Understanding 'Heaty', 'Cooling' and 'Neutral'

A Must-Know

Most of us would likely to have come across 'Heaty Foods' and 'Cooling Foods', but what exactly are these foods and how exactly do these foods affect our body?

Knowing our foods and their nature, allows us to make better dietary decisions to ensure that our bodies are well balanced and functioning optimally.

Learn with TILY!

Meet the 3 Natures

In our previous newsletter on Post-Surgery Dilemma, we briefly touched on the different natures of foods. In this installation, we will dive deep into each of these broad categories and learn more about what kinds of foods belong in each category and also learn more about their respective effects on our bodies.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), our health is optimal when our body is at an equilibrium. This optimal balance is achieved through the consumption of a wide variety of foods across natures. The natures of these foods counteract to return the body to its optimal function. Excessive consumption of foods belonging to a single group can potentially spur the body out of balance leading to common illnesses. Overconsumption of 'heaty' foods usually results in high blood pressure, acne outbreaks, sore throat and fever. Whereas, consuming too much of cooling foods may cause aches, fatigue and poor blood circulation.

In TCM, food is broadly categorised into 3 groups - 'Heaty', 'Cooling' and 'Neutral'. As their names suggest, they are categorised based on how these foods react with our bodies.

TCM harnesses the warming and cooling properties of foods to restore the balance in bodies. An individual with a more heaty body constitution would be recommended to consume foods with more cooling properties and vice versa.

Meet Heaty 

 'Heaty' foods have warming properties and generate more warmth in our body. 'Heaty' food also tend to promote blood circulation and eliminate colds. Fried food, oily food and spicy food generally fall under this umbrella of food.

Staying away from 'Heaty' food when down with common ailments such as sore throat and fever is to allow the body to quickly recuperate and recover. Taking in too much 'Heaty' food may affect wound healing and impede the recovery process as the body tends to generate more heat upon consumption of such food.

Meet Cooling 

'Cooling' foods, innately 'cool' - producing less warmth in our bodies upon consumption. These foods are taken to counteract the 'heatiness' aka warmth in our bodies, restoring our bodies to an equilibrium. 'Cooling' foods often nourishes the body and detoxifies the system. 'Cooling' foods are often comparatively lower in calories.

Meet Neutral

'Neutral' foods, are foods that do not fall into the above-mentioned broad categories of 'heaty' and 'cooling' - they are foods that do not have warming or cooling effects on the body. Such food tend to embody neither warming or cooling properties. They are suited for consumption regardless of body constitutions.

Most staple foods like rice, sweet potato and black beans fall under this category.

Know Your Foods

Now, that we have broken down these concepts into a bite-size, easy-to-digest form, you can now incorporate this knowledge into making optimal food choices for your daily meals.

What you eat on a day-to-day basis determines how your body functions and how susceptible your body is to illnesses. It is integral to choose our foods wisely to ensure that our body is in the pink of health and to prevent ailments.

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Nature of Our Teas

Grouping our blends into 'WARMING' and 'COOLING'

At a glance, it is important to also know our teas and where they sit on the Warm-Cool scale. Our teas are specially curated blends to help you cope with your daily health needs and knowing the natures of each blend allows us to know which tea to consume at which juncture.

Find out more!

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Evening Calm

🌡 Mildly Warm

Morning Shine

🌡 Mildly Warm

Morning Shine is classified as a mildly warm blend as it contains Ginger, Osmanthus and Red Dates. However, Morning Shine contains other ingredients such as American Ginseng and Forget-me-not that are cooling and will help balance the warm properties of the blend. Making it perfect for daily consumption.

Morning Shine contains the invigorating, all-immunising American Ginseng that helps boost the immune system. Together with Osmanthus, they help to promote the brain’s cognitive function, balance chemical signals and counter the stresses in the brain.

Revitalise with this all-golden blend!

Deep Cleanse

🌡 Neutral, Slightly Warm

Deep Cleanse is classified largely as a Neutral blend as the ingredients that are used balances each other out. Creating a blend that sits nicely in the middle of the 2 natures.

This blend has detoxifying and cleansing properties to help us manage the chemicals and toxins that we are exposed to as part of our urban lifestyle. An accumulation of toxins from our daily consumption of processed food and interactions with environmental pollution increase our vulnerabilities to illnesses and diseases, and poses risks to our vital organs. Hence, this blend steps in to help us detoxify and purify systems.

Rejuvenate and purify with Deep Cleanse!

Take this blend in moderation due to its potential laxative effects.

Through The Day

🌡 Neutral, Slightly Warm when consumed in excess

Through The Day is classified as a neutral blend. It contains ingredients that balances each other out perfectly. The warmth of the herbal roots is carefully countered by the cool nature of florals. This all-round immunising blend helps to boost the immune system and give weak bodies a boost of energy.

Through The Day is a great immunity booster with key ingredients such as Astragalus and Codonopsis which are rich in flavonoids that helps to ease inflammations. These flavonoids help fight off bacteria, viruses and other harmful foreign invaders of the body, helping to maintain a robust immune system.

Build strength and immunity with Through The Day!

Radiant Glow

🌡 Neutral, Slightly Cool

Radiant Glow is classified as a neutral blend, consisting of ingredients that are rich in antioxidants to help you protect your skin and promote gut health.

The ingredients in Radiant Glow are power-packed with antioxidants that play a big role in protecting the skin and hair cells from harmful environmental damage such as UV rays and pollution. The legendary beautifying herb - Solomon Seal has anti-aging properties that helps slow down ageing effects caused by the external environment. The essential vitamins found in Solomon Seal and Red Dates help assist in skin restoration and evens out the skin tone by reducing dark spots.

The pandan leaves and yarrow flowers in Radiant Glow work together to help improve digestion. It helps to cleanse the digestive system and helps to also manage constipation issues.

Face the world confidently armed with a luminous complexion and glowing inner radiance!

Perfect Pairing 

🌡 Mildly Cool

Perfect Pairing is a relatively cooling blend that is a perfect mealtime companion.

Perfect Pairing contains Jasmine Blossoms and Bergamot Peel which are packed with healing properties to help ease intestinal inflammation. You can now, indulge in all your favourite gastronomic wonders without worry (hello durians)!

The mulberry fruit and its leaves have also long been used to help regulate blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

The perfect pairing for your good health!

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Infusing the 3 Natures of of food into our Teas

Our blends are curated with you in mind, the tea ingredients are carefully chosen to create the best for everyday drinking.