The real meaning of "warming" foods?

[Sharon in Colorado]

I wonder if "warming" foods just means that the food is irritating to the body?

Don't body temperatures rise to protect the body from getting sick? When we are fighting off an infection, our bodies produce great heat (aka fever) to kill the intruder off.

So why wouldn't this be the same effect, only on a smaller scale if we eat something that irritates us or is toxic - the body is trying to deal with something toxic to it?

Something to think about.

[rawpriestess]

Sharon, that is an interesting thought.

I do know that when I was young, about a million years ago I read somewhere about "warrior" foods, being coffee, spices, chocolate, meat, dairy, onions, garlic, ginger, basically all the "warming" foods, these foods tended to make the "warriors" fight more angrily, making them excellent warriors.

I used to eat a lot of warrior foods, and I do love onions, garlic and a bit of ginger. I don't do coffee, or chocolate, meat or dairy anymore. So I do feel that I have progressed way beyond where I was, and I know that many people say not to eat garlic or onions, because you can't make a meal out of them (unless it's the onion bread LOL) and eating them actually kills the plant, as it isn't a flower, fruit, nut etc.

So, I have given this some consideration.

I think it warrants some more thought.

[nemo]

bah!!!

banannas must be the worlds most 'warming food' in that case...

...and NH claptrap must be very warming indeed...

the green goblin

[Sharon in Colorado]

Once I did a Dr. Schulze liver cleanse. I used some of his tinctures, plus there were instructions for a daily drink. I thin kit had apple or orange juice, olive oil and garlic. For 5 days I had to increase the amount of oil by a tbsp. and garlic by a clove.

So on the 5th day, I had to drink this blended concoction, about a cup of liquid with 5 tbsps. olive oil and 5 garlic cloves.

I held my nose and drank it, FAST.

Immediately I felt a huge wave of nausea. And I felt HOT all over. Thank goodness it was in the middle of winter so I ran outside in the cold (this was in Southern California, so it was probably about 50 degrees, lol) to get relief.

I was reading something else someone posted here about distilled water, saying that it should be used at first to help cleanse toxins, but once you are clean it doesn't need to used anymore. Well, I don't know how much truth there is to that, because our bodies are always going to fight off everyday toxins not found in food (air, indoor pollution, water from showers, etc).

I also remember Victoria Boutenko's writing in Raw Family, about how when she initially went raw, she had the urge to eat a lot of green onions.

It could be that the onions and garlic are a way to cause the body to irritate itself to cleanse. Maybe that is why people on raw for a long time don't desire them so much.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Nope, never got 'warm' from eating bananas.

[nemo]

yeah well, your experience must be universal huh?

...i once did a shelton style/grahamsoian water fast, and by day four... you know the point where you're supposed to feel better, i thought i was going to die, every joint, fiber, muscel, tendon, gland, organ, bone, and hair on my body was in excuriating agony...

...i kept telling myself... 'just push on, one more day, and the gates of NH paradise will open, and you'll know 'True Health (tm)'

...yea, long about 4:30 in the morning, i shambled on down to the korean grocery on the corner, and got some watermelon slices, and ate them very carefully...

...in about 5min. all my 'detox' symptoms disappeared, and i could finally sleep for the first time in 2 days...

later some very helpful NH explained to me what i'd done wrong... apparently i failed to pay saint.doktor graham several thousand dollars to 'supervise' my agony...

...your banannas are 'warming' me right now.

the green goblin

[rawpriestess]

Sharon,

I think you are right. Onions and garlic definitely do help keeps colds away, and clear out parasites, so I would imagine they do indeed help one to detox on several levels.

I still love them, so I must be needing them to detox. :o)

I know drinking ginger tea, will relieve a tummy ache, and also help with cold and flu symptoms, so again, probably will release toxins.

I think you've hit on something here, girl.

How clever you are.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Me too RP. Although I've been enjoying the milder version of the green onions in salad like Victoria, plus my 'garlic experience' from the other week, which was fun for everyone, remember? ;) LOL

When I checked out the article that Peanut recently posted, the nutritionist who wrote it, included these foods to have a "warming energy".

Nutmeg

Squash

Sunflower seeds

Walnuts

Chestnut

Brown sugar

Clove

Coconut

Dates

Fresh Ginger

Coriander

Chives

Rice wine or vinegar

Cinnamon

Black pepper

Green/red pepper

Caraway

Mustard greens

Pine nuts

Rice milk

Parsley

Cayenne

Turmeric

Not sure if this mean that these foods are irritating at all or the body processes them harder, which 'warms' us up. I don't feel any more 'warm' after eating several of these (for instance, the dates, sunflower seeds, parsley), do you? Not sure why she included brown sugar on there. ??