Question by Ratatouille: Is it true that some foods have cold and some have hot properties like ancient Indian Ayurveda believes?
Is there any truth in the belief that foods have cold or hot properties that affect our body (system) accordingly? This concept is widely used in Indian Ayurveda system.
As a child growing in India I have seen this concept used in everyday life. We used to eat certain foods in certain seasons etc. I see evidence of the same being used in one way or another in Western countries also, but it has no scientific acknowledgment. Would like to understand if there is any substance to this concept or it’s just a myth.
Best answer:
Answer by Weise Ente
Nope. It’s a myth.
Add your own answer in the comments!
Posted by admin under India
Yes, many of them do. Most cultural beliefs about things in the physical world tend to come from some basis of the aspects of that thing. That’s a really vague statement, I know, but ancient beliefs about certain plants or certain types of foods that stayed throughout time usually stick because they seem to have some benefit from it and modern science is verifying quite a few of those aspects (eg. Cayenne is a hot food, heats up your system, increases circulation, etc).
Many times, it may be something that’s obvious like spicy foods being “hot” (anyone who tastes it will know that), but there are many other aspects that apply as well. The traditions like this stick because people noticed that certain foods gave certain reactions so they kept using them for those reasons (“hot” foods during the winter) because they worked and that “tradition” was passed on.
Granted, there are some beliefs that may be entirely based on religion and tradition (eg. saying certain words before a meal or having to recite certain phrases at certain times), but those based on physical aspects of things tend to have something behind them (eg. eating a certain plant will give you energy, this plant will make you warm up, etc). I hope this helps!
No, there’s no such thing as ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ food except with regards to temperature (though very spicy food is described as hot too).
In the UK, more hot food is consumed in the Winter (traditional desserts are served hot) while more cold foods (such as salads and ice cream) is consumed during the Summer. Custard is nearly always served hot in the UK, while it is nearly always served cold in Spain.
No this is not a myth. My family is chinese, and we do believe that certain fruits or vegetables if consumed more than others will affect the body to be hot or cold. For example, ginger. We use ginger in almost every food that we cook. Ginger will cause the body to be hot. This is great for winter. However, if there is too much ginger, my body, for example, will be inflamed thus producing pimples, blisters in the mouth, or constipation. My sister in law loves fruits. She pretty much eat fruits for her meals mostly. But she always complains about being cold all the time even in summer. Most fruits not all tend to cool your body temperature more like pears. You know how everyone always says eat more fruits and vegetables to produce healthy digestion right? For me, when I have a bowel movement (sorry tmi..), I always get goosebumps and chills. That is how I understand the cooling effect of some fruits and vegetables. Hope this makes sense. (” ,)
Add A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.