleavers.

Question 23

Seasons & Energetics: SUMMER

Answer 23

• Summer is dominated by heat❗️
• Inflammation, prickly heat, sun-burn, irritability.
• Reduce: red meat, oily foods, stimulants.
• Increase: salads, raw foods, green smoothies, bitter vegetables and detoxifying herbs.
• In the summer nature provides abundant greens, berries, fruit and veg - perfect cooling foods.
• Although the summer diet should be generally raw and cool, warm teas and spices can be used to promote sweating which has a ‘cooling’ effect.

Question 24

Seasons & Energetics: AUTUMN

Answer 24

• Autumn is dominated by dryness❗️
• Dry skin, joint stiffness, decreased energy, anxiety.
• 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.
• In Autumn nature provides its harvest of nuts, seeds, grains and root veg. Perfect for building
energy, weight and warmth in time for winter.

Question 25

Seasons & Energetics: WINTER

Answer 25

• Winter is dominated by cold❗️
• Poor circulation, weight gain, sleepiness,
low mood, seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
• Reduce: refrigerated & frozen foods, iced drinks, cold, raw food, leafy foods, sushi.
• Increase: warm cooked, spiced food and drinks to raise temperature, digestive power and circulation.
• Winter provides cruciferous vegetables which are warming and help clear respiratory mucus. Aside from this we should stay warm, rest, relax and enjoy warm and luxurious ‘soul’ food and ‘spices’.

Question 26

Constitution: HOT

Question 27

Constitution: COLD

Question 28

Constitution: DRY

Question 29

Constitution: MOIST

Question 30

Constitution in a nutshell:

Question 31

Constitution in Practice:

Question 32

Constitution in Practice:

Answer 32

Question 33

Food Energetics:

Answer 33

• 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 an affinity for the organs by virtue of their flavour, colour or appearance (eg. walnut-brain).

Question 34

Food Direction:

Answer 34

Ascending Foods:
• 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 35

Food Direction:

Answer 35

Descending Foods:
• ‘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 36

Food Direction:

Answer 36

Centring Foods
• 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 centring. So are warm water and herbal teas.

Question 37

Food Direction:

Answer 37

• Foods that spread out to the exterior.
• 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 38

Food Direction:

Answer 38

Consolidating Foods:
• 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.
• Nuts & 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 39

Food Direction in different conditions:

Answer 39

Question 40

Food Flavours: BITTER

Answer 40

• Bitter has affinity with the HEART❗️
• Drains and dries dampness and clears heat
as it travels downward. Includes spinach, rocket, kale, radicchio, radishes, cabbage, lemon, citrus peel, bitter herbs such as gentian.
• Stimulates appetite, digestive juices, clears cholesterol, candida, inflammation and infection.
• Clears heat from the lungs and liver, and bitterness from the heart.
• Excess bitter depletes Qi (energy) and can be dehydrating, so avoid in those who are weak or deficient

Question 41

Food Flavors: SWEET

Answer 41

• 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).
• 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 42

Food Flavours: SOUR

Answer 42

• Sour has affinity with the LIVER❗️
• 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.
• In moderate quantities, sour moves energy, but excess can cause over-contraction and stasis.
• Cooling for internal heat, also helps digest fatty foods and increases absorption by stimulating gallbladder and pancreas secretions.

Question 43

Food Flavours: SPICY

Answer 43

Pungent has affinity with the LUNGS❗️
• Pungent, spicy or aromatic flavours (e.g. ginger, black pepper, mustard, cayenne, horseradish, onion) 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 44

Food Flavours: SALTY

Answer 44

• Salty has affinity with the KIDNEYS (and adrenals)❗️
• 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 (i.e. sea / rock salt, not refined table salt).
• 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.

Question 45

Organ Affinities:

Answer 45

Foods have affinity with different organs due to their flavour, colour or appearance. The link between appearance and effects is known as the ‘doctrine of signatures’, whereby plants and foods carry ‘signs’ of their properties:

• Kidney beans have affinity with the kidneys, due to their ‘kidney’ shape and colour. Kidneys / adrenals are essential in supporting life, and beans / seeds contain the essence of the plant and are deeply nutritious, life-supporting foods.
• Fruit in general support the lungs because they grow in the canopy of trees, and trees are the same shape as lungs.

Question 46

Organ Affinities: Digestive System

Answer 46

• Sweet foods (not empty sugars); i.e. whole grain rice, oat, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, sweet potato, squash, root veg, liquorice tea.
• Wet cooked foods (boiled, steamed, braised) are easy to digest and warm digestion; i.e. soup, stew, porridge, dahl, (especially if mildly spiced).
• Round shaped foods; i.e. beetroot, celeriac, yam, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts have affinity with the abdomen.
• Spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cumin, caraway, cardamom are warming and support healthy digestion (digestive ‘fire’).

Question 47

Organ Affinities: Lungs

Answer 47

• 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 48

Organ Affinities: Kidneys/adrenals

Answer 48

• 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).
• Kidney beans, black beans, (black) sesame and chia seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, nut milks, fish, shellfish, seaweed, miso, mushrooms, rock and sea salt, all support the kidneys.

Question 49

Organ Affinities: Liver

Answer 49

• 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. So, too, do beans, lentils and vegetable juices.

Question 50

Organ Affinities: Heart

Answer 50

• Chinese Medicine is rooted in Daoist philosophy, and spiritual practices are the traditional
primary method of nourishing the Spirit.
• A few foods uplift the spirit including: pistachio, poppy seeds, rose, vanilla, lotus seeds.
• 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.