Chinese Food Health gives you the basic approaches on how to nourish and preserve health in the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, all foods are divided into four energies (cold, hot, warm, and cool) and five flavors (pungent, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty). The principle of a healthy diet is to select the right combination of foods by following their properties and reach a balance.

In general, according to TCM Practitioners, four situations would occur in food combination. While the first two can strengthen the medicinal values of the foods, the last two on the contrary will weaken them.

The first one is to complement each other. That is to eat foods with same attribute or one of their properties is similar at the same time. In doing so, each food’s medicinal values will be reinforced by each other’s energy to a certain extent.

The second one is to offset each other. It occurs when two foods eaten simultaneously, the toxicity or the side effect of one food will be reduced or even eliminated by the other.

The third one is to hold up each other. That is one will pin the other down when two foods are eaten together making the foods’ efficacies diminished or even removed. For instance, while food in hot nature like lamb is consumed, foods with cold/cool attribute such as watermelon or mung bean (green bean) should not be eaten along with. Otherwise, the nourishing effect of lamb will be weakened.

The last one is to counteract each other. It happens when two foods are consumed concurrently, what they produce are not medicinal values, but toxicity reaction instead! One of the examples are honey and green onion. The nutrients in honey are comparatively complicated; when the organic acid and amylase in honey interact with the sulfur-containing amino acid in green onion, they will produce toxic substances that irritate intestines and stomach causing diarrhea. Another example is milk and orange. In fact, when the protein in milk interacts with the fruit acids and Vitamin C in orange, clots will be formed resulting in poor digestion, abdominal distention or pain, and even diarrhea.

After all, a balanced diet is crucial to maintain good health and well being. No single food can provide all the vital nutrients that the body needs to stay functional and healthy. And the medicinal values of one’s diet depend on the overall mixture or balance of food that is eaten, as well as on the needs of the person (individual constitution).

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