In Chinese medicine, food has a temperature and a direction. Warming foods help a cold body, cooling foods calm heat, and nourishing foods rebuild what is depleted. Find the pattern that sounds most like you, and use these foods and recipes alongside your treatment.
Qi deficiency. Signs: tiredness, weak digestion, catching colds easily. Eat: rice congee, oats, sweet potato, squash, carrots, chicken soup, red dates and shiitake mushrooms. Go easy on raw salads and iced drinks.
Yang deficiency. Signs: cold hands and feet, low back ache, pale complexion, loose stools. Eat: ginger, cinnamon, slow-cooked beef stews, walnuts, leeks, black beans and roasted root vegetables. Avoid ice and too many raw foods.
Yin deficiency. Signs: hot flashes, night sweats, dry skin or eyes, restless sleep. Eat: pears, black sesame, eggs, tofu, millet, spinach, goji berries and gentle soups. Limit coffee, alcohol, spicy food and late nights.
Blood deficiency. Signs: pale lips or nails, dizziness, light periods, dry hair, poor memory. Eat: dark leafy greens, beets, eggs, beef, lentils, black beans, red dates and goji berries. A squeeze of lemon on greens helps.
Dampness. Signs: heaviness, bloating, brain fog, puffiness, phlegm. Eat: barley, adzuki beans, rice, radish, celery, corn, ginger and lightly cooked vegetables. Cut back on dairy, sugar, fried and greasy foods.
Qi stagnation. Signs: stress, irritability, sighing, PMS, tight shoulders. Eat: leafy greens, radish, citrus peel, mint, rose or chamomile tea, and small regular meals. Gentle movement helps as much as food.
For low energy and weak digestion. Simmer 1/2 cup rice in 5 cups water with 3 slices fresh ginger and 4 pitted red dates for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until creamy. Add a pinch of salt, or top with scallions and a little sesame oil.
Nourishes Blood and Qi. Simmer a whole chicken with carrots, onion, celery, 4 slices ginger and 8 red dates for about 2 hours. Add a handful of goji berries for the last 10 minutes and season with salt.
For dryness, dry coughs and heat. Core an Asian pear, fill it with 1 teaspoon honey and a few goji berries, and steam in a covered bowl for 30 to 40 minutes. Eat it warm with the juices.
Clears Dampness and bloating. Soak 1/2 cup adzuki beans and 1/2 cup pearl barley overnight. Drain, then simmer in 6 cups water with 2 slices ginger for about an hour, until soft. Season with a little salt.
For cold hands and feet. Brown chunks of stewing meat in olive oil, then simmer for 2 hours with onion, carrots, parsnip, sweet potato, 3 slices ginger, a cinnamon stick and water or broth. Season with salt and pepper.
Eases stress and tension. Steep 1 tablespoon dried rose buds and a few strips of dried mandarin or orange peel in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Add honey if you like.