| Medicine & Food The Concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine Dietary Therapy by Zhuoling Ren Simple and light diets have always been advocated by traditional Chinese medicine. They can prevent disease, strengthen the body and prolong life. Understanding the properties of foods, their effects on health, using food for preserving health and preventing and treating illness is the science of traditional Chinese medical dietary therapy. Developed over a thousand years ago, it is its own particular branch of traditional Chinese medicine. A fundamental principle in Chinese dietary therapy is the nature of food, which is classified into coldness, coldness, warmth and heat. These are called the "four natures." In practice, these natures are divided into two basic groups -- cold and hot. Regulating the cold and hot nature of food is an important aspect of diet regulation as practiced in Chinese medical dietary therapy. During the last few decades, cancer and cardiovascular diseases have replaced infectious diseases as the major threat to human life. These two categories of disorders, especially cardiovascular diseases, are closely tied to eating habits. Coronary arteriosclerosis cardiopathy, the most common cardiovascular diseases, results from high blood cholesterol that accumulates on the walls of the coronary vessels and leads to sclerosis. This process takes a long time to develop, at least eight to 10 years, or longer. However, laboratory investigations have found that signs of such pathological change in the coronary vessels can begin to appear in the 30s, or even earlier. Therefore, we should start our diet regime as early as possible. In addition, there are many other diseases also directly or indirectly related to food intake. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that being healthy is when the human body is in a harmonious state. Breaking that balance of the body could result in disease. For instance, disease may manifest itself as cold or hot, deficient or excessive, in nature. Acute disease can manifest as high fever, thirst, headaches and deep-colored urine. We consider this situation to be a hot, excessive one in nature. Chronic disease of long duration may manifest as cold extremities, chilliness, emaciation and shortness of breath. We consider a condition like this to be cold, deficient in nature. The principle of treatment emphasizes using medicine, as well as food, with the opposite nature and flavor. So, it is of great significance to study and master the characteristics of food and herbal medicine to achieve "neutralization" for a harmonious state of the body. Generally speaking, when a food acts as an antipyretic, a detoxifier or a tranquilizer, it is cold in nature, such as watermelons, pears, turnips, moon beans, cucumber, celery, spinach and sea vegetables. On the other hand, food with a warm nature can be used to reinforce the body energy, to dispel cold, and to nourish and assist the normal function of the body. Examples of these kinds of foods are ginger, garlic, Chinese chives, chilies and mutton. The nature of foods can be affected by cooking. In general terms, frying and roasting in oil increases the heating properties of food. Baking has a similar, but less strong effect. Baked foods often have a drying consequence, especially on the colon. Steaming and boiling slightly counteracts the cooling properties of food, but it also will help to moderate the effects of some warm or hot food, because of a watery component. Freezing has a cold effect on food, quite apart from its original nature. So for many patients, iced drinks, cold milk and water from the refrigerator should definitely be considered. According to the classification of the dietetic materia medica, foods also have tastes, just as herbal medicines do. The principal categories are sour, sweet, bitter, pungent and salty. Based on the five-element theory, traditional Chinese medicine states that each taste favors an internal organ: sour favors the liver, sweet favors the spleen, bitter favors the heart, pungent favors the lungs, and salty favors the kidney. Along with this position on food, the general principle of food intake is "neither too much nor too little." Both hunger and overeating injure the spleen. Because the spleen depends on food, hunger will cause an insufficiency of the spleen due to a lack of food supply. Furthermore, digestive energy of the body travels through the spleen. The stuffiness of the spleen due to overeating will cause this energy to stagnate. Some ancient traditional Chinese medicine experts believe that one should try to be in a semi-hungry and semi-full state. As to the amount of food for each of the three daily meals, the principle is: quality food for breakfast, enough quantity for lunch and quantity for supper. Overeating will cause five bad results: frequent bowel movement, frequent urination, a disturbance of sleep, overweight and poor digestion. In many circumstances, traditional Chinese medicine dietary therapy has been, and still is, a major branch of traditional Chinese medicine -- and it still benefits the health of all human beings. Dr. Zhuoling Ren, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and professor of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing, was the recipient of numerous awards for her research work in China. She currently is practicing in Minnesota. For more information, contact her at the China Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 3125 Hennepin Ave., (612) 827-7908. In St. Paul, 1033 Grand Ave., (651) 222-1200. Copyright © 2001 Zhuoling Ren |
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