Chef's Special

In Chinese medicine the body is viewed as an energetic system rather than a physical structure, and a balance of the energetic qualities in the food we eat is essential for maintaining good health. Different foods are categorised according to their temperature and flavour.

The five temperatures are hot, warm, neutral, cool and cold. These are not a measure of how hot or cold a food is to the taste, but rather of the effect it has on the body after digestion.

Cooling foods direct energy inwards and downwards, cooling the upper and outer parts of the body first. Warming foods move the energy up and outwards from the core.Very hot foods such as chilli heat us up intensely then cool us down through sweating. Warmer foods speed us up, cooler foods slow us down. Traditional cooking often contains this desirable balance between temperatures. For example, curry, which is warming, is accompanied by cucumber and yoghurt raita which is cooling. Roast lamb comes with a cooling mint sauce. Root vegetable soups warm us in winter, salads cool us in summer.

Plants which take longer to grow, such as root vegetables, are more warming than faster-growing ones such as lettuce, courgettes. Foods with a high water content tend to be more cooling (e.g melon, cucumber). Methods of cooking influence temperature, and the slower cooked foods such as stews and roasts will be more warming than boiled or steamed.Raw foods are, of course, very cooling.

To apply this to one’s own needs is very simple.

Constitutions which are chilly need to eat more warming foods, and those of a more fiery nature would do best to consume more cooling ones. Over-eating of hot and spicy foods will tend to dry up the body fluids, whereas too much raw and cold food damages the qi of spleen and stomach, leading to digestive problems.
 
The five flavours are bitter, sour, salty, sweet and pungent. Each flavour corresponds to one of the five major organs, which in turn relate to the five elements on which Chinese medicine is based. Simply put, a desire for, or aversion to, a particular flavour may point to an imbalance in the corresponding organ, (this is in an energetic rather than a pathological sense).

The five relationships are:

Bitter flavours:
e.g. Rye, wheat, chicory, garlic, apricot, mutton.
These relate to the fire element and benefit the heart. Bitter flavours drain and dry, and are good for stimulating the digestion. Too much will deplete moisture. Salty foods, which belong to the water element, do not benefit the heart, as water overwhelms fire.

Sour flavours:
e.g. sesame, plums, lemon, raspberry, leek.
These relate to the liver and the wood element. They have an astringent effect, stimulating contraction and absorbtion, and toning the tissues. Good for all conditions involving loss of body fluids, sweating, diarrhoea, haemorrhage. The sour flavour stimulates gall-bladder secretions and lowers acidity in the intestines.It counteracts the effects of fatty foods. Too much will cause fluid retention. Pungent flavours do not benefit the liver, as metal overwhelms wood.

Salty flavours:
e.g. fish, soy, pork, bean sprouts, chestnuts.
Salty flavours relate to the kidneys and the water element. They help to regulate the moisture balance, in cases where there is either dehydration or fluid retention, stimulate digestion, counteract the hardening of muscles and glands, and improve concentration. Sweet flavour does not benefit the kidneys as earth overwhelms water.

Sweet flavours:
e.g. rice, starchy vegetables, date, beef, dairy, nuts,
Sweet flavours benefit the spleen and relate to the earth element. This is the most common flavour as many foods contain sweetness. In moderation it will improve the quality of the blood, but an excess will weaken the blood by causing too much heat, (don’t eat sugar during a fever). Also, in excess, sweet will cause mucus and should be avoided in catarrhal conditions. Sour flavours should be avoided in spleen conditions as wood overwhelms earth.

Pungent flavours:
e.g. ginger, peppermint, onion, millet, peach, chicken.
Pungent flavours benefit the lungs and relate to the metal element. The pungent foods disperse stagnation by stimulating the circulation, the digestion, and dispersing phlegm. In excess they will over-stimulate, and therefore exhaust, the blood and qi. Bitter flavours do not benefit the lungs as fire overwhelms metal.

A balanced diet includes all the flavours.Whereas a moderate quantity of one flavour will benefit its related organ, too much will damage it. Over- consumption of any one flavour will lead to disharmony in the system.

The fundamental concepts to bear in mind are moderation, discipline and balance. Be aware of the flavours and the temperature of the food you eat; be aware of a disciplined approach to quiet and reflective eating; be aware of the body’s natural rhythms. Eat progressively smaller meals as the day goes on, as this will ensure all food is digested before sleep. Eat only 75% of your capacity, as this too will aid digestion.

If you are a habitual consumer of fast food, this practice will take some getting used to, but bear in mind that food eaten without attention or while doing something else, (e.g. a sandwich at your desk while you carry on working, or a snack on the train home), will disrupt your digestive processes. The prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, (a catch-all label it seems these days for any recurring or chronic digestive disorder), may well be tied in to the changed eating patterns we have adopted in the West, in which taking time to slowly savour and enjoy food has given way to bolting it down in order to get on to the next thing. The liver requires the body to be at rest while it is at work, and the common sensation of sleepiness after food is, if not too extreme, a healthy signal from the body to tell us to take it easy for half-an-hour or so after a meal.

Coming Soon - Part Two: The Ayurvedic Version

kitchen@physikgarden.com