Autumn is a great season for fruits and vegetables. What should you eat in autumn? What are the health benefits of colorful fruits and vegetables? Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes that five-colored fruits and vegetables nourish the five internal organs: black nourishes the kidneys, yellow nourishes the spleen, white moistens the lungs, red replenishes the heart, and green nourishes the liver. Which groups of people are these fruits and vegetables suitable for? Let's find out in the article.
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes that five-colored foods nourish the five internal organs. Each color of food has its own "specialty," and the nutrients they contain are also "unique in their own way." So, in your daily life, do you know which color of food is most suitable for you?
1. Red Food—Invigorating + Iron-Enriching
Varieties: Mainly include red chili peppers, carrots, and others such as amaranth, onions, red dates, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and mountain apples.
Suitable for: People with weaker constitutions.
Reason: Chili peppers can enhance the activity of macrophages, which are "killers" of pathogenic microorganisms. Carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the human body, and regular consumption can enhance the body's ability to resist colds.
Red food nourishes the heart
Red foods include carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. According to the Five Elements theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, red corresponds to fire. Therefore, after entering the human body, red food can benefit the heart and blood, with effects of replenishing qi and blood, and promoting the production of blood and lymph fluid.
Moreover, red foods have strong antioxidant properties. They are rich in lycopene, tannic acid, etc., which can protect cells, have anti-inflammatory effects, and provide the body with protein, inorganic salts, vitamins, and trace elements, enhancing heart and qi-blood function.
Stir-fried Carrot with Egg
2. Purple Food—Pleasing to the eye + Life-prolonging
Varieties: Such as black strawberries, cherries, eggplants, plums, purple grapes, etc.
Suitable for: Patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Reason: Purple fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, which have a powerful effect of preventing vascular hardening, and can prevent heart attacks and strokes caused by blood clots.
Purple food lowers cholesterol
Purple foods such as purple grapes, plums, blackberries, eggplants, purple sweet potatoes, and purple onions are rich in antioxidants—anthocyanins. Anthocyanins can protect the skin from sun damage, reduce the risk of stroke, improve memory and the cardiovascular system, and lower cholesterol levels.
Purple grapes are rich in resveratrol, which can resist damage caused by aging and delay the aging process.
Purple Sweet Rice
3. Yellow Food—A natural source of vitamins
Varieties: Soybeans, peanuts, almonds, corn, etc.
Suitable for: People lacking vitamins A and D.
Reason: Yellow fruits and vegetables are a natural source of vitamins A and D. Regular consumption can help prevent myopia in teenagers and osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly people.
Yellow food nourishes the spleen
In the Five Elements, yellow corresponds to earth. Therefore, after consuming yellow food, its nutrients are mainly concentrated in the spleen and stomach area. Foods like pumpkin and corn are highly beneficial to the spleen and stomach when consumed regularly.
Yellow foods are relatively rich in vitamins A and D. Vitamin A can protect the intestinal and respiratory mucous membranes, reducing the occurrence of gastritis and other diseases; Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, strengthening bones and muscles.
Double Pepper Tossed with Soybeans
4. Black Food—Beneficial for the spleen and liver, especially for women
Varieties: Seaweed, black rice, black dates, black fungus, black sesame, etc.
Suitable for: Women, especially those with kidney deficiency.
Reason: These are foods that benefit the spleen and liver, and it is a good choice for women to consume black foods during menstruation.
Black food nourishes the kidneys
Black food refers to various natural plants and animals that are black, purple, or dark brown. In the Five Elements, black corresponds to water and enters the kidneys, so regular consumption of black food can nourish the kidneys. Black sesame, black fungus, and seaweed have high nutritional, health, and medicinal value. They can significantly reduce the incidence of arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, stroke, etc., and have excellent therapeutic effects on influenza, chronic hepatitis, kidney disease, anemia, and hair loss.
Stir-fried Black Fungus with Lily Bulbs
5. White Food—A rich source of protein and calcium
Varieties: Winter melon, muskmelon, bamboo shoots, cauliflower, lettuce, etc.
Suitable for: Patients with hypertension, heart disease, lung heat, and cough.
Reason: Regular consumption of white foods has a certain effect on regulating vision and stabilizing emotions.
White food nourishes the lungs
In the Five Elements, white corresponds to metal and enters the lungs, benefiting qi. Most white foods, such as milk, rice, and chicken and fish, are rich in protein. Regular consumption can not only relieve physical fatigue but also promote recovery from illness.
In addition, white food is a relatively safe source of nutrition. Because its fat content is much lower than that of red meats like meat, it is better for patients with hypertension, heart disease, etc.
Braised Winter Melon
6. Green Food—The stomach's natural "scavenger"
Varieties: Loofah, cucumber, bitter gourd, green peppers, green beans, kiwi, green tea, green plums, spinach, olives, etc.
Suitable for: All people, especially pregnant women and those deficient in calcium.
Reason: Green fruits and vegetables are rich in folic acid, which has been proven by eugenicists in countries like the UK and USA as one of the "magic medicines" to prevent fetal neural tube defects (such as anencephaly, spina bifida, etc.).
At the same time, a large amount of folic acid is also the "nemesis" of homocysteine, a new "killer" of the heart. It can effectively remove excess homocysteine from the blood, thus protecting the heart.
In addition, green vegetables are also the best source of calcium, known as the "element of life." The amount of calcium stored in them is even more than that in milk, which is commonly considered a "calcium-rich mine." Therefore, eating "green" is regarded by nutritionists as the best way to supplement calcium.
Green food nourishes the liver
Green corresponds to the liver. Consuming more green food has the function of soothing and strengthening the liver, acting as a "detoxifier" for the body, and can regulate the digestive and absorption functions of the spleen and stomach.
The rich folic acid in green vegetables is one of the important vitamins in the human body's metabolic process. It can effectively eliminate excess homocysteine in the blood and protect heart health.
Green food is also the best source of calcium. For people in their growth and development period or those suffering from osteoporosis, green vegetables are undoubtedly an excellent calcium supplement.
Stir-fried Black Fungus with Rape