By
Justin Faerman Guest writer for
Wake Up World
When considering the health benefits of
the foods we eat in the West, we tend to think of them in terms of their
nutritional value—the vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and
carbohydrates, but in other parts of the world, primarily China, India
and the surrounding areas, the health benefits of food are categorized
more by their energetic effects on the body and mind. It’s a simple but
important distinction, yet these two viewpoints are not necessarily at
odds with each other. In fact scientific studies into the nutritional
value of foods often confirm ancient views of their energetic effects on
the body.
For example, in
Ayurveda,
the ancient Indian system of medicine (one of the oldest on the planet
dating back over nearly 7,000 years), ghee, which is clarified butter,
is believed to be calming and relaxing in its energetic effects. Western
nutritional analysis of ghee reveals it is one of the most concentrated
sources of beneficial saturated fat known to man. Saturated fat, it has
been shown, is an essential component of the myelin sheathing that
coats nerve endings. If this myelin sheathing is thin or of low quality
(due to consuming refined, low quality foods and fats, or having a
deficiency of saturated fat in your diet), it causes over-stimulation of
nerve endings, which has been shown to cause anxiety and agitation.
Consequently, when we have abundant sources of high quality saturated
fats like ghee or coconut oil in our diet, this myelin sheathing is
strengthened and we are calmer as a result.
The point of and benefit to
understanding food energetics is to develop a more holistic perspective
on our own health. There is a danger in focusing solely on nutritional
properties of food when considering its effects on our health, and that
has to do with ignoring the energetic properties of food. For example,
in the West, fruits are considered to be extraordinarily healthy pending
they are fresh, grown organically, are non-GMO and produced without the
use of chemicals and pesticides. They have many great nutritional
qualities like being high in fiber, rich in water, minerals, and
B-vitamins, and are also full of antioxidants and many substances that
have been show to fight cancer, improve mood and energy, and generally
support overall health and wellness. Sounds like a great idea to eat
them all the time, right? Well, not so much when you understand food
energetics. Here’s why: in Traditional Chinese Medicine, for example,
sweet, cold, raw foods like fruits are known to create dampness in the
body and contain some degree of mold, which isn’t a problem when eaten
in moderation. However, when eating too much fruit, it can become an
issue. Dampness is just what it sounds like: swampy, musty, cold, wet…
what you would experience on a foggy day just after a rain.
Overeating
fruits causes dampness to form in the intestines, and dampness in the
intestines eventually causes chronic diseases to form like candida, a
fungal infection that thrives in damp, moldy environments and can be
hard to get rid of. Candida causes a number of unpleasant symptoms from
rashes to brain fog, to chronic fatigue, allergies to food, lethargy
and more.
As you can see, when considering the
Western nutritional value of a food, fruits seem awesome! By that logic,
you can’t go wrong eating fruit all day. However, when we integrate the
energetic perspective on fruit, it becomes clear that you don’t want to
overdo it. When we view food in terms of its energetic properties, we
begin to understand a key principle in creating radiant, lifelong
health, which is balance. So long as a food is
natural, unprocessed, non-GMO, fresh and grown without chemicals it is
inherently healthy in terms of its energetics—so long as it is eaten in
moderation and in balance in relation to the energetics of the rest of
the foods in your diet as well as your personal constitution, which
we’ll get into shortly. What is important when considering food
energetics is that you maintain balance across the different types of
food energies that can be present in your diet.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, for
example, there are many different ways we can categorize the energetics
of a particular food, a few of which are as follows:
Yin-Yang Spectrum
Yin foods are cold,
wet, sweeter, contain more water and less protein. Common yin foods are
fruits, beans, milk products like unsalted butter, ice cream, fresh
cream, vegetables that grow above ground and/or that tend to be sweeter
or more watery, many nuts and seeds, and blatantly sugar-rich products
like honey and other sweeteners. Processed foods tend to be very yin as
well, but in a detrimental, unbalancing way. Essentially the more
sweet, watery, cold, light and airy a food is, the more yin it is.
Yin foods tend to be calming, expansive and cooling in their effects on the body.
Yang foods are
basically the opposite of yin foods. Yang foods are warm, salty, dry
and dense, and include most meats, most whole grains, root vegetables,
salted butter, hard and/or salty cheeses or milk products, many spices,
sauces and broths, and seaweeds. Cooking or heating food makes it more
yang in its effects. Essentially the more salty, dense, spicy and warm a
food is, the more Yang it is.
Yang foods tend to be stimulating/energizing, contractive and warming in their effects on the body.
Here’s a simple graphic from
model4greenliving.com that illustrates this principle:
Taste and Flavor
Each food also has a specific taste or flavor which produces different energetic effects on the mind and body as well.
Sour: Sour
foods affect, stimulate, and balance the liver and gallbladder. They
produce yin effects on the body and mind. Sour-tasting foods can be
moistening or drying depending on other energetic factors in the body.
They help with digestion and can be calming, as well as astringent and
contractive. Sour foods can also help the body process fatty foods.
Examples are: vinegar and acidic fruit, such as tomato, orange, and kiwi.
