The Yin Yang of Stir Fry

The idea of eating a "Balanced Diet" is quite different when you approach the idea from the viewpoint of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ask an acupuncturist what that means, and you will get a very different answer than from a typical Medical Doctor.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we believe each food has an inherent cool, warm, or neutral property. For example, romaine lettuce is a cool food, whereas curry powder is a warming food. This inherit "nature" is not a comment on actual food temperature, but is something that the food possesses naturally. Sometimes it is referred to as a Yin or Yang nature, with cool foods being Yin and warm foods being Yang

The nature of food can be manipulated by methods such as cooking. For example, although broccoli is a cool food by nature, it is less cool when it is lightly steamed vs. raw. It is further warmed by the process of stir frying with ginger.

This is the reason why Chinese food usually finds vegetables prepared with a bit of garlic or ginger. Not only does this add flavor to the dish, but it balances it energetically. Most green vegetables are cool in nature, so a typical person would benefit from adding a bit of (warm) ginger to the dish.

A body that is out of balance will develop symptoms. An overly cool Stomach can lead to stomachaches and too-soft stools. An overly warm Stomach can show signs of acne and excessive appetite.

These and other concepts are explored if I find that my patients' bodies are complaining, whether through symptoms or pulse. A great thing about Chinese pulse diagnosis is that it can often catch problems before they become symptomatic. To me, that is what true wellness is... a body that is functioning at maximum efficiency.

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicine can be used alone or together to promote balanced body function. Please visit my website at www.AcuSpaWellness.com for more information. Or for an appointment please call (650) 588-0888. Herbal consultations are a great way to maintain good health.