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Eating "Cold" Foods will slow down “Eating “cold” foods will slow down your weight loss” seems to us in the West an almost nonsensical statement, certainly a surprising one. However some foods which we in the West would naturally think of as good weight loss foods, such as salads, fresh fruit and raw vegetables, are categorised by Chinese medicine as “Cold” foods and can actually hinder weight loss. How is this so? Well in Chinese medicine foods are categorised according to their different properties or qualities. Some foods have the property of being Hot such as spicy foods like chilli or curry. Other foods are Warming, some are Neutral, some are Cooling and others are Cold. These properties are connected to how foods affect the body. So a Hot food will heat the body up and a Cold one will 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 spicy 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, raw vegetables and sushi. Now Cold foods are not bad in themselves, or even bad for weight loss per se, it’s more that if you eat too many of them they will have a detrimental effect on your digestive system and slow down your metabolism. This of course is almost the opposite of what most Western nutritionists and dieticians would recommend for weight loss. So why does Cold food slow down the metabolism? Well according to Chinese natural philosophy, when things become Cold they tend to slow down. This slowing down is seen as decrease in the movement of energy or qi. When your vital energy or qi slows down too much this can lead to stagnation. For example when it is winter we all feel a little less energetic and a little more inclined to want to snuggle up under a blanket. For the digestive system this translates into a slowing down of the processing of food and bowel motility. Now if you’re only eating cold food moderately, that’s fine. But if you are eating it constantly then you start to put a strain on your spleen and digestive system. 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. 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. 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? Miso soup. The soup has a warming nature helping to ease the impact of the raw dish on the digestive system. The pickled ginger also goes some way to warming 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). For more information on how Hypnopuncture can help with Weight Loss or to book a session please call Paul on 0752864923 or contact Hypnopuncture
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