Nature is marvelous; minerals, animals, plants, and humans share a remarkable unity. The nature of these four is interconnected, allowing for mutual benefit, which is the principle of food and medicine complementing each other. Fundamentally, this is the idea of "harmony between heaven and humanity."
Indeed, diet and nutrition play a crucial role in disease prevention and health maintenance, but it is essential to grasp scientific dietary concepts and correct methods. Relying solely on partial dietary control cannot solve fundamental problems. Today, we invite Wang Lianqing, the former physician for national leaders, to discuss the selection of a healthy diet from the perspective of Five-Element养生 (Nourishing Life). Classic Dietary Nourishing Life Analysis
"Suwen Zangqi Fashilun" (Simple Questions, Chapter on the Methods and Times of the Five Zang Organs): "The five grains are for nourishment, the five fruits for support, the five livestock for benefit, and the five vegetables for supplementation. When their flavors and energies are harmonized and consumed, they enrich essence and benefit Qi."
Five Grains: Here, this refers to japonica rice, small beans, wheat, soybeans, and yellow millet.
Five Fruits: Here, this refers to peaches, plums, apricots, chestnuts, and jujubes. Peaches benefit Qi and blood, and promote the production of bodily fluids, making them an ideal nourishing fruit.
Five Livestock: Here, this refers to cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chickens. Beef can tonify Qi and strengthen the body. An ancient saying goes, "Beef tonifies Qi with the same功效 (efficacy) as Huang Qi (Astragalus)." Mutton tonifies Qi, nourishes blood, and warms the middle and lower Jiao, making it an excellent nutritional and therapeutic food. Dog meat can tonify the middle Jiao, benefit Qi, warm the kidneys, and supplement Yang. For a healthy person, it increases strength and fitness. Chicken warms the middle Jiao, benefits Qi, supplements essence, and fills the marrow, making it an excellent food for tonification and therapy.
Five Vegetables: Here, this refers to mallow, soybean leaves, xie (scallion-like bulb), green onions, and chives, indicating that vegetables have the function of nourishing the human body.
The nutrients contained in different foods vary. Only through a reasonable combination of various foods can the human body obtain diverse nutrients and meet the basic requirements of various physiological functions. People must take them according to their needs. Only a reasonable combination of staple and non-staple foods can be called balanced nutrition and be beneficial to human health. Therefore, the first step in reasonable调配 (proportioning) is to achieve the diversification and rational pairing of foods. Five Colors and Dietary Nourishing Life
The color of food corresponds to the five Zang organs. A proper combination is the foundation of dietary nourishing life. From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, green enters the Liver, red enters the Heart, yellow enters the Spleen, white enters the Lung, and black enters the Kidney.
The color of the Heart is red, corresponding to summer. Therefore, red foods nourish the Heart and enter the blood, and also have the effect of invigorating blood and resolving stasis. Especially in summer, nourishing the Heart is more important. One should appropriately eat more red foods such as hawthorn (red fruit), tomatoes, red apples, red peaches, watermelon radish, and red chili peppers. [China Cuisine]
The color of the Kidney is black, corresponding to winter. Therefore, black foods benefit the Kidney and have anti-aging effects. Especially in winter, it is even more important to nourish the Kidney. Therefore, in winter, one should appropriately eat more black foods such as black mulberries, black sesame seeds, black rice, black beans, He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), and Shu Di Huang (Rehmannia root).
The color of the Lung is white, corresponding to autumn. Therefore, white foods have a lung-tonifying effect. Therefore, in autumn, one should appropriately eat more white foods such as ginkgo nuts, pears, white peaches, white apricot kernels, lily bulbs, and autumn pear paste.
The color of the Spleen is yellow, which nourishes all four seasons. Therefore, yellow foods mostly tonify the Spleen. Especially during the long summer and the last 18 days of each season, one should appropriately eat more yellow foods such as Chinese yam, potatoes, yellow millet, and corn.
The color of the Liver is green, manifesting as green. Therefore, green foods mostly tonify the Liver. Especially in spring, one should appropriately eat more green foods such as asparagus, green vegetables, green beans, and spinach. Five Flavors and Dietary Nourishing Life
Flavor too sour: Sour flavor tonifies the Liver. If it is too sour, it can instead damage the Liver, causing Liver Qi to become excessive. This then overacts on the Spleen and Stomach (Wood overacting on Earth), leading to digestive dysfunction of the Spleen and Stomach.
Flavor too salty: Salty flavor tonifies the Kidney. If it is too salty, it can instead damage the Kidneys, impairing the bones (the Kidneys govern the bones and produce marrow). Excessive Kidney Qi will then suppress Heart Qi (Water overacting on Fire), causing palpitations and shortness of breath.
Flavor too sweet: Sweet flavor tonifies the Spleen. If it is too sweet, it can instead damage the Spleen, causing bloating and discomfort. It will also overact on the Kidney water (Earth overacting on Water), leading to a dark complexion.
Flavor too bitter: Bitter flavor tonifies the Heart. If it is too bitter, it can instead damage the Heart, leading to dysfunction of the Heart and Lungs (Fire overacting on Metal).
Flavor too pungent (spicy): Pungent flavor tonifies the Lung. If it is too pungent, it can instead damage the Lung, causing slow and uncoordinated muscles and tendons (Metal overacting on Wood; the Liver belongs to Wood and governs the tendons). Also, because the Lung governs Qi, damaging Qi can damage the Shen (spirit), leading to mental weakness.
Therefore, the "Huangdi Neijing" (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) emphasizes that diet should be moderate to avoid harming the five Zang organs. At the same time, taste can also reflect the condition of the five Zang organs, which is also a marvel of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Bitter: Indicates Liver heat or Liver disease; Sweet: Indicates Spleen heat; Salty: Indicates Kidney deficiency, due to Kidney deficiency with upward reflux of Kidney fluids; Sour: A sign of Liver Qi overflowing, mostly indicating Liver deficiency; Fishy: A precursor to Lung heat.