Chinese Food Therapy Introduction

1. Chinese Food Therapy:

 a practice in the belief of healing through the use of natural foods instead of medications.

2. Central Idea: keeping balance of "heat" and "cold" in a body.

One of the central ideas in this belief system is that certain foods have a "hot" or heat inducing quality while others have a "cold" or chilling effect on one's body, organs or "energy" levels. The idea being that one's imbalance of natural "heat" and "cold" in a body can cause disease or be more conducive towards sickness.

3. Philosophy about food: yin & yang

What is Yin Yang:http://www.sacredlotus.com/theory/yinyang.cfm

  Yang foods are believed to increase the body's heat (e.g. raise the metabolism); and Yang foods tend to be dense in food energy, especially energy from fat. A person eating too much Yang food might suffer from acne and bad breath.

  Yin foods are believed to decrease the body's heat (e.g. lower the metabolism0; andYin foods tend to have high water content.  A person eating too much Yin food might be lethargic or anemic.