According to The Five Transformations Of Energy, it is summertime and that means we are entering the Fire energy phase. For those who are not familiar with The Transformations, let me elaborate on the subject. The Five Transformations Of Energy is the ancient Chinese study of the energy of nature and how it relates to us and our health. It is studied and used in Chinese medicine, acupuncture and some forms of martial arts. I have been studying and applying the theory in my own life for 18 years. It may seem foreign at first when you hear about it, but the knowledge is self evident when you learn about how each season, or energy phase, connects with a certain part of our body and the foods we eat.

We are entering the Fire energy phase or Summertime. This is the most active
time of the year. We are outside more doing yard work. We are doing adventurous things like kayaking, bike riding, swimming, and playing sports. This is the time of the year when we focus on easy, quick cooking foods and eat more raw foods. The Fire energy phase is the most Yin energy phase. Yin is an upward, expansive energy. Just like the flames of a fire that move outward and upward rapidly, this rapid energy holds the potential for moving forward in your life, creating and getting your creations out into the world. The two most active organs in your body are associated with Fire energy, the brain and heart. Also in this energy phase is your small intestines and circulatory system. Your brain is always thinking and creating and your heart is always pumping blood through your whole body. With the heart being animated by this energy phase, it is no wonder the emotions associated with Fire energy are joy and passion.

The signature flavor for this energy phase is bitter. Anything you eat with a bitter taste will feed and nurture your brain, heart, small intestines, and circulatory system. This includes; arugula, endive, broccoli, rabe, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, parsley, and dark leafy lettuces. The signature grains for this phase are quinoa, corn and amaranth. These three grains are quick cooking and have a light energy perfect for summertime. They are also very hardy plants that are known to survive in challenging conditions. This gives them the strengthening quality that when we eat them, becomes our strength. You are what you eat. And you become the energy of what you eat.

There are ways to tell if your Fire energy is balanced, excessive, or depleted.
Balanced Fire energy gives us a sharp and clear mind. We can express our true selves freely. Our communication skills are good and we are passionate about our life path. We have a good sense of who we are and can be perceived as charismatic. But just like the fire we also have our calm side which allows us to have compassion and empathy for those around us. If our Fire energy is excessive we can be over dramatic. We talk with excessive animation and can be highly excitable. We magnify everything, positive and negative. We may experience excessive anger, crying, or even joy. Because we are overly dramatic it can be extravagant or flamboyant. We may appear to be ‘always on’. This can be exhausting to be around for long periods of time. It our Fire energy is depleted we experience the opposite. We are left slow moving and expressionless. We lose our ability to feel joy or passion. We lose our ability to move forward, no longer having passion or enthusiasm.

Our goal is to have balanced Fire energy along with all the other energy phases. By focusing on eating whole, unprocessed food we take a big step forward to achieving balance. There is important knowledge about the energy of the food we eat in The Five Transformation Theory. Our cultures simplistic views of diets and other ‘health’ fads do not incorporate this knowledge. I believe this is the missing link that we need to understand to create a healthy life. I see and feel unbalanced energy in the people I counsel on a regular basis. My goal is to help people understand this ancient knowledge
so they can apply it to their lives to create health and longevity. My cooking classes are based in this knowledge. To learn more, come to my cooking classes so you can learn how to incorporate this balanced approach to health in your life and experience how delicious balanced energy food can taste.