Nutrition for an Overheated Constitution Excess heat in the body can be caused by too many warming foods and/or insufficient cooling foods; too much activity or work; exposure to heat; or obstruction of internal organs. Some signs and symptoms may include an aversion to heat and attraction to cold; a red tongue with a yellow coating; high blood pressure; insomnia & worry; constipation; dark urine & thick yellow/green mucus. Increase: n Water. n Raw and steamed foods. Soups and other cooking methods using water eg stews & casseroles. n Cooling fruits e.g. apple, banana, pear, melons & berries. n Cooling vegetables e.g. lettuce, cucumber, celery, courgette, swiss chard, broccoli & sweetcorn. n Pulses & their sprouts e.g. mung bean and alfalfa sprouts. n Seeds – use fresh seeds in small amounts & keep them in the fridge or the oils will go rancid. Sesame, linseed, sunflower & pumpkin. n Whole grains such as rice, millet, barley & quinoa. It is best if they are soaked overnight before cooking to start the sprouting process. They can be cooked with plenty of water and the excess water may then be drunk or used in cooking. n Seaweeds. n Cooling animal products – sardines, crab & yogurt. n Cooling herbs can be used in cooking or as herbal teas – mint, nettle, lemon balm, coriander leaf. Decrease: n Alcohol & coffee. n Baked and fried foods. n Red meat. n Processed foods. n Spicy foods. Supplementation: n Minerals such as magnesium and calcium help cool and calm the body. n Essential fatty acids (essential in many areas of health) are often deficient in the diet and the fats we tend to consume compete in the body with them. An economical way to supplement these is taking 1 tablespoon of oil a day such as linseed, hemp or Udo’s choice oil blend. They can be taken neat or added to salad dressings e.t.c. They must not be heated and they should be stored in the fridge or freezer. To protect the EFAs in the body it is a good idea to increase vitamin E also. n Aloe vera juice. n Micro-algae e.g. chlorella, spirulina & wild blue green algae. © Holistic Family Practice 2004, Reproduction in any form, digital or printed, is forbidden without written permission