LIFESTYLE
What to eat and avoid when you're feeling heaty, according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Yin foods (cooling)
Yin foods are those which are said to reduce excessive heat and toxins. People who are high in yang will need to consume yin foods to balance out their bodies. Symptoms of having too much ‘heatiness’ include having a reddish complexion, a dry mouth, having an easily irritated disposition, and insomnia.

However, you cannot overconsume cooling foods as well. If you have too much yin in your body, you may suffer from some symptoms, such as being intolerant to cold temperatures, having a pale complexion, sore muscles and joints, and being fatigued.

Foods which are cooling are usually lower in calories, have a soothing and refreshing taste, and require little to no cooking. Examples of these foods include green tea

Yang foods (heaty)
Yang foods warm up the body and improve circulation, and help to dispel the cold. They are said to stimulate the body. People with more yin will need to consume more heaty foods. If you are too ‘cool’, you may experience symptoms such as cold limbs, bloating easily after eating, and experiencing discomfort after eating or drinking cold things.

Likewise, if you take too much yang foods, you will become ‘too heaty’, and may experience fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, acne, excess thirst, redness of the skin, and get easily irritated often.

Foods which are heaty usually are higher in calories and can withstand high cooking temperatures. Examples include

durian, chocolates, and spicy dishes like curry.

Neutral foods
These are balanced in both yin and yang and are suitable for anyone to consume. Some examples include
rice and honey

Eat these to beat the heat
If you are too heaty, you should eat more cooling (yin) food to beat the heat. Here are some common cooling foods to consume.
At home
Food categories Cooling (yin) foods to eat
Salt
Sesame oil
Soya sauce
Salt

Chrysanthemum tea
Green tea
Peppermint tea

Spearmint and peppermint

Rosemary
Lavender
Lemongrass
Chamomile
Aloe

Cooling tea
Cheng Tng

Ice Kacang (do ask for less syrup)
Sugar cane juice
Gui Ling Gao (also known as black herbal jelly)

Avoid these to beat the heat
If cooling foods are recommended to reduce heatiness, then it goes that heaty or yang foods should be avoided to prevent your body from getting too heaty. Here are some foods to avoid if you are too heaty.

At home
Food categories Food items to avoid

At home
Food categories Food items to avoid
Fruits Cherries
Guava
Lychee
Longan
Mango
Durian
Meat, seafood, dairy
Butter
Chicken

Lamb
Prawns
Mussels
Beef
Legumes, nuts, grains, and seeds Chestnut
Glutinous rice
Walnuts
Pistachioes

Butter
Chicken
Vegetables Chives
Leek
Onion
Pumpkin
Mustard greens
Chives
Mountain Yam
At home
Food categories Food items to avoid
Fruits Cherries
Guava
Lychee
Longan
Mango
Durian
Lamb
Prawns
Mussels
Beef
Legumes, nuts, grains, and seeds Chestnut
Glutinous rice
Walnuts
Pistachioes
Condiments, herbs, and beverages Chilli
Cinnamon
Clove
Basil
Rosemary
Black pepper
Vinegar
Garlic
Ginger
Coffee
Wine
Red tea

Condiments, herbs, and beverages Chilli
Cinnamon
Clove
Basil
Rosemary
Black pepper
Vinegar
Garlic
Ginger
Coffee
Wine
Red tea

https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/what-eat-and-avoid-when-youre-feeling-heaty-according-traditional-chinese-medicine-tcm?utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=asiaone_newsletter&utm_term=What%20to%20eat%20and%20avoid%20when%20you%27re%20feeling%20heaty%2C%20according%20to%20traditional%20Chinese%20medicine%20%28TCM%29&utm_content=03/07/2023