Bitter: Bitter
foods affect, stimulate and balances the heart and small intestine,
producing yin effects on the body and mind. Bitter foods help fight
dampness in the body and are often used to treat things like yeast
infections, parasites, skin problems and other conditions that arise
from dampness. They are drying and contractive and tend to stimulate
digestion and detoxification.
Examples are: dark leafy greens, herbs.
Sweet: These
foods affect, stimulate, and balance the the spleen/pancreas and
stomach, producing yin effects in the body and mind. Sweet foods are
moistening and calming and will slow an overactive heart and mind,
though they can cause lethargy and brain fog if eaten to excess.
Examples are: rice, wheat, sugar, and root vegetables.
Spicy (Pungent): Spicy
foods affect, stimulate, and balance the the lungs and large intestine.
They produce yang effects in the body and mind. Their qualities are
stimulating and activating, sometimes causing sweating and
detoxification. While they promote circulation and clears stagnation,
they can be overstimulating when eaten in excess. Spicy foods are also
warming in the body, which helps relieve dampness and improve digestion.
Examples are: onion, ginger, garlic, and peppers.
Salty: Salty
foods affect, stimulate, and balance the the kidneys and bladder. They
generally produce yang effects in the body and mind although if you are
dehydrated, can also produce some yin effects as well. These foods are
drying and energizing while simultaneously being calming. They serve to
replenish deficiency of minerals and electrolytes and also stimulate
appetite and digestion. They have rebuilding qualities and strengthen
the kidneys.
Examples are: salt, olives, some meats.
Balancing Yin and Yang: As
you can see, each food has yin or yang effects as well as a flavor that
confers additional effects in the body and mind. Eating too much of any
one type, taste or category (yin/yang) of food can cause an imbalance
in your health and energetics. In Chinese culture, for example, where
much of this knowledge originated, in most dishes and recipes they
strive to include all five flavors and foods that are both yin and yang.
This way, the body naturally stays in balance on an energetic level
throughout the day and health is maintained effortlessly.
Your Personal Constitution and Food Energetics
Although understanding basic food
energetics is fundamental for creating radiant, lifelong health, the
rabbit hole goes quite a bit deeper than that when it comes to food
energetics. In addition to each food having its own unique energetic
properties and constitution, your body does as well. In Ayurveda, this
is called your doshic makeup (or prikriti/vrikriti)
and in Chinese Medicine each person is believed to have an elemental
type: water, wood, metal, earth and fire. For the sake of simplicity,
we’ll focus in on the Ayurvedic doshas here, although do know that there
is quite a bit of overlap between these two systems.
Ayurvedic Doshas
Vata: Vata
types tend to be skinny, sometimes tall as well. They have quick minds
and fast metabolisms and tend to embody the elements of air and ether.
Vata types need a lot of oils in their diet, which are grounding and
calming and help to balance out their racing heart and mind tendencies.
An overly light diet of salads and fruits can make Vata types overly
anxious or agitated, which they have a tendency to become anyway.
Protein can also be important for Vata types to maintain their high
nutrient needs due to their active metabolisms. Vata types shouldn’t
skip meals—except during short fasts—as this tends to add more ‘air’
(the lack of food creates more space or air) energetically, which causes
them to become ungrounded.
Pitta: Pitta
types tend to be of a medium build and have a lot of fiery energy. They
tend to have sharp minds and be confident, energetic and assertive. The
skinnier a Pitta type is, the more fiery they will be and the
bigger/heavier their build, the more watery/earthy they will be on an
energetic level, meaning more grounded, paced and methodical. Pitta
types do well on a balanced diet with a slight preference toward yin
foods, which cool and balance out their fiery nature. Generally avoiding
spicy/pungent/hot foods keeps them in balance. Protein can be
important for Pitta types to fuel their burning ‘fire’. Heavier Pitta
builds may want to incorporate elements of the Kapha diet to keep them
in balance as well.
Kapha: Kapha
types tend to be of a heavier build and have a slower, more methodical
and balanced demeanor and body/mind. Not to be confused with being
dumber, Kapha types are equally as intelligent as Pitta and Vata,
however, the their thinking tends to be more paced and intentional.
Kapha types embody the heavier water and earth elements. They move
slower, have slower digestion and metabolism, and bigger bodies. As
such, they do much better with spicy/pungent/hot foods, which stimulate
their often-sluggish digestion. They should avoid too much fruit or
sweet foods, which can aggravate the already heavier, damper water/earth
elements they embody and cause lethargy. A balanced diet with a focus
on more yang foods, vegetables and grains can be beneficial for Kapha
types.
It is also important to note that no one
embodies only one dosha. Everyone has a dominant doshic type and a
subdominant type. In rarer cases someone might have a perfect balance
between two doshas and in even rarer cases be perfectly tridoshic. We
all have elements of all three doshas in our constitution, however, as a
general rule of thumb, whichever dosha or doshas are most strongly
dominant will determine what our bodies most need on an energetic level.
