Eating "Cold" Foods will slow down your weight loss.
Paul: I’ve noticed Alex that you often advise our weight loss patients to cut down on eating “cold” foods such as salads and fruit, which always surprises them. In the West we tend to perceive these kinds of foods as being ultra-healthy and to be the right kinds of food to help you lose weight. But Chinese Medicine doesn’t see it like that at all does it?
Alex: No you’re right, some foods, which we in the West would naturally think are good weight loss foods, such as salads and raw foods, are categorised by Chinese medicine as “Cold” foods and can actually hinder weight loss.
Paul: Really! So all those health magazines and nutrition experts and weight loss coaches have got it all wrong as far as this issue is concerned?
Alex: Basically yes. I’m not saying you can’t lose weight if you eat a lot of salad and raw food, but what I am saying is that a lot of people who eat this kind of diet and exercise regularly, still find it difficult to lose the weight. And this is probably due to the way the digestive system reacts to a diet consisting of too much cold and raw food.
Paul: So what exactly is Cold food then?
Alex: Well, in Chinese medicine foods are categorised according to the different properties they have. Some foods have the property of being Hot, the obvious ones being chilli or curry, others are Warm, some are Neutral, some are Cool and then some are Cold.
Paul: And this has to do whether they taste hot or cold?
Alex: Not really, its more to do with the effect they have on the body. So a Hot food will heat the body up and a Cold one cool it down. Spicy food, as well as tasting hot will also heat the body up, which is why a lot of us will sweat after a really hot curry. Cold foods can be cold because of their temperature such as ice cream or a cold lager, but also a lot of raw foods are Cold in nature too, such as salads, vegetables and sushi.
Paul: So what’s so bad about Cold foods if you’re trying to lose weight?
Alex: Well they’re not bad in themselves, its just that if you eat too much of them it will have a detrimental effect on your digestive system and slow down your metabolism. This is the opposite of what you want if you’re trying to lose weight.
Paul: But why should too much Cold food slow down the digestive system?
Alex: According to the Chinese understanding, things with a Cold nature will slow down the movement of qi, your vital energy and lead to stagnation. Just as when it is winter the last thing you feel is all energetic and are much more likely to snuggle up under a blanket. For the digestive system this translates into a slower processing of food and bowel motility. Now if you’re only eating cold food within reason, that’s fine. But if you’re eating it all the time then you start to put a strain on your spleen and digestive system.
Paul: What’s the Spleen got to do with it?
Alex: Well, in Chinese Medicine the Spleen regulates the digestive system and is said to thrive in a dry and warm environment. When your body is fed with warm nourishing foods this actually supports the Spleen, strengthening the digestive system. However, too much raw and Cold natured foods will impair and weaken the Spleen. As the Cold food causes the digestive system to slow down it can lead to a stagnation of food system and also to bloating and wind.
Paul: Ok, I am starting to see now. Is that all, or does this weakening of the Spleen have further repercussions?
Alex: As the Spleen drives the metabolism and is essentially in charge of the whole digestive process the effects are much wider. When the Spleen is impaired by a large intake of cold natured foods, its ability to transport fluid around the body and separate the good nutrition from the bad nutrition is weakened. This can be one of the ways in which Dampness starts to accumulate in the body. Also, as the body cools, the natural heat that drives your body (your metabolism) is reduced, meaning that you burn less calories and experience lower levels of energy.
Paul: Suddenly, I’ve gone right off salad!
Alex: No need to be melodramatic Paul, just because you’re a hypnotist! But seriously, we know it is important to have a balanced diet and there are plenty of things you can do to help balance the nature of foods. First of all, try to avoid eating or drinking items straight out of the fridge, allow them to reach room temperature first. You can also counter act cold natured food by eating it with something warm. You know I mentioned sushi earlier? Well what do the Japanese always serve with this dish?
Paul: Miso Soup?
Alex: Exactly! The soup has a war ming nature helping to ease the impact of the raw dish on the digestive system. The pickled ginger also goes some way to war ming the stomach as well. This will prevent you from feeling bloated when you eat large amounts of this Cold, raw food. You can use this principle when you have your salads at home. Simply make sure you accompany them with a light soup or maybe even a warm drink (ie tea).
Paul: Ok, so we should avoid foods straight out of the fridge and either cook vegetables or try and have them with a warm drink, or side dish, if we eat them raw. Anything else?
Alex: The seasons of the year also play a part, in particular the weather/ temperature outside. If it is the middle of summer the reason we feel like eating cold and cool foods such as salads, is because they can help to counteract the heat at that time of year. This means that the body will not be affected to the same extent by eating cold foods when it is hot. This is not an excuse to only eat cold foods and drinks at that time of year though! When the weather is cold it will be beneficial to actually eat more war ming foods as this will help drive the metabolism through the cold winter months. The Chinese tend to have hotpots and stews more in winter, with meats like lamb and beef.
Paul: So patients’ who are eating salads and raw foods all the time, trying to lose weight, were in effect actually weakening their digestive systems, slowing the metabolism and allowing Dampness to start accumulating in their bodies! But as long as they are aware of the nature of the food they are eating, they can go some way to counteract the damaging effects of too much Cold natured food.
Alex: It’s all about balance in the end Paul, which a lot of people tend to lose sight of when they’re trying to lose weight. The whole diet industry is built on driving people towards extreme diets which end up doing more harm than good. But that’s a whole different topic for another time, so don’t get me started on that one…not just now anyway!
