Nutrition and dietetics

Nutrition and Dietetics

Another Chinese medical practice is dietetics. Many diseases can be caused by eating habits, therefore can be cured by a proper diet. In the Western world we are much aware of the damages of an unhealthy diet, and we pay attention to fats, sugars, and other components of the food we eat. On the other hand in China, rather than the chemical composition more importance is given to "taste".

In this case the definition of taste varies slightly, for the oriental tradition does not define taste in a mere physical sense, but includes in this definition a more subtle analysis of the energetic value of food.

Throughout centuries of experimentation Chinese doctors have been able to group all foods in five main categories. Each of these categories corresponds to five elements and to the relative organs.

Sour taste (liver and gall bladder)

Sweet taste (stomach and spleen)

Bitter taste (heart and small intestine)

Spicy hot taste (lungs and colon)

Salty taste (kidneys and bladder)

All organs are paired as yin and yang. For example to the salty yin correspond the kidneys while to the salty yang corresponds the bladder. Liver, heart, spleen, heart and kidneys are yin. Small intestine, stomach, colon, gall bladder and bladder are yang.

Here is a brief list of the tastes- yin and yang- foods and organs:

Sour taste- yin- liver: lemon, tomato, strawberry, basil, horse meat, pear, burdoc,orange, grapefruit, grapes and grain.

Sour taste- yang- gall bladder: pheasant, pork, chicken, tangerine, apricot, peach, prune, hawthorn, olives, and cheese.

Bitter taste- yin- heart: lettuce, rhubarb, soy, tea, rabbit liver, turnip, rue, vervain, bardana, cabbage, beef liver, and millet.

Bitter taste- yang- small intestine: asparagus, almond, orange peel, tangerine peel, tea, pork liver, and valerian.

Sweet taste- yin- spleen: aubergine, sugar cane, beet, mushrooms, bamboo, green beans, barley, pumpkin, pickle, spinach, banana, melon, apple and celery.

Sweet taste- yang- stomach: cherry, chestnut, date, trout, crawfish, eel ,eggs, perch, carp, figs, sesame, peanuts white sugar, and saffron.

Spicy taste- yin- lungs: horse meat, pork, rabbit, hare, mint, carrot, oregano, and small radish.

Spicy taste- yang- colon: garlic, leek, fennel, beef brain, tobacco mustard, sage, parsley, roebuck, and ginger.

Salty taste-yin- kidney: salt, oats, octopus, rabbit, oyster, snail, duck, and algae.

Salty taste- yang- bladder: crawfish, pigeon, ham, fermented cheese, fish eggs, peas, sea hedgehog, chick peas.

Alimentary causes of diseases:

The Chinese believe that abuse or excessive intake of food can cause illnesses. An excessive intake of any taste can cause a particular reaction in our bodies.

Excess sour taste: can cause excessive energy in the liver, bringing to anger and muscular contractions. It can also interfere with the stomachs energy causing cramps and gastritis. It may disrupt energy to the lungs causing the skin to loose vitality and to the colon resulting in constipation. The kidney could be disrupted as well, this causes a tendency to anxiety and a psychological instability.

Excess of bitter taste: smokers are most likely to suffer this, for tobacco is considered a bitter food. This causes an increase in the heart rate and a loss of appetite, and a longer digestive process. The excess of bitter taste harms the lungs, decreasing their energy, thus making them subject to bronchitis and emphysema. The kidney are harmed causing a loss of the libido, problems during ministration, loss of attention span, and possible sterility. The loss of eye sight and weak nails are symptoms of the liver’s and gall bladder’s energy.

Excess of Sweet taste: interferes with the stomach causing gastritis, with the lungs causing skin problems (even of infectious nature), with the kidneys causing impotence, hypertension, and bone problems. This excess could cause glaucoma, muscular weakness, reduction of sight and cataract. It can influence the heart causing hypertension of the arteries and cardiovascular deficit.

Excess of spicy taste: can interfere with large intestine and lungs, causing infections, hemorrhoids, gingivitis, and related skin hemorrhages. The kidneys will be affected causing a loss of the libido, swelling of the ankles, mental confusion and amenorrhoea. It can also cause muscular cramps, swelling of the liver and trembling of the hands. Other pathologies as gastritis, red cheeks, and anemia are due to damage caused to the stomach and heart’s energy.

Excessive salty taste: disrupts the energy to the kidneys. This causes buzzing in the ears, increased urination, periodical cephaleagia. Once again problems such as cramps, reduction of the eye sight, muscular weakness, tingling to the fingers, and vertigo.

Therapeutic rules:

these are some basic therapeutic directions:

1 When suffering muscular problems, reduce the sour taste and increase the intake of spicy taste. Follow these directions also when suffering from pathologies caused by excessive sour taste.

2 Sour taste tones lungs, and cures lacks of energy.

3 If suffering from diseases of the bones it is better to eliminate the bitter taste from our diets and substitute it with salty tastes. If suffering from excessive salty food pathologies one must increase sweet taste intake.

4 Excessive sweet taste can be balanced by increasing the acid taste in our diets.

5 Salty taste tones the heart.

6 If suffering from skin diseases one should augment the bitter taste and reduce the spicy one.

7 Excessive bitter taste cause for an increase of the salty taste.

8 Instead to tone the kidneys one is to increase the presence of bitter taste

These are few rules of dieting and curing with food.

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