Recommended Foods
Grains: quinoa, sweet (glutinous) rice, wheat germ
Vegetables: leek, mustard greens, onion, radish, scallion, squash, sweet potato, turnip, watercress
Fruit: cherry, litchi, longan, peach, raspberry, strawberry
Nuts and seeds: chestnuts, pistachio nuts, walnuts
Fish: Sea fish, anchovy, lobster, mussel, prawn, shrimp, trout, fish broth, or better still fish bone broth
Meat: Bone marrow, chicken, kidneys (both beef and lamb- Needs to be organic though)
Herbs and spices: basil, black pepper, caper, cayenne, chive seed, cinnamon bark, clove, dill seed, fennel seed, garlic, ginger, horseradish, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, tumeric, thyme, white pepper
Common supplements: algae, brown sugar, ginseng, malt sugar, vinegar
Lifestyle
Avoid big meals, as they require much energy to digest. Opt for an even distribution of foods throughout the day
Cold food and cold liquids will further drain the body’s yang energy. Here ‘cold foods’ refers not only to those directly taken from the fridge but also to raw foods, as these require extra energy for digestion compared to pre-cooked foods. This may mean choosing steamed or stir- fried vegetables over a green salad .
Using a warming method of cooking will also enhance the body’s energy by preserving yang, therefore soups, stews and slow roasted foods become the dishes of choice for those with a predominate yang deficiency. Do not use hot seasoning to excess, which will induce sweating and actually have a cooling, drying effect on the body.