10 cooling foods to fight bloatedness

Feeling irritable? Short tempered, feverish or having a sore throat?

You might be suffering from what the Chinese call an excess of 'yang' energy in the body, also known as being heaty.

Having too much 'hot' energy in the body typically leads to symptoms such as 

>> Feeling irritable and short tempered
>> Feverish
>> Constipation
>> Flushed face
>> Sore throat
>> Nose bleeds
>> Bad skin, rashes and acne
>> Mouth ulcers
>> Indigestion and many more. 

This imbalance in the yang (hot) and yin (cold) energy in the body is usually a direct outcome of overconsuming heaty foods such as chocolates, fried food or snacks like biscuits, Ms Tay Ai Choo, a certified TCM physician and a member of the Editorial Board of TCM 24 Pte Ltd, told YourHealth.

While many people drink nourishing soups as supplements to a busy lifestyle, consuming too much nourishing soups can also cause body heatiness, she added.

While the negative physical reactions vary from person to person, those with inherent heaty body constitutions should take more case as they are likely to suffer more visibly, she said.

Therefore, it is crucial for one to know their own body constitutions or body types.

Other detrimental effects of being heaty

Dryness

Being heaty sometimes also leads to symptoms of 'dryness', Ms Tay said.

For example, when we have a sore throat, our throats may feel very dry, but drinking lots of water does little to alleviate the symptom.

Dryness is a direct consequence of being over-heaty, the TCM expert said. Those who repeatedly suffer from heaty and dry symptoms are also likely to suffer from other more serious diseases like diabetes, hypertension and stroke.

However, one should not jump to the conclusion that if you suffer from heatiness, you will fall victim to these health problems as there are other contributing factors involved, she added.

How can I reduce heatiness?

Ms Tay advised that to reduce heatiness, it is best to avoid fried and heaty food like mutton and spicy foods.

In addition, eating certain foods such as fruits and teas can help too.

These foods, classified by TCM practitioners as 'cooling' foods include pears, duck meat, lean meat, green beans, winter melon, water chestnut and white fungus.

Drinking more water also helps, she said.

If you are worried about overdoing on the cooling effects on these foods, compliment them with neutral foods or small quantities of heaty foods.

Other than consuming foods, one can also try mediation techniques to control their emotions, avoid stress, and quit smoking and drinking to maintain a balanced yin and yang body energy.

Ms Tay Ai Choo is a certified TCM physician and a member of the Editorial Board of TCM 24 Pte Ltd. Readers may direct their queries/comments to info@tcm24.sg or visit www.tcm24.sg for more information.