Supporting our Qi through food

We make Qi by combining food and air. Our ability to make Qi depends partly on our physical constitution, partly on our lifestyle. In its simplest sense, our Qi is our available energy.Strong Tao

To support and increase our Qi we need to eat foods which release energy steadily into our system over a long period of time. This quality is partly described in the West as complex carbohydrates, which provide a sustained source of energy.

It is better to eat foods whose Qi has been interfered with as little as possible e.g. fresh, local, organic. Foods which can tonify Qi tend to be sweet and warm:

Beef, Cherry, Chicken, Coconut, Date, Fig, Ginseng, Goose, Grape, Ham, Herring, Lentil, Liquorice, Mackerel, Molasses, Oats, Potato, Rice, Squash, Sweet potato, Tofu, yam

Supporting our Blood through food

In Chinese Medicine, Blood and Qi have a close interdependent relationship. Both Qi and Blood circulate around the body through the meridians and blood vessels activating and nourishing the tissues.

The quality of our Blood is a measure of the available nourishment circulating in our body. Blood nourishes our muscles, organs, brain – every part of us. Its quality depends on the quality of food we eat, as well as our ability to absorb nourishment.

Blood can be easily improved through diet. As all food forms the basis of Blood, it is recommended to eat well and widely.

Meat provides one of the easiest sources of Blood enhancement and regular consumption of small amounts of good quality/organic meat can be very helpful.

A diet rich in fresh vegetables is also recommended, in particular dark green leafy vegetables and chlorophyll-rich foods (e.g. cabbage, spinach, cress, parsley), combined with grains (e.g. rice, oats, barley, rye, millet, quinoa).

As a general guideline, the darkness of a food is often an indication of its power to nourish Blood. So, include

  • dark red and black beans e.g. aduki beans, kidney beans
  • dark fruits e.g. cherries, blackcurrants, pomegranates, dates, red grapes
  • black sesame seeds
  • carrots
  • beetroot
  • apricots
  • figs

Eat well and widely. The overuse of fatty foods, denatured foods and sweetened or salted foods will tend to weaken the Blood.

Resolving ‘Dampness’ through food

In Chinese medicine, ‘Dampness’ comes from the failure to burn off or transform moisture in the body, and is nearly always associated with the Spleen. It can lodge in a specific part of the body and make us feel heavy and tired with achy limbs and muzzy head. How it manifests depends on our individual constitution.

Avoid too much raw, cold, sweet or rich food and the over consumption of fluid. Some foods are particularly dampening:

  • Dairy products (sheep and goats products are less dampening)
  • Pork and rich meat
  • Roasted peanuts
  • Concentrated juices, especially orange and tomato
  • Wheat, Bread
  • Yeast
  • Beer
  • Bananas
  • Sugar
  • Sweeteners
  • Saturated fats  

Some foods have properties which help to resolve dampness:

  • Aduki beans
  • Barley
  • Corn
  • Green tea
  • Lemon
  • Mushroom
  • Parsley
  • Rye
  • Alfalfa
  • Horseradish
  • Kidney beans
  • Mustard leaf, Pumpkin
  • Scallion
  • Anchovy
  • Celery
  • Garlic
  • Jasmine tea
  • Marjoram
  • Onion
  • Radish
  • Turnip

Sources

Leggett, D (1994) Helping Ourselves: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Food Energetics Meridian Press
Leggett, D (1999) Recipes for Self-Healing Meridian Press

 

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