Inside HBC

Hot, Cold, Warm, Cool… foods?

Traditional Chinese Medicine often includes dietary changes to affect disease or discomfort. What you eat can affect your body’s reactions and can either make you feel better, or make you feel worse. If you have a migraine, cooling foods like cucumbers and most leafy greens and lettuces will help lower the temperature of you body and ease the pain. If you are feeling lethargic, warming spicy/pungent foods like ginger, peppers, and garlic will bring up your energy. If you swap those around, those foods will intensify your dis-ease.

Take a look at this article, and then let us know if you’d like more information on how you might eat to improve your health.

Greek Salad for a summer day

Summer started here in Virginia a few weeks ago, with temperatures soaring into the 90s and plenty of humidity. If you are outside for part of your day, you know by now that staying hydrated is really important. Now that summer is officially here, try adding more foods that hydrate and keep you cool, vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and green peppers in this simple Greek salad. It calls for dried oregano, but if you have fresh, so much the better. Your taste buds will be delighted with  the 5-Flavors, and your body will thank you.

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (sweet)
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice (sour)
• 1 clove garlic—minced (pungent)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano (bitter, pungent)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (salty)
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and extra for garnish (bitter, pungent)
• 3 tomatoes—cut into wedges (sweet, sour)
• ¼ red onion—sliced into rings (sweet, pungent)
• ½ cucumber—sliced into thick half-moons (sweet)
• ½ green pepper (capsicum)—julienned (sweet, pungent)
• 4 oz (120g) feta cheese—cut into small cubes (pungent, salty)
• 16 kalamata olives (salty, sweet)

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss gently to cover. Garnish with fresh ground pepper.