An ancient Chinese proverb says: “ Take food as medicine, otherwise you will take medicine like food.”
" Just from these words it is clear how seriously nutrition is taken in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine). After all, we should get vital energy from food, but instead, many eat in such a way that they do not gain energy, but destroy it. Medical nutrition is used by Chinese medicine specialists when a person is already sick, but anyone who wants can use energy-balanced everyday nutrition.
Proper daily nutrition according to the 5 elements system eliminates mild imbalances in the body and simple symptoms, helps maintain a cheerful, active state and good mood. The basis of this diet is balanced food, appropriate to the time of year, which is suitable for all family members.
Meat warms, salad relaxes
The optimal menu for each person is individual, and only a nutritionist, ideally a specialist in Chinese medicine, can create it correctly. But if you do not intend to delve into Eastern philosophy, you can practice an adapted version of the diet. The main thing is to follow its basic principles.
So, during the preparation of a dish, the cycle of elements must be observed - for example, the element of fire is responsible for the heat treatment of food, and the element of metal is responsible for the addition of spices. Also, all five tastes must be present in the composition - sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty, respectively.
A dish prepared in accordance with such a system formally differs from the usual one only in the sequence of ingredients, and, according to practitioners, in energy value.
One more point: all products are considered carriers of one of two energies - yang and yin. Dishes where they are balanced are rated as neutral. In particular, yang foods include hot, fried food, richly flavored with spices.
Such dishes warm you from the inside and stimulate blood flow. Meat, fish and red wine, as well as fruits and vegetables that ripen on the surface of the earth, have such properties. In turn, products with yin energy are mainly of plant origin.
Such food, on the contrary, calms and helps relieve stress. Juices, milk, eggs, legumes and root vegetables have yin properties. Depending on the element, products can have one or another effect on the eater, for example, warming, neutral or cooling.
Qi energy
The Chinese firmly believe in Qi, because it harmonizes the body, consciousness, and correctly adjusts our connection with the outside world.
That is why the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, in order to maintain the necessary balance of Qi and Yin-Yang harmony, in hot weather drink not cold soda, but hot tea, and in winter they prefer warming dishes with spices. The Chinese believe that there is no junk food. There is one that gives us Qi energy, and one that does not. By the way, we get 70% of Qi from food, the remaining 30% from the air. But there is one thing - we are talking only about natural products. The content of Qi in them can be different, and it is obvious that the more there is, the better. This energy is able to penetrate the organ for which it is responsible, fill it with vitality, eliminate possible problems, and improve its functioning.
In general, Chinese medicine views illness as a deficiency, stagnation or improper redistribution of Qi energy and an imbalance of Yin and Yang. Therefore, in China, the treatment of any disease begins with the “medicine table”. This algorithm has been used there for centuries. If relief does not occur and the patient’s condition does not improve, they move on to other traditional methods: acupuncture, massage, bloodletting or heating. Of course, treatment tactics are determined by the symptoms of the disease.
Chinese dietology is unique and universal, because it is applicable in the kitchens of all countries of the globe. She recommends certain foods and helps us find in them the tastes and energy characteristics that our body needs for a healthy and fulfilling life. Let's look at them.
You won't be able to lose weight quickly
The five-element diet can normalize metabolism and effectively remove toxins and excess fluid from the body, nutritionists explain. However, such a nutrition system will not give quick results.
Although one of its advantages is that you are not faced with an acute deficiency of substances, as happens, for example, during a mono-diet. This reduces the risk of “breaking loose” and raiding the refrigerator.
However, the pitfall of such a diet may be a lack of understanding of what the body really asks for. For example, if you want something sweet, according to the principle of the five elements, you don’t need cake, but products that correspond to the earth element.
This could be a bowl of oatmeal or a glass of milk. Here it is important to listen to yourself - after eating, you should not experience discomfort or heaviness in your stomach.
Another catch: spices are added to almost every dish using this system. According to the nutritionist, such an abundance of seasonings stimulates the active secretion of gastric juice, encouraging you to eat more than you originally wanted. Perhaps such a diet will be balanced, but there will not even be any talk of quickly losing weight.
The “fly in the ointment” for those who want to eat “feng shui” will be the fact that, from the point of view of such a diet, freshly frozen foods and dishes cooked in the microwave are lifeless and useless. This approach is especially inconvenient for those who often have lunch at the office. Nutritionists recommend heating and cooking in a slow cooker or convection oven.
Five Elements Theory
According to this theory, the energy value of foods is determined by their color and taste characteristics. What are the main tastes of food in our mouth? That's right, sweet, bitter, spicy, sour, salty. And each of them affects our body in its own way.
Spicy taste.
It warms and easily copes with colds and congestion. The list of products with a spicy taste: arugula, sage, cauliflower, radish, garlic, kohlrabi, onions, fennel, asparagus, cinnamon, millet, coriander, bran.
