Have you heard of TCM, Yin and Yang, or cooling, warming and neutral foods?  Let’s delve in and give a quick explanation for those who aren’t familiar with this concept while keeping things very simple.

 

TCM= Traditional Chinese Medicine

Yin and Yang= Darkness vs Sunlight

Cooling Foods= Decrease the metabolism (Yin) 

Warming Foods=Increase the metabolism(Yang)

Neutral foods=Are neutral

 

Foods have a particular energy (warming, cooling or neutral) and when your pets diet is well balanced then their bodies are in harmony and disease is not present.  TCM seeks balancing the “Qi" also known as life force

Cooling foods are suited to dogs and cats that easily overheat, are restless and seeks the coldest place in the house.  Their ears and skin are warm or even hot to the touch

Cooling Proteins

Duck 

Whitefish

Rabbit

Pork

Typically water animals that live deep in the water where it’s colder

Warming foods are best for “cold” dogs and cats meaning those that  fatigue easily, lie around and seek warm places like a blanket or even better your bed)!  Warming foods use used to help cooling disease while cooling foods are used to treat warming diseases 

Warming Proteins 

Turkey

Chicken

Lamb

Venison 

Land animals are typically warming

Water animals that live closer to the surface 

 

Neutral Proteins

Beef

Sardines

Pollock

Bison

Pork

Neutral foods are just that neither cool nor warm.

A simplistic approach is to notice your pets behavior and if they tend to be warm they need more cooling foods and if they tend to be cold they need more warming foods.  In other words; TCM seeks homeostasis .  There are many TCM practitioners also known as "Integrative Practitioners" to explain this in depth  and help your pet achieve longevity and maximum health.