SingaporeMotherhood | Parenting

August 2023

What To Eat and Avoid When You’re Heaty, According to TCM

By SingaporeMotherhood Contributor

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is common in our everyday lives as Singaporeans. Turn a corner in any neighbourhood and you will likely encounter a TCM medical hall or two. During hotter months and durian seasons, you may also overhear people around you talking about feeling ‘heaty’ and eating or drinking certain foods or beverages to bring down the heat.

What does this mean, and how does this affect our bodies? What foods can we consume to combat the ‘heatiness’? First, we should understand how TCM concepts affect our bodies to understand the need for a balanced consumption of foods.

(See also: HELP YOUR TODDLER EAT WELL AND GROW BETTER WITH THESE TCM TIPS)

TCM and Its Philosophy on Food

You have probably heard the terms ‘heaty’ and ‘cooling’ foods thrown around a lot. These concepts are actually based on an old Chinese philosophy of yin (‘cooling’) and yang (‘heaty’), and have been studied for more than 2,000 years by TCM.

The Chinese believe that foods can cause certain sensations and effects in our body, and understanding the body’s constitution is important to know what kinds of food to eat. For example, someone with a lot of yin energy in their body may be advised to consume more ‘heaty’ foods to balance out the cool energy.

TCM classifies foods into yin, yang, and neutral foods.

Yin Foods (‘Cooling’)

Yin foods are those which reduce excessive heat and toxins. People who are high in yang will need to consume yin foods to balance out their bodies. Symptoms of having too much ‘heatiness’ include having a reddish complexion, a dry mouth, having an easily irritated disposition, and insomnia.

However, you cannot overconsume ‘cooling’ foods as well. If you have too much yin in your body, you may suffer from symptoms, such as being intolerant to cold temperatures, having a pale complexion, sore muscles and joints, and fatigue.

Foods which are ‘cooling’ are usually lower in calories, have a soothing and refreshing taste, and require little to no cooking. Examples of these foods include green tea, salads, mangosteens, and watermelons.

(See also: TCM HERBAL SOUPS AND TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD FOCUS AND STAY HEALTHY AND STRESS-FREE)

Yang Foods (‘Heaty’)

Yang foods warm up the body and improve circulation, and help to dispel the cold. They are said to stimulate the body. People with more yin will need to consume more heaty foods. If you are too ‘cool’, you may experience symptoms such as cold limbs, bloating after eating, and discomfort after consuming cold things.

Likewise, if you take too much yang foods, you will become too ‘heaty’, and may experience fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, acne, excess thirst, redness of the skin, and get easily irritated often.

Foods which are ‘heaty’ usually are higher in calories and can withstand high cooking temperatures. Examples include red meat, baked and deep-fried foods, durian, chocolates, and spicy dishes like curry.

Neutral Foods

These are balanced in both yin and yang and are suitable for anyone to consume. Some examples include berries, potatoes, rice, almonds, milk, and honey.

Avoid These ‘Heaty’ Foods

If you are too ‘heaty’, then you should obviously avoid ‘heaty’ foods that will exacerbate the matter. Here are some common ‘heaty’ foods to avoid:

Fruits – Cherries – Guava – Lychees – Longans – Mango – Durian	Vegetables – Chives – Leek – Onion – Pumpkin – Mustard greens – Chives – Mountain yam	Condiments/herbs – Chilli – Cinnamon – Clove – Basil – Rosemary – Black pepper – Vinegar – Garlic – Ginger
Legumes/nuts/grains/seeds – Chestnut – Glutinous rice – Walnuts – Pistachios	Meat/seafood/dairy – Butter – Chicken – Ham – Lamb – Prawns – Mussels – Beef	Beverages – Coffee – Wine – Red teas – Black teas

Singapore is a foodie paradise with an abundance of choices. In general, anything oily, fried, and spicy is considered to be ‘heaty’. Moreover, these foods, which tend to have a high fat and salt content, can raise our cholesterol levels as well. Do avoid them or make healthier substitutions when you can.

Eat These ‘Cooling’ Foods

Conversely, if you are too ‘heaty’, you should eat more ‘cooling’ foods to beat the heat. Here are some common ‘cooling’ foods to consume:

Fruits – Bananas – Oranges – Pears – Strawberries – Lemons – Apples – Watermelon	Vegetables – Asparagus – Bitter gourd – Cucumber – Eggplant – Green leafy vegetables – Mushrooms – Lettuce – Cauliflower – Water chestnuts	Condiments/herbs – Salt – Sesame oil – Soya sauce – Cilantro – Mint – Dill – Lavender – Lemongrass – Aloe
Legumes/nuts/grains/seeds – Barley – Soy beans – Tofu – Millet – Mung beans – Oats	Meat/seafood/dairy – Chicken egg – Crab – Yogurt – Cheese	Beverages – Chrysanthemum tea – Green tea – Peppermint tea – Chamomile tea

Lo and behold, you can get ‘cooling’ foods outside of the home as well. When you need some convenience and cool, consider having a (healthier) snack, meal, or beverage from the hawker centre. Some options include:

• Cooling tea
• Cheng tng
• Watercress soup
• Grass jelly
• Coconut
• Ice kacang (do ask for less syrup)
• Sugarcane juice
• Green bean soup
• Gui ling gao (black herbal jelly)

Recipes to Beat the Heat

Why not try out a simple recipe to make something ‘cooling’ with the above ingredients yourself? A refreshing pasta salad is simple yet can be ‘cooling’ if you add the right ingredients, and mint tea is very welcome in the hot and humid climate here in Singapore.

Summer Pasta Salad (about 5 servings)

Ingredients:

• 500g tomatoes
• Half a white onion
• 1 cup of olives
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 500g pasta
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water.
2. Prepare the vegetables. De-seed and slice the zucchini, slice olives into half, chop up the onion, and slice tomatoes into halves.
3. Heat up a pan and add olive oil.
4. Add olives, garlic, and onion to the pan and stir-fry until light brown.
5. Add zucchini and tomatoes and turn the heat up to medium, stirring consistently. Cover the pan for 10 minutes to let zucchini thoroughly cook.
6. Add salt, pepper, and herbs to taste. Cool before putting in the refrigerator to make a chilled pasta salad for the hot weather.

(See also: 4 EASY RECIPES TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM)

Mint Green Tea (1 serving)

Ingredients:

• Mint leaves
• 1 tea bag of green tea
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup hot boiling water

Instructions:

1. Add mint and tea bag to hot water.
2. Cover the cup and infuse for 15 minutes.
3. Add honey and lemon juice and stir.
4. Leave to cool, then enjoy.

Finding the Balance

Balancing your yin and yang can be as simple as knowing the right foods to eat. Besides that, these are easily available and affordable too. Even if you are not big on TCM, seeing as ‘cooling’ foods are pretty healthy in general, why not do so for general health?

You can ask your elders for their sagely advice on this topic as well. After all, your first memory of the word ‘heaty’ is likely from your grandmother, or the aunties and uncles at the wet market — grandma really does know best!

(See also: THE IMPORTANCE OF GRANDPARENTS IN A CHILD’S GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT)

This article first appeared on Homage, an award-winning personal care solution that provides on-demand holistic home and community-based caregiving and medical services to seniors and adults, allowing them to age and recover with grace, control, and dignity.

Featured image: wirestock on Freepik

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