Sour taste
. As Chinese nutritionists say, sour taste preserves all the juices of our body. It stimulates appetite and reduces thirst in the summer heat, after physical activity and sports training. Acidic foods can direct energy downward, so to relieve aggression or irritation in your interlocutor, offer him, for example, an orange. Acidic foods normalize blood pressure, maintain vascular tone, fight germs and improve digestion. Here are some of them: apple, lemon, apricot, orange, currant, cranberry, tomato, gooseberry, sorrel, yogurt, kvass, vinegar.
Salty taste.
There is some duality in this group: on the one hand, salty foods provoke the accumulation of excess fluid in the body, on the other, they cope well with edema. They perform a detox function and have a relaxing effect. Salty foods move energy down and have a laxative effect. The most popular representatives of this group are seafood.
Bitter taste.
Green tea, black tea, cocoa, natural coffee, lamb are some examples of bitter foods. They have diuretic properties, have anti-inflammatory and tonic effects, and relieve fever. But pay attention. The bitter taste dries out and by consuming large amounts of coffee, black tea (let’s add smoking here too), we provoke pathological dehydration, trigger the process of premature aging of the skin and the appearance of wrinkles.
Sweet taste.
Products from this group relieve tension, stress, pain, strengthen muscles, tone the body and restore order to our inner harmony. It includes honey, banana, melon, carrots, beets, figs, corn, beans, celery, peas, potatoes, wheat, pumpkin, vegetable oils, rice, veal, duck, chicken, beef, trout. Sweet taste is considered the most important - it most replenishes missing energy. Now those with a sweet tooth will exclaim: “Oh, yes! We will continue to indulge in our favorite sweets and cakes!” This is a huge misconception, which ultimately leads to weight gain. Why? 100 grams of dark chocolate contains 530 calories, but according to the principles of Chinese dietetics, it is energetically empty, there is no Qi in it. Moreover, it is the lack of Qi that causes addiction to “unhealthy” sweets.
Chinese nutritionists compare the tastes of foods with our organs. Sour taste is associated with the liver, bitter taste is associated with the cardiovascular system, salty taste is associated with the genitourinary system, and sweet taste is associated with the spleen. Organs do not function separately; they are an interconnected system in which everyone supports each other. The liver stimulates the heart, which controls the spleen and pancreas, and the lungs look after the kidneys, which in turn influence liver function.
By including foods from the taste list in our daily diet, we can help our organs cope with their tasks. According to Chinese dietetics, bitter and sour foods are good for a weak heart, bitter and sweet foods are good for the gastrointestinal tract, the kidneys need spicy-sweet tastes, and the liver needs sour-salty ones. Perhaps these statements diverge from our usual ideas, but, nevertheless, they are true.
Ideal breakfast - oatmeal and buckwheat
Experts point out that the advantages of the diet include clearly defined times for each meal. In particular, for breakfast this is the period from 7 to 9 am. The stomach is extremely active at this time - you can have a hearty breakfast and not be afraid of gaining weight.
An ideal option for morning “refueling” is porridge with water, for example, oatmeal with lightly boiled fruit or buckwheat. They are fully consistent with the cycle of the five elements. In addition, boiled grains are digested for a long time and without effort. This allows you to not feel hungry for a long time.
A suitable period for lunch is from 11 to 1 pm, when the heart is active. At this time, it is worth eating meat or fish with a side dish of salad; it is better to do it with vegetable oil - vitamins dissolve better in it and are absorbed faster.
By the way, based on this program, the diet menu can be successfully changed. So, a harmonious dish will come out if you combine a “hot” fried chop with a “cold” vegetable salad and a “neutral” rice side dish.
But from seven to nine in the evening it is better not to overload the stomach. Everything eaten at this time will simply lie in the stomach until the morning, because the body will focus not on digestion, but on restoring its functions. If you are really hungry, eat some broth or a portion of baked vegetables.
And yet, even such a “loyal” diet, experts advise starting gradually. If you ate a lot the day before and started fasting in the morning, you are subjecting your body to enormous stress.
Product color - organ
Let's sort the products by color and find out which organ corresponds to them.
Green color/sour taste
- liver. As you already understood, these are greens, cucumbers, spinach, peas, and kiwi. Green foods support normal liver and gallbladder cells. They reduce mental stress, physical fatigue, relieve headaches, and stimulate vision.
Red color/bitter taste
- heart. Yes, foods of this color support heart function. They strengthen the nerves, help cope with bad moods, reduce anxiety and stress, and increase the level of resistance of the body. These are red wines, apples, cherries, watermelon, poultry, red fish, shrimp.
Yellow color/sweet taste
correspond to the spleen and pancreas. Yellow foods are food for a good mood. Without it, it is difficult to resist the blues and stress. It is an excellent antioxidant and detox agent. By using it, you can improve memory and attention. It is high in vitamins A. Yellow foods include pumpkin, carrots, corn, lemons, bananas, oranges, and tangerines.