Eating for Your Constitutional Type
Depending on your doshic makeup, you
will want to adjust your diet accordingly. For example, Pitta types
should place a slightly greater emphasis on yin foods generally speaking
as the cooling effect they have on the body will balance out their
fiery nature. Vata types need to strive for balance between yin and
yang foods and Kapha types generally do better with slightly more yang
foods in their diet.
Energetic needs also change greatly with
the seasons and climates. In the summer, the body will naturally crave
more yin, cooling, sweet foods to help dissipate the heat in the
environment and keep the body in balance, no matter what your doshic
makeup. In the winter, on the other hand, yang, warm foods will
generally be craved to balance out the colder temperatures. In warm,
tropical climates, there grows an abundance of fruit (yin) because that
is what the body does best on, and in colder climates, there tends to be
mainly root vegetables and meat (yang), which is what the body needs to
thrive there.
As you learn the energetic properties of
the foods you eat and begin to tune into that level of awareness in
your body, you will begin to sense when you are getting out of balance
and need to eat certain foods to bring yourself back into homeostasis.
For example, have you ever noticed that after eating really salty foods
that you crave something sweet or vice versa? This is your body seeking
to maintain energetic balance within your system. In fact, we are
always getting signals like this, but it requires us to develop a more
intimate connection with our bodies to tune into the oftentimes subtle
intuitions and signals they are sending telling us exactly what we need
to thrive and what we should be eating next to stay in balance and good
health. If you start to pay attention to these signals regularly, over
time it becomes quite easy to maintain energetic balance within your
body and mind, which always leads to greater health, happiness, harmony
and flow.
Here’s an exercise to get you
started on the journey of becoming more aware of the connection between
your body, mind and the energetics of the food you eat, and what you
need to eat to harmonize all three:
Exercise: Sensing the Energetics of Food
Typically when we eat a meal, we eat
multiple foods and ingredients at once. This is not necessarily a
problem, but when learning to sense the energetics of food and how they
affect your body, it can make it difficult to discern what’s what—that
is, which ingredient is having which effect on your state of mind and
health.
To begin developing or refining your energetic sensitivity, try the following:
About 20-30 minutes before eating your
next meal, take just one ingredient you are planning on using and eat it
by itself. For example, have a piece of fruit, a handful of almonds, a
few bites of whatever vegetable you are making, or dip your fingertip in
a spice you plan on using and taste it. Within about 5-15 minutes, you
should notice a shift in your body, mind and energetics after eating
just this single food by itself. Sometimes it happens instantly,
sometimes it takes a bit longer. The point is, you want to begin eating
foods by themselves without the contaminating effects of anything else
for a little while before and after eating it.
Doing this allows you to get a clear
read on how that one food is affecting you on a mental, emotional,
physical and energetic level. Does the food make you feel energized or
calm? Does it warm you up or cool you down? How do you feel after you
eat it? Better or worse or neutral? All of this is energetic data about
how this food affects your constitution and health. Obviously, whatever
makes you feel good and/or brings you back into balance if you are
feeling over- or under-stimulated is ideal.
Also notice how you feel after you eat
your meal. Are you craving something sweet afterwards? Your meal may
have been overly salty and yang, and your body is now craving something
sweet and yin to balance it out. Or vice versa. Many people eat very
sweet breakfasts in the West and then you might find yourself craving a
salty, yang snack shortly thereafter.
Your body is constantly giving you data
about what you are eating and that data comes in the form of food
cravings, intuitions, feelings, sensations, states of mind, and other
subtle or overt ways your body shifts in relation to what you are
eating. By paying attention to these signals and using the food
energetics guidelines outlined in this article, you can get a quick
sense of how something is affecting you energetically and what you need
to shift to maintain balance—because at the end of the day, balance
equals health.
References:
- Taste and Action of Chinese Herbs – Traditional and Modern Viewpoints – http://www.itmonline.org/articles/taste_action/taste_action_herbs.htm
- The Three Doshas in Ayurveda – http://www.bluelotusayurveda.com/resources/the-three-doshas-in-ayurveda-vata-pitta-and-kapha/
- Ni Maoshing (trans). The Yellow Emperor’s Classic Of Medicine. Shambhala. Boston. 1995.
- Ni Maoshing and McNease Cathy. The Tao of Nutrition. Seven Star Communications. California. 1987.
- Frawley D. Ayurvedic Healing, A Comprehensive Guide. Lotus Press; 2000.
Recommended articles by Justin Faerman:
About the author:
Justin Faerman is a visionary
change-agent, international speaker, serial entrepreneur and
consciousness researcher dedicated to evolving global consciousness,
bridging science and spirituality and spreading enlightened ideas on
both an individual and societal level. He is the co-founder of Conscious
Lifestyle Magazine and the Flow Consciousness Institute and a sought
after teacher, known for his pioneering work in the area of flow and the
mechanics of consciousness. He is largely focused on applied
spirituality, which is translating abstract spiritual concepts and ideas
into practical, actionable techniques for creating a deeply fulfilling,
prosperous life.
Learn more at:
www.flow-mastery.com and
www.consciouslifestylemag.com
https://wakeup-world.com/2016/11/18/the-energetics-of-food-how-the-food-you-eat-affects-your-mental-and-emotional-health/
