5 Clever Tips to Identify Cold and Hot Foods
As the saying goes, "medicine and food share the same origin." Just like medicinal herbs, food also has properties that can warm the body or replenish yin. Therefore, we must distinguish between the cold and hot nature of foods. Those with a 'cold' body constitution should eat more 'hot' foods, while those with a 'hot' constitution should eat more 'cold' foods to maintain health. So, how can you tell the difference?
1. Foods that are greenish in color are generally cold, while those reddish in color are generally warm.
Green plants grow close to the ground and absorb its moisture, so they tend to be cold, such as mung beans and green vegetables.
2. Foods with a bitter or sour taste are generally cold; those with a sweet or pungent taste are generally hot.
Foods with a bitter or sour taste are considered cold, such as bitter melon, bitter greens, taro, plums, and papaya.
Foods with a pungent or sweet taste have been exposed to sunlight for longer periods, so they are considered hot, such as garlic, persimmons, and pomegranates.
3. Aquatic plants are generally cold; terrestrial plants are generally hot.
Lotus root, kelp, and seaweed are considered cold.
Meanwhile, foods that grow on land, such as peanuts, potatoes, Chinese yam, and ginger, have less moisture because they are grown in soil, so they are considered hot.
4. Foods that grow in the shade are generally cold; plants that grow in the sun are generally hot.
Foods that grow in the shade, facing north, absorb more moisture and see little sunlight, so they tend to be cold, such as mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms.
Foods that grow in the open or are sun-facing, such as sunflowers and chestnuts, receive ample sunlight and are therefore considered hot.
5. Foods grown in winter and summer are generally cold; foods grown in spring and autumn are generally hot.
Foods that grow in winter are cold-natured due to the heavy cold in the air, such as Chinese cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, white radish, and winter melon.
Foods that grow in summer are also cold-natured because they receive more rain, such as watermelon, cucumber, and pear. Fruits from spring and autumn, like apples and oranges, are generally more hot-natured.