Food and Mood Chart

posted in: newsletters 0

 

Food can go a long way to either making us feel fantastic or absolute rubbish. I may have had a couple of wines and some pizza on the weekend…This always leads to me waking up around 1.30am (the time of liver in Chinese medicine) feeling a little sweaty . Not only that, I felt quite ‘grotty’, my head was very sluggish and my mood was somewhat irritated all the following day (when will I learn?!).

Herewith a lovely chart of some quick remedies (based on Chinese medicine) for when you may be feeling down (bananas for me all the way yesterday).

 

FOOD AND MOOD CHART*

 

 

Mood

See  if the diet has a lot of And/or not enough of Possible quick remedy Organs involved (traditional Chinese Medicine)
Depression, melancholy Sugar, honey, maple syrup; milk and milk products; allergenic foods; over 70% grains Beans, fish, fowl, meat, whole grains Something salty, umeboshi, olives, anchovies. Also aromatic spices Lungs, large intestines, adrenal insufficiency
Fear As above; also, meat, fats Brown rice, barley, beans, cooked vegetables Apple juice kuzu* (if tension); shoyu-umeboshi-kuzu (if un-centred) Kidney-adrenals, weakness in the heart
Anger, short temper Fats, salt, brown rice, cheese, meat, fried eggs Salad, sprouts, sour food, cornmeal Bananas, fruit juice, apple-juice-kuzu Liver-gall bladder, weakness in stomach
Overexcitement, excessive laughter, anxiety Wheat, greens, raw food; stimulants such as coffee, chocolate, alcohol, strong spices, sugar Seaweeds, salty foods, millet Something salty (see above) Heart-small intestines, weakness in lungs
Worry; lack of empathy Dairy products, sugar, sweets, honey, salads, sour foods Sweet vegetables, millet, corn cooked greens, fats, oils Bread and butter Stomach-spleen-pancreas; weakness in kidney-adrenals

 

*Kuzu is similar to arrowroot or corn-starch and is available from health-food stores.

Apple-juice-kuzu. In 1 cup apple juice, dissolve 2 tablespoons kuzu and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional). Cook until thickened, stirring all the time. Swirl in 1 tablespoon tahini. Eat hot or cold.

Shoyu-umeboshi kuzu. Dissolve 1 tablespoon kuzu in 1 cup cold water and cook, stirring until thick. Add 1 tablespoon tamari or shoyu and 1 mashed umeboshi plum or 1 teaspoon umeboshi plum paste; let mixture simmer 2 minutes longer. Can use less soy if too salty.

 

*Taken from Food and Healing by Annemarie Colbin