White color/sharp taste
– respiratory system, lungs. Food of this color warms our body from the inside. She is a source of energy and heat. In our diet it is represented by potatoes, garlic, turnips, rice, coconut, almonds.
Black color/salty taste
– urinary system, kidneys. Grapes, eggplants, mushrooms, legumes, seaweed - these products are a real treasure for the health of the kidneys, liver, skin and hair. They contain about 20 amino acids, a dozen minerals, essential vitamins, and linoleic acid. The Chinese claim that it is “black” foods that slow down the aging process.
It is more correct to consume the above products in the first half of the day, when the activity of the gastrointestinal tract is maximum. The Chinese say that it is the gastrointestinal tract that is responsible for the redistribution of energy within us. Its amount is directly proportional to the level of metabolism. Calories are not energy at all. Remember the example with the chocolate bar.
Power supply according to the 5-element system
During personal consultations, I am often asked about the topic of health in the art of the Destiny Code. To which I honestly and directly answer - the Code of a person’s Destiny contains all the information about his health. All thin spots and gaps in health, potentially weakened organs, susceptibility to fractures, injuries, and diseases. Even the possibility of car accidents - all this information is in the Human Destiny Code.
But more importantly, the second part of a person’s Fate Code - his Pillars of Luck also contains information about when a particular disease can break free and when it is reliably covered. After all, a defect in a part, for example, a “shell” (cavity) in a cast part, does not reveal itself immediately, but when the load on a certain place increases. People say “where it’s thin, it breaks.” If there is a gun hanging on the wall, then in the second act it must fire. Although, on the other hand, having the potential for some serious illness, a person can live his whole life and never get sick. Many factors play a role in this.
And today I want to tell you about one of them - the proper nutrition system. Power supply according to the 5-element system.
From the open course “Discover your Destiny” you already know about the five elements of Chinese metaphysics: Fire , Soil , Metal , Water and Wood . And that everything around us, including material objects and immaterial energies, can be attributed to one or another element. Of course, very rarely they are pure (usually a combination of several elements). And thus food products can also be attributed to one or another element.
Signs of spontaneous products
There are several signs by which these products can be attributed to one or another element. Let's try to figure out what these signs are.
1. Of course, the taste of food comes first. I'm not talking about the taste that food acquires after exposure to seasonings and heat treatment, but about what the original product has. If you remember, the five elements correspond to five tastes: wood - sour, fire - bitter, soil - sweet, metal - pungent and water - salty. If you know this, you can easily guess what element you are currently missing. And to be more correct, what element is currently unbalanced in your body. How? Guess for yourself and write in the comments about your guess. And most importantly, this guess can lead you to which organ now requires your attention. After all, our organs also belong to the five elements. 5 points to the one who remembers and writes below which organ belongs to which element.
2. The next point is... product processing. We are familiar with many ways of preparing food - from simple cutting into slices and slices, to stewing in the oven for many hours. Everything here is more or less clear. If food is exposed to fire, the fire element intensifies. If food is boiled, the element of water is strengthened (and a little fire - always when there is heat treatment at high temperatures, fire will be present). The use of hot seasonings in cooking enhances the metal in food; vinegar and fermented milk environment enhances wood. If we cook in a sweet sauce, then the soil element receives a bonus.
3. In third place I will put the temperature of the dish. Be that as it may, too hot food increases the fire, and cold food increases the water. This is of course not entirely correct in relation to the elements, but in general it is correct. Although here you need to take into account that too hot and cold food is unfavorable for the body. It does not support, but destroys and harms. Thus, cold (ice or refrigerator) water or juices in summer can harm the stomach and create an imbalance in the flow of qi in the middle heater. Which can lead to obesity (many people in the US suffer from this due to their addiction to very cold drinks).
4. The fourth factor is not directly related to the elements, but it is very important. Its essence is that all our food contains yin and yang energy. Do you remember what properties these energies have? Yin energy is the energy of the Moon, absorption, absorption, peace, immobility, this is stagnant water - a lake or a swamp. Yang energy is the energy of the Sun, movement, pushing, action and the energy of running water - a waterfall, a river. The more we consume foods containing yang energy, the more active and energetic we become. If we eat Yin food, then we become lethargic, apathetic, and lazy. Fat and water begin to accumulate in the tissues, leading to obesity and excess weight. We begin to enjoy lying in front of the TV while eating tons of food.
It is very important to understand here that any food that is processed loses yang energy. If food can be stored for a month or more, then there is no yang energy there at all. Now you understand that, in principle, eating the food that we buy in supermarkets and being healthy and slim is a really difficult question. In addition, there are few yang products in nature, but they exist and you need to know them. Interesting? Write below and in the next article I will tell you more about foods that contain a lot of yang energy.
