The Dance of Life and the Energetics of Food
Matching your animal to their protein can be a lot of fun! I often do this with client’s animals.
So what is the energetics of food all about?
Chinese medicine classifies foods based on temperature and other energetic characterists. In addition many holistic practitioners will look at the energetic personality traits of the animals that are used for food.
It is a way to take your animal’s personality and the food’s personality into consideration when picking a diet for your friend.
Let me give you some examples
First a little about the animals that we often eat.
Cows and Bison are large grounded animals who tend to be slow moving and calm.
Deer and rabbits are flighty, fast prey animals, quick to move and easily frightened
Birds are light and while they are prey animals they are not as flighty are rabbits and deer. Often times bird is a nice neutral meat.
Here is some examples of how to use these qualities combined with what you know about your animal.
Italian greyhounds tend to be very active and somewhat anxious. Feeding these dogs deer or rabbit could make them more anxious and jumpy. On the other hand cow and bison is so heavy that they may not be able to use and digest it properly and may have diarrhea. We don’t want to weigh them down too much. Most Italian greyhounds would do best on duck, chicken, turkey, or fish.
Border Collies are fast and have high energy. They do not need the help of deer or rabbits. Many times cow or bison is the best meat for these dogs because it helps keep them grounded as they work.
Dachshunds are medium energy little dogs but are very prone to having problems that lead to paralysis and nerve issues in their feet. They sometimes do better with bison and beef which help them to have their feet firmly planted on the ground. Birds are sometimes too light to help this little guys.
Labs are often a little overweight and can be sluggish even though they tend to have lots of energy. Bird meat can help lift some of the weight and sluggishness, especially duck.
This can be a fun thing to play around with. Some dogs can do very well on all meat sources and so don’t get too hung up on trying to pick just one right meat.
Some other things to consider
Trout is a hot meat – avoid it in all animals with inflammation issues and animals who are prone to being too hot.
Pork is made from pigs (animals smarter than dogs) who are severely mistreated. I do not recommend feeding pork because of ethical reasons and the energetics that brings into your animal’s food.
Eggs contain the beginning of life and are full of nutrients to grow a new little bird. Older dogs and cats often times do very well with eggs. They give them a little more vitality and help to keep weight on older animals who are too thin.
Sweet potato, pumpkin and yams are sweet and warm. They help with digestion and can aid in both constipation and diarrhea. They also warm the belly and help with processing nutrients. If your animal is too thin this is also a good one.
Kelp is very cooling and can help if you have an animal who eats grass and dirt. Not only is it high in nutrients, but it also helps cool any inflammation in the stomach. I think that many dogs who eat grass are deficient in certain minerals. Kelp can help with these deficiencies and stop dogs from eating dirt.
There are two excellent books on the energetics of food
Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition
Prince Wen Hui’s Cook: Chinese Dietary Therapy
