Chinese Food Therapy utilizes the belief that food, like everything else in the universe, consists of two opposite but complementary life forces: yin and yang. Yin is linked to dark, cold and negative while yang is associated with light, heat and positive. To maintain balance, both energies should be in harmony with each other. However, this is not easy. Because every individual is unique in terms of body constitution type, we all have different yin and yang constituents and requirements.
In terms of food, all-natural foods fall under one of the following categories:
Neutral (neither leaning towards yin or yang)
Slightly yin or slightly yang,
Moderately yin or moderately yang
Extremely yin or extremely yang
To keep the body in balance, one must select healthy Chinese food that is neither more yin nor yang. Or food with either one in more quantities to achieve the balance if it is disrupted. Other than diet, environmental factors and such as stress, lack of exercise and sleep, etc. can also disrupt yin and yang balance.
Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine believe all chronic ailments are a result of an imbalance of yin and yang. These ailments can range from mild conditions such as insomnia and acne to more serious diseases like heart disease and cancer. As mentioned, the foods that have a yin quality are cooling and moisturizing while foods with a yang quality are warming and drying. The nature of the food as well as how we cook it determines its yin and yang properties. Raw, uncooked foods tend to be on the yin side while foods cooked on high heat—such as grilled, baked, or deep-fried—tend to be more yang.
A great way to build yin is through the food we eat. Keep in mind though, you don't want to eat too many cold and raw foods as it can be damaging to the TCM spleen! Balance is key.
Great ingredients to keep in kitchen. Of course there are more and will be posting as we go.
Remember TCM stands for Traditional Chinese Medicine
1. Millet
“Whole grains are a huge part of TCM food therapy,” Gong says. “Millet is particularly good since it’s easy to cook, strengthens the spleen, and helps the body digest food and transform it into usable qi.” She uses a specific type of millet called foxtail millet; it’s the base for her morning congee.
2. Goji Berries
These barely sweet berries are packed with vitamin A and in TCM are said to restore the liver and relieve fatigue. Gong enjoys adding them to dairy-free yogurt or sautéed greens: “They add a beautiful color.”
3. Angelica Root
Earthy and herbal, this root is known for boosting women’s health. “It helps with a range of issues, from cramps to hormones,” Gong says. She slips it in bone broth or turns it into tea.
4. Black Sesame Seeds
“This seed replenishes the kidney and contains lots of healthy fats and minerals that are good for our hair and skin,” Gong says. She grew up eating two tablespoons of black sesame powder every day; these days, she uses the powder for baking bread and sprinkles the seeds on anything, savory or sweet.
5. Jujube Dates
For Gong, this dried date is a pantry workhorse. “You can add it to bone broth or steam it with mochi,” she says. “It’s a great sweetener.” In TCM, jujube dates are believed to strengthen the spleen and replenish blood.
6. 13-Spice Powder
This spice mix, fragrant with star anise, fennel, Szechuan peppercorn, and more, pairs well with savory foods, from crawfish boils to barbecue skewers, and helps regulate qi. “These dried spices are warming for the body and the meridians [channels through which qi flows],” Gong says.
You can find these ingredients online at yamibuy.com
Sticky rice filled pears
Subtly sweet with a silky richness from ghee, these pears, stuffed with chewy mung beans, are perfectly tender with a lightly floral flavor. Chef Zoey Xinyi Gong, a traditional Chinese medicine food therapist and chef who shared this recipe, notes that steamed desserts are popular in Chinese cuisine and commonly used for traditional Chinese medicine food therapy because they are light and easy for the body to digest.
Ingredients
2/3 cup uncooked short-grain sticky white rice (about 5 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup uncooked glutinous millet (about 3 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons skinless dried mung beans (about 1 ounce)
6 small or 3 large jujube dates (about 1/2 ounce)
5 tablespoons grass-fed ghee, melted
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon salted roasted pepitas (about 1/3 ounce)
1 tablespoon sunflower seed kernels (about 1/3 ounce)
2 teaspoons dried osmanthus flower (see note)
4 large (10-ounce) Asian pears
1 cup water, plus more if needed
Rinse rice, millet, and mung beans in a fine wire-mesh strainer. Combine rice, millet, and mung beans in a large bowl, and add water to cover. Let soak, covered, at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. Drain; set aside. Remove and discard pits from jujube dates. Chop pitted dates into small pieces.
Combine rice, millet, mung beans, chopped pitted dates, ghee, brown sugar, pumpkin seed kernels, sunflower seed kernels, and osmanthus flower in a large bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.
Cut off about 1/2 inch from the top of each pear, as if you are making a “cap” for the pear; reserve removed “caps.” Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out center of each pear, leaving about 1/2 inch of pear flesh around edges. Discard scooped-out pear flesh, or reserve for another use.
Stuff each pear with about 1/2 cup rice mixture, taking care not to pack them too tightly. Cover each pear with its “cap."
Place a steamer basket in a deep pot; add 1 cup water to pot. Bring water to a simmer over medium-high. Arrange pears, cap side up, in steamer basket, and cover. Cook until pears are tender and rice is cooked through, about 35 minutes, checking pears halfway through cooking time and adding more water if it has evaporated. Serve hot.
Smoothie time!
Ingredients (* denotes yin foods):
*1 Apple (I used a Fuji apple), washed and chopped
*1/2 lemon, juiced
1 celery stalk
*1/4 tsp honey
*1/2 cup pineapple
*1 cup spinach
Other smoothie-friendly foods include: avocado, banana, mango, pear, pomegranate, watermelonDirections: Blend and enjoyTo complete this all-around (yin) breakfast with healthy fat and protein: I scrambled an egg, and had mashed avocado on toast (1 avocado, 1 tsp of lemon juice, sprinkle of salt and red pepper flakes)
ALMOND AND DATE SMOOTHIE WITH COCONUT, CINNAMON AND FLAX
Serving size
2
Prep Time / Cook Time
5 minutes / 5 minutes
Ingredients
⅛ C coconut milk
1 C almond milk
2 T almond butter
4 each medjool dates
Dash or two cinnamon
1 t flax seeds
Instructions
Blend in blender until smooth, adjusting consistency with water if needed.
Enjoy!
Sweet nothings
I hope today you remember that
the sky is not humiliated by its vastness,
and the mountains remain unashamed
of their height.
Mother Earth and her oceans are not afraid of their size,
and the sun is not concerned if someone has
to squint their eyes—
it will shine.
And it will not apologize for
its light.
And like the trees teach us that it’s okay
to lose our leaves as seasons change
and then come back to life,
I hope that nature teaches us to look at ourselves and
be kind.
I hope that we don’t dim or shrink or fold
into spaces far too tight.
Yes, today I hope you look at yourself and
you are kind.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF from Sophie Diener’s 'Someone Somewhere Maybe' (St. Martin’s Press/Griffin, 2023)
🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
I Made this one a little shorter. These are made with love. I do love sharing my path because something may be something that someone, takes and uses to make their life more of what they want. Thank you to those that let me know they are enjoying them and using them.
Much gratitude
Contributions, buymeacoffee (a kava in my case) visit the home page for contribution basedShamanic, intentional cooking,Death doula and plant medicine offerings which are a bit different than most ceremonies and care.
For all Links and to support the art
C
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