The concept of Hot and Cold, although popular, is littered with confusion due to all kinds of rumors flying around. My purpose is to reduce this confusion by restoring some common sense and criteria into this concept to make it more useful.
Why do we need such a concept?
o Simple, reasonable, and practical for everyday use.
o Lead us to the higher concept of balance for health maintenance.
o Lead us further to better understanding the theory of Yin Yang.
o It helps us contrast things between two extremes using our common sense, rather than relying on rumors.
o Upon understanding this concept, we can easily apply one category to counter the other, thereby achieving a balance.
What do we mean by "Hot and Cold"?
o It means something obvious like temperature.
o Besides the obvious, it also means many less obvious things like symptoms, conditions, feelings, and effects on the body.
o It is a convenient categorization method, a good tool to be employed.
Very obvious examples of "Hot and Cold":
o Hot: high temperature, fire, hot weather, fever, sweating.
o Cold: low temperature, ice, cold weather, shivering.
Less obvious examples of "Hot and Cold" based on taste or feel:
o Hot: spicy food, hot pepper, ginger, hard liquor, hot chocolate, hot coffee, menstrual delay, menopause hot flash, all of which make you feel hotter, warmer, more irritated, or less relaxed.
o Cold: fruits, vegetables, water, cold drinks, all of which can soothe you, make you feel cooler, and neutralize the Hotness you feel.
Least obvious examples of Hot food, based on your cooking method employing fire, heat, oil, or hot spices:
o Barbecued food prepared with fire and heat.
o Deep-fried food with longer cooking immersed in oil.
o Roasted nuts, coffee beans prepared with fire and heat.
Least obvious examples of Hot stuff, based on effects on the body:
o Shellfish such as crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, etc. which can cause existing skin rash to flare up.
o Insufficient sleep or rest resulting in a high-temper mood.
o Some special fruits such as durian, "lychee" and "longan" can cause thirst, sleeplessness, and worsening of existing Hot conditions.
In less obvious cases, the criteria should be based on:
o Direct simple relation to the obvious, e.g. Juicy fruits are Cold because they contain water. Barbecued food cooked with fire is Hot.
o Consistent effects on the body after consumption, e.g. effects of shellfish on existing skin condition.
o Simple reasoning, e.g. steamed rice is less Hot because the steam is essentially water which neutralizes the heat.
o Your instincts always tell you what you need to do, e.g. Most people pick a cold drink rather than a hot chocolate or coffee at a barbecue. Why? Your body knows that it needs some Cold stuff to balance the Hot nature of a barbecue.
How to apply this concept?
o During a fever, which is a Hot condition, avoid eating Hot food. Try to eat Cold stuff like vegetables and fruits. Drink a lot of water, and rest. Your body will recover sooner when you do the Cold things.
o For itchy or dry skin, a Hot condition, Hot stuff will make it worse.
o When your body is weak and feeling cold, consuming more Hot food will make you feel better.
o There's nothing good or bad about Hot or Cold. It's just the nature of things. To achieve a balance, you have to find out how much Hot or Cold your body needs at a particular time.
Most things resist categorization under Hot or Cold because there is no simple reasoning or criteria to back it up. Some examples are: rice, bread, dairy products, potato, beef, pork, chicken, fish, sugar, salt, etc. Anything in doubt should be conveniently grouped under Neutral. That means we are not sure about its effects on the body. We just don't know.
Why do we need such a concept?
o Simple, reasonable, and practical for everyday use.
o Lead us to the higher concept of balance for health maintenance.
o Lead us further to better understanding the theory of Yin Yang.
o It helps us contrast things between two extremes using our common sense, rather than relying on rumors.
o Upon understanding this concept, we can easily apply one category to counter the other, thereby achieving a balance.
What do we mean by "Hot and Cold"?
o It means something obvious like temperature.
o Besides the obvious, it also means many less obvious things like symptoms, conditions, feelings, and effects on the body.
o It is a convenient categorization method, a good tool to be employed.
Very obvious examples of "Hot and Cold":
o Hot: high temperature, fire, hot weather, fever, sweating.
o Cold: low temperature, ice, cold weather, shivering.
Less obvious examples of "Hot and Cold" based on taste or feel:
o Hot: spicy food, hot pepper, ginger, hard liquor, hot chocolate, hot coffee, menstrual delay, menopause hot flash, all of which make you feel hotter, warmer, more irritated, or less relaxed.
o Cold: fruits, vegetables, water, cold drinks, all of which can soothe you, make you feel cooler, and neutralize the Hotness you feel.
Least obvious examples of Hot food, based on your cooking method employing fire, heat, oil, or hot spices:
o Barbecued food prepared with fire and heat.
o Deep-fried food with longer cooking immersed in oil.
o Roasted nuts, coffee beans prepared with fire and heat.
Least obvious examples of Hot stuff, based on effects on the body:
o Shellfish such as crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, etc. which can cause existing skin rash to flare up.
o Insufficient sleep or rest resulting in a high-temper mood.
o Some special fruits such as durian, "lychee" and "longan" can cause thirst, sleeplessness, and worsening of existing Hot conditions.
In less obvious cases, the criteria should be based on:
o Direct simple relation to the obvious, e.g. Juicy fruits are Cold because they contain water. Barbecued food cooked with fire is Hot.
o Consistent effects on the body after consumption, e.g. effects of shellfish on existing skin condition.
o Simple reasoning, e.g. steamed rice is less Hot because the steam is essentially water which neutralizes the heat.
o Your instincts always tell you what you need to do, e.g. Most people pick a cold drink rather than a hot chocolate or coffee at a barbecue. Why? Your body knows that it needs some Cold stuff to balance the Hot nature of a barbecue.
How to apply this concept?
o During a fever, which is a Hot condition, avoid eating Hot food. Try to eat Cold stuff like vegetables and fruits. Drink a lot of water, and rest. Your body will recover sooner when you do the Cold things.
o For itchy or dry skin, a Hot condition, Hot stuff will make it worse.
o When your body is weak and feeling cold, consuming more Hot food will make you feel better.
o There's nothing good or bad about Hot or Cold. It's just the nature of things. To achieve a balance, you have to find out how much Hot or Cold your body needs at a particular time.
Most things resist categorization under Hot or Cold because there is no simple reasoning or criteria to back it up. Some examples are: rice, bread, dairy products, potato, beef, pork, chicken, fish, sugar, salt, etc. Anything in doubt should be conveniently grouped under Neutral. That means we are not sure about its effects on the body. We just don't know.
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