Fast-forward into a balanced body

A golden rule for balancing is that ‘like imbalances like’ and ‘opposites drive balance’. To find balance, we must eat the foods that have the energies (i.e. elements) we are deficient in to restore them in our body.

So, if you eat foods that are high in the energies you already have a lot of, they will push you further out of balance.

For example, a chilli pepper contains a high level of the fire element and if you’re already hot (a symptom of the Red body type), that’s going to make you hotter. If however, you’ve got poor circulation and generally feel cold (a symptom of the Blue and Green body types respectively) and you eat that chili you will likely feel better for it.

Temperature and tastes are two easy ways of finding the appropriate opposite foods.

Eating with know-how is a faster way to a better you

Hot and cold

Food either has a warming or cooling energy. A key attribute of food that’s often overlooked these days is its thermal effect.

While we know chilies are warming, we may not be so clear on other foods – watermelon, for example, is one of the most cooling foods around, so it’s not surprising that it’s usually eaten in summer. Depending on your current state of balance, you may need a warming or cooling food so prioritising those foods can help you get back into balance quicker.

the GOLDEN FOOD RULE IS THAT ‘LIKE IMBALANCES LIKE’ AND ‘OPPOSITES DRIVE BALANCE’

Well, think about this. It costs over $1.5 billion and takes up to 12 years⁴ for big pharma to bring a new drug to market – and it’s almost impossible to know every side effect of a new drug since there are millions of permutations (which is why it takes so long and cost so much).

The body is a complex beast when you’re trying to orchestrate things at a cellular level. The famous blue pill that’s given many men a new lease of life was actually a side effect in the treatment of hypertension! So, do the maths – unless you’re a charity, you’d want to make that money back, right? A win-win??

The art of balance through taste

Even when you have a list of foods to drive you into balance, referring to it every time you want to plan a meal or reach for a snack isn’t always practical. There’s a handy shortcut which is much easier – tastes.

Each body type has three tastes which will drive it towards balance (and similarly tastes that drive it the other way).

These reflect the elements and subsequent energies that drive balance for your body type. Remembering them will make it easier to navigate a food list, especially when you’re out and about.

Blue Body Types – Sweet, Sour, Salty,
Red Body Types – Sweet, Bitter, Astringent
Green Body Types – Pungent, Bitter, Astringent

Blinged-up taste buds

Tastes are an easy indicator but watch out – most of us have blinged-up taste buds! We’ve eaten in such abundance and to a level of imbalance that our tongues have got normalised to excessive tastes.

The hits of sugar mean we can’t taste the sweetness in things like milk or butter any more so we need to take guidance until that point when we can properly taste again.

To find out more, read our ‘Rethink your wellbeing’ guide