“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.”
Hippocrates
Building VS Detoxing:
Remember from our discussion on the phases of the body that your body can be either primarily in a state of deficiency (lacks something it needs) or primarily in a state of excess (has too much of what it doesn’t want.)
Everytime you eat you both build the body up and add to the amount of toxins stored in the body. This is because every food has a beneficial part that can be absorbed and a waste product that must be eliminated (explained in more detail on the following page.)
In general the more a particular food builds the body up the more toxins it creates in the body. This general guide gives us a simple way to categorize food.
Building Foods, Building the Body Up:
When your body is primarily in a state of deficiency you are in need of more qi, blood, yin, or yang. By giving your body more of what it needs it will naturally detox itself of the many toxins it is holding onto. In short you could say that it is because it is so weak and tired that it has built up toxins and that by strengthening your body it has the resources to naturally do what it does best. (If you want more information on understanding the types of deficiency it can be found here.)
In general the foods that build the body up are foods that are “nutrient dense,” and most commonly these are animal products. A few specific examples follow:
- Red Meat – Builds Yang
- Seafood – Builds Yin
- Sprouted Nuts and Grains – Build Qi
- Red Meat, Butter, Honey – Build Blood
This is of course an overly simplistic list, remember that specifics for YOU can be found under your “Pick Your Struggle” this page is just an overview of the concept.
Foods in this category add to your stores of energy and are very important if your body is currently in a deficiency type state. The most common signs of the body in this state are tiredness, loose stools, a weak voice, and a desire to lie down. More specifics and how to recognize this general state in yourself can be found under “Recognizing the Phases in Yourself,” and recognizing it specifically in the context of your symptoms can be found under “Pick Your Struggle.”
Detoxing Foods, Cleaning the Body Out:
When your body is primarily in a state of excess you have accumulated to many toxins which we break down into subgroups called Damp/Fluid, Heat, Cold, and Wind. Different types of “detox” foods help more specifically with 1 subgroup than another yet all the foods help your body “detox.” (If you want more information on understanding the types of excess it can be found here.)
In general the foods that detox the body are less “nutrient dense” and many of them are vegetables. A few specific examples follow:
- Raw Vegetables – Get rid of Heat toxins
- Cooked Vegetables and White Rice- Get rid of Damp/Fluid toxins
- Spices – Get rid of Cold toxins
- *Note that Wind toxins are always a bi-product of either too much of another excess toxin or too little of a type of deficiency. Eating for Wind toxin is always based on WHY it is there (the other toxin or deficiency.)*
This is of course an overly simplistic list, remember that specifics for YOU can be found under your “Pick Your Struggle” this page is just an overview of the concept.
Foods in this category clean toxins out of your body and are very important if your body is currently in an excess type state. The most common signs of the body in this state are restlessness, irritability, a strong voice, heavy breathing, pain aggravated by pressure, high-pitched ringing in the ears, and constipation. More specifics and how to recognize this general state in yourself can be found under “Recognizing the Phases in Yourself,” and recognizing it specifically in the context of your symptoms can be found under “Pick Your Struggle.”
Up Next: What’s Left Over, Balancing Building with Detoxing