Chinese cuisine and food therapy culture have a long history. In ancient China, there was the concept of "food and medicine are from the same source". With the development of medicine, the distinction between "medicine" and "food" emerged. According to traditional Chinese medicine, most foods not only provide essential energy and nutrition to the body, but also have health benefits, strengthen the body, prevent and treat diseases.
We often use the term "five flavors" to describe the taste of food. In traditional Chinese medicine, different tastes of food have different effects. As food therapy materials, they also have different medicinal properties.
【Sour】
Vinegar is a representative of sour-tasting food. According to the ancient Chinese book "Bencao Beiyao", vinegar has the functions of dispelling blood stasis, promoting digestion, stimulating appetite, and treating various symptoms such as abdominal pain, postpartum dizziness, and sores. Sour-tasting food is believed to protect the liver, aid digestion, and have antimicrobial, antiviral, and antiparasitic effects. Examples of sour-tasting food include hawthorn, Chinese plum, and oranges.
【Sweet】
The sweetness of food comes mainly from sugars. Sweet-tasting food is delicious and nourishing, and it can also replenish Qi and blood. Eating something sweet when feeling tired can help eliminate fatigue and restore vitality. Sweet-tasting food such as lychee and sugarcane also have detoxifying and thirst-quenching effects.
However, sweet food should be consumed in moderation. Excessive consumption of sweet food can lead to obesity and various diseases. The World Health Organization has pointed out that people who are addicted to high-sugar foods have an average lifespan 10-20 years shorter than those who have a normal diet.
【Bitter】
Bitter taste is the least popular among the five flavors. However, bitter-tasting food, mainly derived from organic alkaloids in food, is essential for the body. In addition to the functions of clearing heat, resolving toxins, promoting diuresis, invigorating blood circulation, relieving inflammation, and reducing fever, a slight bitterness in food can also enhance appetite. Examples of bitter-tasting food include bitter melon, bitter almond, bitter tea, chrysanthemum tea, and lotus seed.
But bitter-tasting food is not suitable for everyone. Bitter-tasting food is considered to be cold in nature and belongs to the category of clearing and purging food. Therefore, people with weak constitution or pregnant and lactating women should avoid or consume less bitter-tasting food.
【Spicy】
In many regions of China, especially in areas with cold and humid climates like Chongqing, Sichuan, and Hunan, people love spicy food to the extent that "nothing is enjoyable without spiciness". Spicy-tasting food can stimulate taste buds, promote the secretion of gastric juice and saliva, increase the activity of amylase, help gastrointestinal peristalsis, eliminate stagnant qi in the body, and stimulate appetite. Spicy-tasting food also has the effects of warming the middle energizer, dispelling dampness and coldness, relieving depression and phlegm, and killing parasites and detoxifying. Examples of spicy-tasting food include ginger, chili pepper, and black pepper.
Consuming spicy food can promote blood circulation and has certain effects in preventing and treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, excessive consumption of spicy food can harm the liver and eyes, cause stomach pain and diarrhea, and even lead to bone and joint injuries and nail withering.
【Salty】
When we talk about saltiness, we naturally think of table salt. Saltiness in food mainly comes from salt. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that salt has the functions of clearing heat, detoxifying, cooling blood, killing parasites, inducing vomiting, and stopping diarrhea. Saltiness can stimulate the sense of taste, increase appetite, and promote the secretion of saliva, aiding in digestion.
Saltiness "enters the kidneys", so salty food can nourish the kidneys, regulate cell and blood osmosis, and maintain normal metabolism. However, excessive salt intake can lead to diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and edema.
In addition to categorizing food into "sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty" based on taste, traditional Chinese medicine also classifies food into three categories based on their properties: cold, warm, and neutral. The properties of food are summarized based on their effects on the body, which indicates a close relationship between food properties and individual constitution.
【Cold-natured food】
Cold-natured food usually has the effects of clearing heat, relieving constipation, detoxifying, enhancing immune function, and alleviating certain chronic diseases. However, people with yin deficiency constitution, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and women during menstruation should avoid excessively cold-natured food. Examples of cold-natured food include watermelon, bitter melon, mung bean, honeysuckle, winter melon, rabbit meat, and duck meat.
【Warm-natured food】
Warm-natured food usually has the effects of nourishing deficiency, strengthening the body, dispelling cold and dampness. Examples of warm-natured food include onion, ginger, garlic, lamb, dog meat, chicken, and longan.
【Neutral-natured food】
Neutral-natured food is characterized by its moderate properties and has the effect of maintaining normal bodily functions and providing daily energy needs. Most neutral-natured food also has the effects of invigorating the spleen, nourishing the stomach, regulating Qi, and calming the mind. Examples of neutral-natured food include tomato, soybean, carp, and milk. They can be consumed by ordinary people.
Taking care of our health and well-being cannot solely rely on hospitals and doctors. It depends more on our daily control of our own lives and the cultivation of healthy habits that benefit our bodies. This includes adopting a healthy and balanced diet and using the concept of food therapy to replace unhealthy and harmful eating habits.
