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Week 2: Energetics of Food Flashcards

1
Q

What is the single most important category in oriental medicine in regard to food?

A

The temperature of a food

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2
Q

What are the qualities of HOT food in TCM?

A
  • Speed up qi
  • Increase yang
  • Activate, warm, disperse
  • Move upward and outward
  • Eliminate external and internal cold
  • (Zang Fu) Warm the bowels and viscera
  • Enhance defense qi
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3
Q

What are examples of hot foods?

A

Ginger, cinnamon, lamb, chilli

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4
Q

What happens if you have an excess of HOT foods?

A

Excess creates heat (yang repletion), injures yin and dries out BF

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5
Q

What is the action of WARM food?

A
  • Strengthen yang and qi
  • Warm the body, bowels and viscera
  • Warm and strengthen middle jiao
  • Treatment of cold symptoms
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6
Q

What are some examples of warm foods?

A

Fennel, chicken, beef, oats

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7
Q

What happens with excess warm?

A

Yang repletion

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8
Q

What is the action of NEUTRAL foods?

A
  • Build up qi and BF
  • Stabilize and harmonize the body
  • Treatment of qi vacuity
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9
Q

What are examples of neutral foods?

A

Honey, rice, potatoes

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10
Q

What is the action of COOL foods?

A
  • Supplement body fluids (jin ye) and blood (due)
  • Slow down qi
  • Clear heat
  • Treatment of heat symptoms
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11
Q

What are some examples of cool food?

A

Yogurt, soy milk, wheat

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12
Q

What are the actions of COLD foods?

A
  • Create cold
  • Cool internal heat
  • Calm shen
  • Treatment of heat symptoms
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13
Q

What are examples of cold food?

A

Watermelon, dandelion, orange

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14
Q

What happens with excess cold?

A

Damages qi and yang, thoroughly cools down the body.

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15
Q

Plants that take longer to grow (eg. root vegetables, ginger) tend to be _______ than fast growing foods (e.g. lettuce, zucchini, tomatoes)

A

warmer

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16
Q

Foods that contain high water content tend to be more ______ e.g.. melon, cucumber, squash

A

cooling

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17
Q

Dried foods tend to be more _______ than their fresh counterparts

A

warming

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18
Q

Some chemicals added to foods may produce ____ _______ as may artificially ripened foods

A

heat reactions

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19
Q

Foods with blue, green or purple colours are usually more _____ than red, orange or yellow

A

cooling

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20
Q

What are cooling cooking methods?

A

Blanching
Steaming
Boiling in plentiful water
Salting (pickling in brine)

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21
Q

What are warming cooking methods?

A 
Grilling
Frying
Roasting
Smoking
Searing
Baking
Long simmering in liquid
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22
Q

Longer and slower methods will produce more _______ effects than quicker methods

A

warming

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23
Q

Does microwaving add any heat to food?

A

No, but it does alter the molecular structure and cause abnormal changes in human immune systems.

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24
Q

What is Wu Wei?

