Introduction: People consume a variety of foods daily to obtain balanced nutrition, which is why a balanced diet is advocated. A diet that includes appropriate amounts of grains, legumes, meat, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruits, and oils, with these major food groups well-matched.
1. Matching Dry and Wet Foods
Ideal food for winter nourishment: Angelica, ginger, and mutton soup; An excellent diuretic for promoting urination and draining dampness: Adzuki bean and carp stew; A galactagogue: Water bamboo loach and tofu soup; A brain-nourishing food: Black sesame paste and the six porridges recorded in "Dream of the Red Chamber" (red rice porridge, green stem rice porridge, jujube porridge, duck meat porridge, Laba porridge, and bird's nest porridge), as well as the "Immortal Porridge" (found in the Dunhuang art repository, composed of Gordon Euryale, Chinese yam, and rice), are all typical examples of matching dry and wet foods.
2. Matching Colors
Food is generally divided into five colors: white, red, green, black, and yellow. A daily diet should include foods of these five colors.
3. Matching Coarse and Fine Grains
Increasing coarse grains in the daily diet helps prevent diabetes, age spots, constipation, and also aids in weight loss.
4. Matching Staple and Non-Staple Foods
Daily diet should integrate staple foods (like grains) and non-staple foods (like meats and vegetables).
5. Matching Nutrients
Nutrients that are easily consumed in excess are fats, carbohydrates, and sodium; those that are often deficient are protein, vitamins, some minerals, water, and dietary fiber. Foods that are high in protein and low in fat include fish, shrimp, rabbit, silkworm pupae, and lotus seeds. Foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber include vegetables, fruits, and coarse grains. Water is an important nutrient; one should drink more than 4 glasses of water daily.
6. Matching Acid and Alkaline
Food is divided into acidic and alkaline types, primarily based on whether it makes the human blood acidic or alkaline after consumption. In recent years, excessive intake of meat has led to acidification of the blood, causing "rich man's diseases" (affluenza-related illnesses), which should be taken seriously.
7. Matching Raw and Cooked Foods
Eating raw or live foods has become a trend. Eating raw vegetables, fruits, fresh shrimp, and silverfish can provide more nutrients. However, food hygiene must be a priority when consuming raw foods.
8. Matching Skin and Flesh
Eating food with its skin on has become fashionable. For example, quail eggs, small tangerines, jujubes, and peanuts have higher nutritional value when eaten with their skins.
9. Matching Nature and Flavor
Food is categorized into four natures (cold, hot, warm, cool) and five flavors (spicy, sweet, sour, bitter, salty). According to the principle of "diet therapy based on syndrome differentiation," different diseases require foods with different natures and flavors. The general rule is "heat syndrome is treated with cold-natured foods, cold syndrome with hot-natured foods, deficiency syndrome with tonifying foods, and excess syndrome with purging foods." Following the principle of "adapting to the seasons," different seasons call for foods of different natures and flavors. For example, in winter, one should choose warm and hot-natured foods like mutton, venison, ox penis, and ginger, and try to avoid cold-natured foods. The five flavors should also be balanced; one cannot only eat sweet things and avoid bitter ones.
10. Matching Cooking Methods
Common cooking methods include steaming, stewing, braising, stir-frying, quick-frying, boiling, deep-frying, and hot pot. Using a single cooking method, such as braising, deep-frying, or stir-frying, can easily lead to obesity. It is better to choose more cooking methods like boiling, steaming, and hot pot.