Chinese medicine secrets to a balanced gut

There are TOO many diets and nutrition trends when it comes to improving your health through what you eat. 
Chinese medicine has been talking about this for thousands of years, and while their approach is not the most "trendy", and definitely not new, it does talk a lot about a balanced body (and mind!) and the importance of individual needs. In many places this method called "yin-yang" to show the balance of nature and your body in this system.

During the winter season you might think your body craves carbs and sugars. The truth is that your body craves sources of energy and wants to stay warm. You should replace empty carbs and sugary treats with natural warming foods such as squash and lamb dishes, and use spices such as cinnamon, fresh ginger, and chili powder.

According to Chinese medicine, there are four food groups (not counting the neutral group):

cold
cool

warm
hot

Foods are grouped not by their actual temperature, but by what effects they have on a person's body after consumption. The main goal of this method is to keep our body neutral, therefore we should consume foods that will balance our system.

• Inflammations, constipation, and sweat (like night sweats... not the "after workout " sweat) are associated with a "hot" body condition, and in order to balance it you might want to consume "cooling" foods. 

• Chills, bad blood circulation, and weakness are associated with a "cold" body, and the right balance will be with warming foods. 

A few examples for each food group:

Yang foods (hot): Cayenne pepper, dried ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, chili powder, horseradish, eggs, lamb, trout, whole green or red peppers, and alcoholic drinks
Yang foods (warming): Cherries, coconut, squash, raspberries, cauliflower, mustard greens, onion, coffee, garlic, fresh ginger, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, chicken, shrimp, mussels, lobster, turkey, yogurt, and butter
Yin foods (cooling): Apples, bananas, pears, strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, spinach, Swiss chard, celery, soybeans, buckwheat, and sesame oil
Yin foods (cold): Papaya, watermelon, grapefruit, tomatoes, asparagus, cucumbers, summer squash, romaine lettuce, seaweed, barley, and tofu

Neutral foods are believed to be nourishing for any body type. Examples of neutral foods are apricots, figs, pineapple, beets, cabbage, carrots, olives, pumpkin, string beans, yams, oats, almonds, peas, peanuts, rice, beef, oysters, pork, whitefish, salmon, sardines, herring, and saffron.  

I recommend this book for more information and complete food lists: Helping Ourselves: a guide to traditional Chinese food Energetic 

There are also plenty of free lists online, but some can be confusing!  Here’s one I find helpful.

When I have an inflammation I try to follow the guidelines of eating cool and cooling foods. I also take medication which helps to solve the problem, but I feel like this system helps my body heal faster and prevent future inflammations.