Learn Health Preservation from Confucius's "Eight Not To Eat"
The domestic blockbuster "Confucius," under the star power of Brother Fat, has introduced the younger generation to Confucius. As a famous thinker and educator in Chinese history, what posterity can learn from Confucius is not just his philosophy. In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when medical and health conditions were poor, Confucius still lived to the ripe old age of 73. The secret to his health preservation was cultivating good eating habits. The key to health preservation lies in persistence. The consistent perseverance and dietary requirements of the ancients are well worth learning from by young white-collar workers."Eight Not To Eat"
Confucius advocated for "eight not to eat"——"When food is spoiled or has a bad odor, do not eat it. When the color is unappetizing, do not eat it. When the smell is foul, do not eat it. When it is improperly cooked, do not eat it. When it is not in season, do not eat it. When the meat is not cut properly, do not eat it. When the appropriate sauce is not available, do not eat it. When it is wine bought from the market or dried meat bought from the shop, do not eat it". These eight "not to eat" can be divided into three categories: 1. Regarding color and taste: Do not eat food that has changed color or gone bad. 2. Regarding food quality: Do not eat stale grains, or fish and meat that are not fresh, or stale vegetables. 3. Regarding preparation: Do not eat food that has been improperly cooked, or meals with poorly matched condiments, or alcohol and cooked meat bought from the market.Expert advice: The saying "diseases enter through the mouth" is true. Eating the wrong things can easily cause gastrointestinal diseases. As winter gives way to spring, the weather gradually becomes hot and humid, and microorganisms become active, easily causing food to spoil and deteriorate. Therefore, attention must be paid to food hygiene. Avoid eating raw, cold, spoiled, moldy, or unclean fruits and vegetables; do not eat or eat less leftovers; leftover food should be put in the refrigerator promptly, and leftovers or bought cooked food should be reheated thoroughly before eating; raw and cooked foods should be stored separately, and try to finish them within 2-3 days, do not store them for too long. A superior man does not stand under a crumbling wall. In terms of food hygiene, it must be said that Confucius is a model for us modern people.
In addition, Confucius advocated eating seasonal food, "not eating out of season". In the *Huangdi Neijing* (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), there is also a famous saying, "prepare things according to the season," which means to follow the yin and yang energy of nature to prepare medicines and foods. Such medicines and foods, having received the essence of heaven and earth, have a rich aroma and high nutritional value. In the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), both food and medicine must pay attention to "qi" (energy) and "wei" (flavor). Their qi and wei can only receive the essence of heaven and earth when they are in season, that is, when their growth and maturity align with the solar terms. If the food is not in season, it does not have the characteristics of that season, and its health value will therefore change. However, we have to admit that modern society is indeed surrounded by off-season vegetables and fruits, and we can no longer live without them. When eating off-season fruits and vegetables, attention should be paid to the balance of yin and yang; in summer, when yang heat is abundant, one should eat less of the drying and heating foods, and in winter, one should eat less of the cold and cooling foods.
"Though there be much meat, do not let it exceed the staple food"
"Sheng" means to surpass or exceed, and "qi" refers to staple food. This sentence means that although there are many delicious types of meat, when eating, the total amount of meat should not exceed the total amount of staple food. In Confucius's view, properly grasping the proportion of meat and other types of food is also something a gentleman should pay attention to in his diet.Expert advice: Confucius did not advocate for being ashamed of simple clothes and coarse food ("恶食" means being picky or having a partial diet), which is consistent with the modern nutritional science of scientific and balanced meal planning. According to nutritional and health requirements, dietary fiber should not be neglected in the diet. One should not be picky, and should combine meat and vegetables, and coarse and fine grains. This way, one can obtain more comprehensive nutrition, which will greatly promote health. The *Huangdi Neijing* says, "Eating too much rich and fatty food gives rise to large sores," which means that excessive meat consumption can produce diseases like sores. Modern research has found that it is closely related to the recurrence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, liver and gallbladder diseases, and cancer. Experts believe that diet should be节制 (moderate). According to international standards, the most reasonable food combination is one-third vegetables, one-third meat, and one-third staple food per meal. Too much meat can easily produce toxins and damage the liver and gallbladder. For people with inflammation or poor liver and gallbladder function, they should reduce or even quit eating meat.
"Do not remove ginger from the table, but do not eat too much of it"
This means that ginger must be on the table for every meal, but one should not eat too much ginger at any one meal. There is a common saying, "Eat radish in winter and ginger in summer, and you won't need a doctor to write prescriptions." This proverb tells of the benefits of eating ginger in summer. So, what is so magical about ginger that Confucius also greatly praised it? And how should it be eaten correctly?Expert advice: Ginger is used to release the exterior, mainly to dispel wind and cold. It is often used for mild colds. Decocted with brown sugar and taken while hot, it often induces sweating to resolve the illness. It can also be used as a preventive medicine for colds. The sweating effect of ginger is mild, so it is often used with ephedra and cassia twig as an auxiliary medicine to enhance sweating power. In addition, ginger is a key medicine for stopping vomiting and can be used alone to treat vomiting due to stomach cold. It can also treat vomiting due to stomach heat when used with pinellia, bamboo shavings, and coptis. Ginger can counteract the poison of fish and crabs, used alone or with perilla.
Expert advice: In social situations, drinking is often unavoidable. However, alcohol is the "nemesis" of the liver. Long-term and heavy drinking can damage liver cells, leading to alcoholic liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver failure, as well as diabetes and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. If drinking is unavoidable, the following points should be noted: do not drink on an empty stomach. As the old saying goes, "Never drink when angry or on an empty stomach," believing that drinking must be accompanied by good food. Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty also reminded people in his *Qian Jin Shi Zhi* to avoid drinking on an empty stomach; before drinking, you can take appropriate silymarin preparations or liver-protecting drugs to reduce the burden on the liver; drink in moderation and avoid getting drunk to prevent acute alcohol poisoning. If you drink a lot over a period of time, you should pay attention to having regular health check-ups at the hospital.