Energetics of Food

Energetics of Food

Posted By: Ockert Cameron Published: 26/11/2016 Times Read: 2047 Comments: 0

In the West, food is described by its protein, fat and carbohydrate content. By contrast, in the East, food is described by the effect it has on the body when eaten, for example its temperature, flavour and route of action.


The temperature of a food is either hot, warm, neutral, cool or cold. Chilli peppers are very hot and therefore heat us up when eaten, whereas watermelon is cooling and therefore very appropriate on a hot summer day. Likewise, root vegetable soups warm us in the winter and salads cool us in the summer.

The flavour of a food is either salty, sour, bitter, sweet or pungent. A salty food can help drain excess moisture from the body, while a sweet food will moisten and nourish the body. Is it any surprise that we find chocolate a comfort food? It is an extremely sweet food that easily provides nourishment to the body. Unfortunately, it usually provides too much nourishment which the body stores as fat.

According to leading integrated veterinarians, such as Dr Judy Morgan, every food has properties and actions in terms of how they affect the balance of the body in Chinese theory. Dogs that have a tendency to be hot in nature should be fed cooling foods, and dogs that tend to be cold in nature should be fed warming foods.




The Hot Dog

A dog that is hot will typically demonstrate it through a variety of signs. A hot dog will seek cool places, will often be hot to the touch, and may pant at inappropriate times (like at night time or while at rest).  A dog that is hot may also have red eyes or red skin and may be very restless. Dogs that are affected by allergies or that are very high-arousal are characteristically very hot in nature.

Feeding a hot dog hot foods (like lamb or venison, which are considered the hottest proteins) is like throwing kerosene on the fire. Hot dogs should be fed cooling foods to dampen the negative effects of heat on their bodies. Proteins like duck, rabbit, or fish are considered cooling by Chinese theory, and are best for a dog that has allergies or is generally hot in nature. If a dog is on a raw or real food diet, you can explore other options like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For example, some great cooling fruits and vegetables are apples, bananas, oranges, pears, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and mushrooms.

Meats   Vegetables   Fruits   Others
Rabbit   Soy Bean   Apple   Eggs (duck)
Duck   Seaweed   Banana   Flax Seed Oil
    Broccoli   Cranberry   Marjoram
    Celery   Kiwi   Peppermint
    Cucumber   Lemon   Salt
    Eggplant   Mango   Sesame Oil
    Kelp   Orange   Yogurt
    Lettuce   Pear   Chicken Egg Whites
    Mushroom   Strawberry    

The Cold Dog

Alternatively, a dog that has cool tendencies should be fed warming foods. A "cold dog" may show signs like general weakness, fatigue, exercise intolerance, poor appetite, shortness of breath, slow moving, and a preference to lay around. They may also seek out warm places, have faecal or urinary incontinence, stiffness that gets worse with rest, joint pain that gets worse in the cold weather, or have coldness of their ears, back, and limbs.

All of these symptoms of coldness can be aided by feeding warming foods like turkey, chicken, squash, sweet potatoes, cherries, or oats.  Similarly, a dog that is affected by arthritis tends to be cold in nature. (This is why arthritis gets even worse during the winter months.) For this reason, a dog that needs added joint support would benefit most from a warm diet.

Meats   Vegetables   Fruits   Others
Lamb   Black Beans   Cassio Fruit   Cayenne
Mutton   Squash   Cherry   Bay Leaves
Sheep Kidney   Sweet Potato   Date   Cinnamon
Venison       Peach   Ginger
Turkey       Longan   Turmeric
Chicken           Vinegar
Chicken Liver           Basil
Pheasant           Dill
Ham           Fennel

Neutral Foods

You can never go wrong with neutral foods.  Foods like beef or salmon are great for any dog. You can use neutral foods for dogs that are well balanced or to dampen the effects of hot or cold foods given as part of an animal's diet.  Other examples of neutral foods include tuna, milk, cheese, eggs, white or brown rice, potatoes, peas, carrots, or green beans.

The food we're feeding our dogs impacts their health, their mood, and their general well-being. A dramatic improvement can be made in so many animals just by changing the foods we feed them.

Meats   Vegetables   Fruits   Others
Beef   Kidney Beans   Papaya   Cheese
Beef Liver   Beet Root   Pineapple   Milk
Goose   Broad Beans   Pomegranate   Peanut Oil
Pork *   Cabbage   Raspberry   Flax Seed
Pork Liver *   Carrots       Chicken Eggs
Pork Kidneys *   Cauliflower       Peanut
Pork Feet *   Green Beans        
Quail   Peas        
Tripe   Red Beans        
Bison   Aduki Beans        
    String Beans        
    Shitake Mushroom        

Additional Articles and Videos

Good reference articles & videos further reading available at:

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