Eat Right for Your Body Type: A Guide to Constitutional Eating

 Choosing food that fits your constitution is a very important factor in maintaining health.

In the past, Oriental medicine divided humans into four constitutions and conducted diagnosis and treatment, which has been passed down from the "Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" to the present.

Interestingly, in the West, there is a way to classify human characteristics through the theory of body fluids called choleric, phlegmatic, bloody, and melancholic, and there are many similarities with our constitution theory.

Choosing food that fits your constitution is not simply a matter of taste, but plays an important role in maintaining the balance of your body and keeping you healthy.

Choosing the wrong diet can cause indigestion, poor nutrient absorption, and even worsen certain diseases.

1. Relationship between Constitution and Food

Human constitutions are largely divided into Taeyangin, Taeeumin, Soyangin, and Soeumin.

Since each constitution has different physical characteristics and digestive functions, eating certain foods can make your body healthier or, on the contrary, cause you to feel burdened.

1️⃣ Soyangin (Bi-daesin-so, lots of heat)

The body is hot, so cold foods are suitable.

Recommended foods: Beer made from barley, lotus root, carrots, burdock, cucumber, buckwheat

Foods to watch out for: Ginseng, red pepper, garlic with a lot of saponin

2️⃣ Soeumin (Sin-daesin-so, cold body)

The body is cold, so warm foods are needed.

Recommended foods: bananas, ginseng, red ginseng, ma

Foods to watch out for: raw soybeans (in the form of cheonggukjang powder), cold milk

3️⃣ Taeeumin (good stamina and active metabolism)

The body metabolism is active, so high-protein, high-nutrient foods are well absorbed.

Recommended foods: milk, yogurt, meat, deodeok

Foods to watch out for: excessive carbohydrates

4️⃣ Taeyangin (relatively low stamina, special constitution)

Similar to Soyangin, but excessive heat can be a problem. Recommended foods: lotus root, mung beans, fresh vegetables

Foods to watch out for: spicy or hot foods

2 Diabetes and constitution

Diabetes is a disease in which blood sugar levels rise due to insufficient or uncontrolled insulin secretion.

If we relate this to constitution, if the fire component is excessive and the intake of sweet foods increases, blood sugar control may become difficult.

Therefore, the management methods by constitution are as follows.

😊Soyangin: Barley, buckwheat, lotus root are recommended to maintain stable blood sugar levels

😊Soeumin: Warm porridge, ma to improve intestinal function

😊Taeumin: Protein-centered diet and thorough blood sugar management are necessary

3 Customized diet by constitution

✅ It is good for Soeumin to boil Cheonggukjang as a stew → The cold components remaining in Cheonggukjang powder can be burdensome to Soeumin, so a stew form is suitable.

✅ Taeeumin absorbs milk well, but Soeumin is suitable for soy milk or yogurt → Soeumin has poor digestion of milk, so fermented soy milk or yogurt is better.

✅ Cold fruits are good for Soyang and Taeum people → Soyang people with a lot of heat are good for cold fruits such as watermelon and melon, and Taeum people sweat a lot and it is important to supply water, so oranges and plums are good.

✅ Deodeok is good for the health of the bronchial tubes and lungs, and is especially good for Taeum people → Deodeok with a cool nature is excellent for protecting the respiratory system, and is also helpful for Soyang people with a lot of heat.

✅ Fresh ginseng is better for Soyang people than ginseng → Ginseng has a lot of saponin, which can increase heat, but fresh ginseng with relatively less heat helps control heat in Taeum people.

4 In conclusion

Customized nutrition intake according to body type plays an important role in maintaining health. However, the same method does not apply to everyone. It is more important to choose appropriate foods considering personal lifestyle habits, current health status, etc.

Isn't understanding your body type and creating healthy eating habits the first step to true health management?