Hot and cold foods- Demystifying the facts!

How many times have you heard you mom telling you these things:

‘Don’t eat too many mangoes  ,it might increase the heat in your body’; Don’t eat too many Cucumbers it might pile up’ cold’ in your body!

The theory of 'hot and cold effects of food' has prevailed in our culture since time immemorial. It is a system parallel to modern biomedical sciences. Generally speaking, it has been observed in our society that the theory of hot and cold is believed-in and practiced-by almost all sectors of society  

The difference lies in the perception and interpretation of this theory, which varies with different cultures and even within the same culture. Some cultures use this theory to define foods and its effects, while in others it is also used to classify herbs, medicines, illnesses and diseases, etc.

In the Indian Ayurvedic belief this concept appears as early as the 2nd century BC. In the Chinese culture the Ch'i concept (Yin-cold and wet; yang-hot and dry) appeared in the 100-200 AD. The system is less organized and may lead to the outgrowth of many myths and fallacies about the effects of food.   Most of us are of the opinion that some foods cause ‘heat’ and some cause ‘cold’ in our bodies. Though it is not the truth. 

The warming and cooling properties of a food have less to do with actual temperature, cooking temperature, spiciness or even individual ingredients—and more to do with the food’s balance and contrast among ingredients and the effect of these on the body when the food is ingested. They can be categorizes foods as cold, cooling, neutral, warming and hot.  The idea is to maintain the balance.

STAYING IN BALANCE

The concept of yin and yang was introduced in the I Ching. The philosophy states that imbalances in the life force (qi) cause illness and unhappiness. Hence, by adjusting your diet you can regain equilibrium.Using yin-yang foods to gain equilibrium is not an exact science. There is no one percentage or quantity of yin-yang foods to eat. Instead, you need   to focus on mainly eating foods that support his yin/yang needs.

Common health conditions and their imbalances include…

Conditions affected by too much heat (yang) in the body:

High blood pressure, skin rash, hot flashes.

Consume: Cool or cold foods that promote yin energy.

Conditions arising from too much cold (yin) in the body: Fatigue, depression, muscle ache, stuffy nose, cough with clear white phlegm, fluid retention.

Consume: Warm or hot foods that promote yang energy.

Conditions that alternatively arise from too much cold or heat in the body: Constipation, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, headache.

Consume: Some conditions are helped by either hot or cold foods. Take constipation, for example. If you have dry, hard stools, then you have yin-deficient constipation and need more moisture/yin foods. If you have yang-deficient constipation with wetter stools, then you may need more yang foods .

Fruits and veggies are great on both yin and yang.

So it is important to assess your symptoms before knowing what type of food we need to eat for a particular problem.

The best is to follow a balanced diet with all foods to keep you going healthy and fit.