In illness, this climate has become too hot or cold. My food-balancing prescriptions are based on the Chinese view that the human body is a microcosm of the universe. When the body is sick, we try to bring warmth to coldness, or cool off too much heat. As a doctor of Chinese medicine, I know that acupuncture and herbs will help bring about these changes. But I also tell patients which foods will help produce these same effects.
Every food has an effect on the body's metabolic temperature.
Some foods, such as tofu or ice cream, produce a characteristic internal coldness. Others, such as ginger or chicken, generate internal heat. If you eat too many warming foods, you increase the chance that your condition will become too warm. Some colds, for example, marked by a dry or sore throat, fever, and sweating, can be caused by too much heat. The way to help correct the underlying imbalance that brought on that condition is to eat more cooling foods.