Food Therapy

Food therapy is an effective way to improve your health and maximize results from acupuncture and herbal treatment. In Chinese medicine foods are classified according to the body's response. When we treat patients with a condition, specific foods are suggested according to their health condition.

The earliest recorded writings on using food as prescribed medicine appears in the Chinese medical classic, Huang di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine) which dates to 500 BC. In this book, food is classified into four food groups, five tastes, and then by their temperature. This early organization of foods as medicine is continued today in the practice of food therapy. Then as now, we know that what we eat has a profound impact on how we feel. Finding ways to focus on seasonal foods, soups and teas offer an easy way of affecting our metabolism, lowering inflammation and pain, improving energy, and promoting health.

Thinking of adding herbs to your diet? Consider a consultation to talk with us about recipes that support your health, cooking techniques and getting your supplies. At MetroWestWhole Health we carry a number of organic, quality grains and herbs. And we regularly post new recipes on our forum.

Many of us struggle with inflammation and uncontrolled inflammatory responses: seasonal allergies, intestinal complaints, muscle pain and injury, to name a few. Diet and lifestyle make a profound difference managing and resolving inflammatory conditions. For more information on dealing with these issues please call the office. Article on Magnesium and inflammation.

The links below will guide you to information about Chinese food therapy using different porridges.

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Porridge

Warm and easy to digest, soups and porridges are wonderful foods to eat regularly. And if you're getting a cold, they're simply essential for a quick recovery! Rice porridge, is alternately known as congee in Hong Kong (or wherever the Brits asserted cultural influence in East Asia), or zhou in Mainland China (that's in Mandarin, the official language of China), or jook in southern China (as it's pronounced in Cantonese). This grain-based stew is the basis for many nutritious meals in Chinese diet therapy. Zhou can be eaten as part of any meal or as a meal itself. Savory or slightly sweet, plain or dressed up, zhou can satisfy and warm the body in any season.You may be interested to know that in China when soup is eaten with a meal, it is eaten at the end of the meal to aid digestion.

Basic Porridge Recipe

In a stock pot, cook 1 cup grains/herbs & a pinch of salt in 10 cups water/chicken/vegetable broth blend. Bring to a rolling boil then lower heat to simmer, cover with lid. Cook 2-3 hrs stirring every half hour. If the porridge becomes dry or too thick, stir in 1/2 c. or so cold water and cook more. Your porridge is ready when your grain base is broken down and you have a nice thick oatmeal-like consistency. Alternately, use your slow cooker with 1c. grain/herb mix to ~10c water/broth. Cook on high for 2 hours then on low for another 5 hours.

Food Therapy with Porridge

Know your Chinese medical diagnosis and looking for a congee recipe?

Symptom	Diagnosis	Foods
Red & dry eyes	Wind Heat	White rice zhou with Sliced Chicken or fresh tofu and Gou Qi Zi.  Eat this soup with Chrysanthemum tea to help moisten your eyes.
Scratchy throat, headache and tight shoulders	Onset of Wind Cold	White rice zhou with fresh garlic, ginger, scallion and Dan Dou Chi. Boosts your immune system and builds immediate resistance to invading pathogens.
Abdominal pain and bloating from Spleen Qi Vacuity	Spleen Qi Vacuity	White rice zhou with Shan Yao & Japanese yams. Eases digestion when there is general fatigue, reactive stomach, tendency to bloat, stomach/intestinal sounds
Afternoon fatigue	Spleen Qi with Blood/Wei Qi Vacuity	White rice zhou with small amounts of Dang Gui and Huang Qi added an hour into preparation. Helps particularly with spontaneous sweating; may be used postpartum.
Fatigue, pale lips and gums, afternoon heat flushes	Blood Vacuity and Dryness	Add crushed 3g black sesame seeds, 6g he shou wu, 6g dang gui, 2g e jiao to your prescribed or favorite grain mix.
Weakened immune system from Jing & Wei Qi Vacuity	Jing & Wei Qi Vacuity	10g crushed Ling Zhi (ganoderma lucidum), 50g of wheat (spelt, kamut, wheat berries), 15-20 long yan rou, 6-10 da zao (jujube), one spoon white sugar/raw sugar. Helps when symptoms includ neurasthenia, insomnia, general debility and anxiety
Irritiability, PMS, headaches due to Liver Qi Constraint	Liver Qi Constraint	Brown or white rice zhou with barley topped with diced pickled greens.  Use brown rice if constipated.

Congee is easy to cook and wonderfully satisfying anytime of year. Take a peek at the links below and let us know what you think.

Personal Views on Congee (zhou or jook)

Asian comfort food restaurant trend in San Francisco
Article from the San Francisco Chronicle, October 12, 2005
Congee: Asia's Comfort Food
A traveler's research about Asia's ubiquitous rice porridige

Medical Perspectives on Congee (zhou or jook)

Chinese food therapy
Wikipedia, an open online encyclopedia, provides definitions and links to relevant information