Some of our acquired Jing depends on the acquired Energy. In Chinese, this is called Qi!
The ideogram for “Qi” translates as ENERGY or BLOOD.
Visually, it represents a field divided into plots with grains of rice or millet in the middle. The upper part represents steam.
This steam symbolizes the transformation of grain through water and fire into nutrients usable by the human body. Everything is there. The dynamic dimension of the concept of “Energy” speaks of a mechanism: the transformation of the food bowl into vital substance.
Energy is the most fundamental substance to ensure vital activity. Man is part of a whole. He lives in the midst of nature. His growth and development depend on exchanges with this environment.
Regarding food, the ideogram Qi indicates that the best source of energy for humans is found in seeds and in their transformation from the raw state, which is difficult to consume, to the cooked state. The Energy that is released from the transformation of the food bowl gives an immediately usable force and constitutes our vital source. For this to be an easy process, without consuming vigor, the food must be chosen according to the needs and digestive capacity of the person.
Chinese dietetics recommends cooking food. Cereals must be cooked very well; vegetables require less cooking. Raw food should be the exception.
If your digestive system is weak, raw food can cause symptoms such as bloating, chills, fatigue after eating…
It is quite obvious that in the West we eat more raw vegetables and that is part of our habits, so we need crunchy textures in our busy and somewhat stressful lives. Know yourself: if your digestive fire is strong, you can digest them, if your belly is bloated, you feel cold and tired after eating, reserve raw vegetables for the beginning of your meals and the warm season. And never eat them at night.
In any case, to digest well, a hot drink (infusion, broth, our marvellous Energetic Potions, or simply hot water) is recommended at the end of the meal to bring the Stomach the liquids and the heat necessary for digestion.
(For more details, see the chapter “The Pivot of Digestion, Stomach and Spleen”).
The quintessence of this acquired Energy is found in food. The vigor of what we eat is again explained through the concept of Jing. Does our food have Jing or not?
This Jing, this nutritive force of the body and mind, is a component of food which has a life force , and of cours grows in its natural season. A tomato which grows without real soil will have little or none. The color, consistency, taste, resistance to predators in the form of insects, snails, etc… also shows its strength. Food that is processed and assisted in its growth loses the intrinsic strength to develop into a strong plant capable of it’s own defense. We are once again what we eat.
The human species is part of the natural world. The natural world around us provides the foundations for our development and health. Changes in the climate, for example, directly or indirectly influence our lives and are reflected in our physiological and psychological life. Man communicates with his environment through his mouth and skin. The Su Wen, one of the classics of Chinese medicine, clearly states: « Heaven feeds Man with its five properties, Earth feeds man with its five flavors. The human being lives within nature and is subject to its laws ».