A

Five flavours

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25
What is the function of the sweet flavour?
- Harmonizes all other flavours and forms the centre of the diet - Mildly stimulates circulation of qi and blood - Treats deficiency (tonifying and strengthening) - Moistens and benefits dryness
26
What occurs with excess sweet?
- Leads to formation of phlegm and heat. | - Refined sugar will weaken the blood and excess sweet should be avoided with damp conditions.
27
What are examples of the sweet flavour?
Pumpkin, rice, beef (most meat), legumes, nuts, dairy and starchy vegetables.
28
Talk about the generating cycle with excess sweet
- Affects lung, cough - Adds flesh - Creates flesh - Weakens connective tissue
29
Talk about the Controlling cycle for sweet (earth).
``` Earth overacts on Water Weakens kidney (bone and teeth disorders) ```
30
What are functions of the pungent flavour?
- Stimulate digestion - Hot pungents open pores through perspiration - EPF's are expelled - Loosen emotional stagnation in chest - Breaks up phlegm - Circulation of qi and blood - Disperses stagnation
31
Excess pungent?
- Dry skin and constipation, skin linked to lung and LI | - Exhaust qi and blood
32
Talk about generating cycle for metal
Lung to kidney, metal to water - Overconsumption will affect kidney yin which will overheat - Exaggerated sexual desire and compulsions
33
Controlling cycle for metal?
- Damage LV/GB | - LV yang rising and irritability
34
Insulting phase for metal
- Heart and fire network affected, sleep disorders, hyperactivity and restlessness - Ask person what time they finish eating and what they eat before bed
35
Functions of salty flavour?
- Moisture balance - Stimulate digestion - Moisten, soften, detoxify - Inward and downward, - Centre and root movement
36
Excess salty?
- Hardens muscles and damages bone - Damages fluids and blood leading to hypertension - Inhibits heart and spirit - Decreased mental abilities and rigid thinking
37
Is fish salty or sweet?
Both but more sweet
38
Functions of sour flavour?
- Contraction and absorption - Astringent and gathering effect - Leaking and sagging conditions (sweating, diarrhea, hemorrhage) - Counteracts fatty foods to prevent stagnation - Smooth flow of qi and blood
39
Excess sour?
Over-contraction and over-retention of moisture
40
For a heated up liver and gallbladder what would you recommend?
Soothe with sour cooling foods like raspberry and lemon
41
Generating cycle for wood (sour)
From LV to HT - Good for distracted, unfocused minds - Contraindicated with acute external weather conditions as cold will move inward
42
Controlling cycle for wood
- Cannot really have too much sour in terms of LV and SP - May cause over contraction but also blood activators - Mix vinegar and honey to neutralize
43
Functions of bitter flavour?
- Drains and dries, moves downward - Improve appetite, stimulate digestion - Draw out dampness and heat - Reduce excess conditions - Acts mostly on heart but also benefits lung
44
Excess bitter? Contraindications?
- Deplete qi and moisture | - Contraindicated with cold or deficient conditions
45
Generating cycle for fire (bitter)
- Appropriate amount will supplement spleen, pancreas, stomach - Spleen qi tonic - Preferably during moist, cool weather
46
Controlling cycle for fire (bitter)
- Too much will dehydrate and damage fluids - Poor circulation and blood deficiency - Dry skin and blood
47
Insulting cycle for bitter
Bitter spreads to bones, robbing body of calcium
48
``` Sourness enters _____ Bitterness enters ______ Sweetness enters _______ Acridity enters ___ Saltiness enters _____ ```
``` sinews blood flesh qi bones ```
49
What is the doctrine of signatures?
Signatures may refer to colour, texture, form or the environment that the plant may grow in. TCM also recognizes flavour.
50
Daikon
- pungent - moisten lung - cut mucous - help prevent viral infection
51
Willow
- Aspirin/ASA - Cold/damp environment - Worsens arthritic pain
52
Watercress
- Thrives in watery environment - Diuretic - Signature/form
53
Walnut
- resembles a brain | - omega 3 fatty acids
54
Cauliflower
- white, lung - branched,like lungs - treats lung yin deficiency - treats mucoid conditions in LI - brassica genus, cruciferous to treat colon, prostate, breast cancer
55
Chickpeas
- Contains more iron than any other legume | - Signature is form as it looks like a heart
56
Eggplant
- purple, black - eggs, ovaries, gynecology - essence kidneys - eat sparingly by pregnant women - signature looks like a uterus, treats congealed blood
57
Kale
- green good for LV/GB - Liver qi - high source of chlorophyll, rejuvenates, quells inflammation, detoxifies, renews
58
Kidney beans
- signature is form and colour - dark, black - looks like kidney - water energy - nourish yin fluids, used in treating edema and swelling
59
Beet
- red - looks like a heart - strengthen heart - sedate the spirit - improve circulation - purify the blood
60
Avocado
- uterus - builds blood - nourishes yin - rich in copper, aids in RBC formation
61
Celery
- form, looks like a bone - high in silicon - renew joints, bones, arteries, connective tissues
62
Pineapple
- yellow, sweet - habitat, grow in tropical climates - help to treat summer heat, sunstroke - increases digestion and destroys worms
63
Apple
- cut it in half it looks like a star | - universal symbol for spirit, sustenance, life, secret knowledge, hidden mysteries

Nutrition (18 decks)

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