What are the dietary taboos for people with yang deficiency constitution?

The core dietary taboo for people with Yang deficiency constitution is not to eat foods with low temperature and cold taste for a long time to avoid depleting the already insufficient Yang energy. Many people may not believe it. I met a little girl who just went to college two years ago. Her hands and feet have been colder than others since she was a child. Her bed was not warm all night long in winter. She also followed bloggers to learn "light fasting" and ate cold salads with ice cream every day. Within two months, her aunt was in pain so much that she couldn't straighten up. She also had diarrhea for almost ten days. A Chinese medicine doctor told her that she had a typical yang deficiency constitution. She also followed the red line of diet every day, which made her body like this.

There is a saying on the Internet that people with Yang deficiency should not touch fruits at all. In fact, this statement is really too absolute. I have a eldest sister in her forties who is also a typical yang deficiency. She wears thicker clothes than the elderly in winter. I heard people say that fruits are cold and she dare not touch a bite. Instead, she became severely constipated. Later, when she went to the doctor for treatment, the doctor asked her to steam half an apple and eat it every day. It was warm and not cold. After eating it for less than half a month, the constipation was gone, and she did not have cold hands and feet or diarrhea. In fact, what you should avoid are cold foods such as iced watermelon, frozen bayberry, and iced grapes that have just been brought out of the refrigerator, as well as dragon fruit and mangosteen, which have a particularly cold nature. Fruits that are warm at room temperature, such as peaches, lychees, and longans, are perfectly fine to eat one or two in small quantities, and there is no need to kill them with a pole.

There are also many people who think that you should avoid only things that are cold to the touch. In fact, many foods that are room temperature or even hot have a cold nature and taste, and people with yang deficiency may cause problems if they eat them frequently. Just like a while ago, I had a male colleague who felt his throat was dry since autumn. He drank chrysanthemum tea and honeysuckle tea every day. Within a week of drinking it, he started to have a faint stomachache, and his hands and feet were so cold that he couldn't sleep at night. Bitter melon, crab, snails, and purslane that we usually eat are all on the cold side. It’s okay to try them once in a while, but don’t just put them on the table every now and then.

Don’t think that you should eat spicy food to warm up your body if you have yang deficiency. I had a friend who fell into this trap before. I heard that people with yang deficiency should replenish heat. She ate butter hot pot and spicy crayfish every day. When I ate it, I was sweating all over and felt very comfortable. Within two hours, I felt cold all over and had ulcers all over my mouth. The doctor said that spicy food can dissipate qi. Eating too much will deplete yang energy and cannot replenish it. Instead, it will hurt the spleen and stomach, which is not worth the loss.

In fact, there is no need to regard dietary taboos as if they are a strict curse. It is really hot in the summer, and it is not a big problem to take a bite of ice cream. As long as you do not eat ice drinks and cold dishes every day, and slowly adjust, your yang energy will naturally be restored.