Chapter Nineteen: The Properties of Food, Health Preservation During Meals, and Post-Meal Wellness

(ii) The properties and flavors of food, and how to eat them together.

1. The meaning of "foods whose flavors and aromas are compatible and should be consumed accordingly".

The statement in the "Suwen·Zangqi Fashi Lun" that "five grains nourish, five fruits assist, five animals benefit, and five vegetables replenish" refers to the completeness and proper proportion of food types. This is only the external requirement for people's daily food. The subsequent "the flavors and tastes should be combined and consumed" is the essence of the "Neijing" for replenishing essence and qi and nourishing life through diet.

"When the flavors and aromas are in harmony, one should consume it." "Flavors" refers to the four natures of food, while "flavors" refers to the five tastes of food.

"To combine and consume" means to combine grains, meat, fruits, and vegetables according to their properties and flavors to achieve a state of "neutrality" in the body. This means to make reasonable combinations and avoid any one thing being excessive. Only in this way can one replenish the body's essence and achieve the goals of maintaining health, nourishing life, and prolonging life.

2. The relationship between the "four natures and five flavors" of food and health

Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the properties of medicines and foods in its health preservation, disease treatment, and rehabilitation functions. The "four natures and five flavors" of food and medicine are important aspects of their properties.

(1) The relationship between the "Four Qi" and health: The following examples of cold and cooling foods and medicines illustrate the relationship between the properties of food and medicine and health:

Cold and cool medicines and foods are both yin in nature. They are similar in nature but differ in degree. Cold is more extreme than cool, and cool is more gradual than cold.

Medicines such as Coptis chinensis and rhubarb, and foods such as watermelon and buckwheat, mostly have the effects of quenching thirst, clearing heat and purging fire, detoxifying and reducing inflammation. They are suitable for fever, excessive sweating and thirst caused by hot weather in spring and summer, or for those with a constitution of excessive yang heat who experience fever, irritability and constipation, as well as acute febrile diseases, heat toxin sores and inflammation.

For example, watermelon is cold in nature and can clear heat, relieve summer heat, and quench thirst. It is also known as "cold melon" and "naturally occurring Baihu decoction". It can be used to prevent and treat heatstroke. Mung bean is cold in nature and can clear heat and detoxify. It can treat sores and heat toxins.

People with a Yang deficiency and internal cold constitution, characterized by fatigue, cold limbs, a cold stomach, loose stools, pale tongue with a white coating, should avoid cold foods.

(2) The relationship between the "five flavors" and health: The following examples of sour foods and medicines illustrate the relationship between the flavors of food and medicine and health:

Medicines such as white peony root and pomegranate peel, foods such as hawthorn and lemon, and the liver have astringent properties and can improve appetite, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and enhance liver function. They are suitable for symptoms such as chronic diarrhea, chronic cough, excessive sweating, frequent urination, seminal emission, loss of appetite, and liver disease.

For example, pomegranate peel can astringe the intestines and stop diarrhea, hawthorn can strengthen the spleen and improve appetite, and schisandra can enhance liver function.

Excessive use can lead to spleen and stomach qi deficiency.

III. Health Preservation During Meals and Post-Meal Wellness

(I) Health Care During Diet

Health care during the mealtime is crucial for the body to better digest and absorb nutrients, and is very important for maintaining health, health preservation, and longevity. Therefore, it should be given sufficient attention.

1. Eat slowly

Eating slowly means that one should chew food thoroughly and eat slowly and calmly.

Chewing slowly and thoroughly is beneficial, as Shen Zifu of the Qing Dynasty said in "Yangbing Yongyan": "Whether it is porridge, rice, or snacks, they should all be chewed very finely before swallowing." This not only helps the spleen, stomach, and intestines function properly, making food easier to digest and absorb, but also stabilizes emotions, avoids eating hastily or overeating, and protects the stomach and intestines.

Eat slowly and calmly.

Eating slowly makes food easier to digest, while eating quickly will suddenly increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, and may also cause accidents such as choking, coughing, etc. Therefore, it should be given sufficient attention.

2. Eat with focus

Eating should be done attentively, meaning that people should concentrate on eating and focus wholeheartedly on their meals.

Eating attentively allows you to savor and enjoy the deliciousness of food, aids digestion and absorption, and helps you consciously combine staple foods, vegetables, and meats in a balanced way, thus improving nutritional effectiveness.

As Confucius said in the Analects, "One should not speak while eating," meaning that when eating, one should try to put aside all the trivial matters in one's mind and concentrate on eating, focusing wholeheartedly on the food.

Since ancient times, people have recognized that it is beneficial to eat with focus and concentration, as this helps with digestion and absorption.

If one's mind is wandering while eating, multitasking, or even doing other things without focusing on the food, then one's appetite will not be stimulated, food will not taste good, and digestion and absorption will be affected, which does not meet the requirements of dietary health.

3. Eat Yile

There is an old saying: "One should not get angry after eating, nor should one eat after getting angry."

Therefore, one should maintain a pleasant mood before and after eating, and avoid worry and anger to prevent them from harming one's health.

A person's mood directly affects their appetite and digestion.

A pleasant mood can greatly increase appetite and enhance the digestive and absorptive functions of the spleen, stomach, and intestines.

This is the meaning of the "Earth element reaches its potential when it is nourished by Wood" and "The Liver governs the free flow of Qi and aids digestion" in the Inner Canon of Medicine.

Conversely, negative emotions such as worry and anger can affect appetite, digestion and absorption, and lead to gastrointestinal and spleen dysfunction.

There are three points to keep in mind when eating: First, avoid talking about unpleasant things while eating; second, the eating environment should be quiet and clean; and third, listening to light and pleasant music while eating can relax the mind, uplift the spirit, and aid digestion and absorption.

(II) Post-meal health maintenance

Sun Simiao pointed out in "Supplement to the Thousand Golden Prescriptions" that "after a snack or meal, rub your abdomen with warm hands, walk fifty or sixty steps outside the courtyard, and feel the pulse." This provides a relatively comprehensive explanation of health preservation after eating.

The following three post-meal conditioning methods are recommended for health maintenance:

1. Abdominal massage after meals

After eating, sit or lie down, rub your hands together to warm them, place your hands on your abdomen, and first use your palms to massage around your navel in a clockwise direction from small circles to large circles 20-30 times. Then massage around your navel in a counterclockwise direction from large circles to small circles 20-30 times.

Abdominal massage after meals can not only promote gastrointestinal motility, but also improve blood circulation in the abdominal cavity and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, it can prevent gastrointestinal digestive dysfunction and assist in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as indigestion, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and chronic gastroenteritis.

2. Take a walk after meals

After eating, it is not advisable to be inactive or to engage in excessive physical activity.

After meals, it is advisable to engage in some leisurely and gentle activities, such as taking a walk, strolling slowly, or doing housework like wiping the table, sweeping the floor, or washing dishes, which are beneficial to health.

Lying down immediately after eating can affect the function of the stomach and intestines, causing food to stagnate. Walking quickly after eating can also cause blood to flow to the limbs, affecting the digestive and absorptive functions of the spleen and stomach.

As the health proverb says, "Do not lie down stiffly after a full meal," "Do not walk hurriedly after a full meal," and "Walk a hundred steps after a meal, and you will live to ninety-nine." Sun Simiao's "Prescriptions for Nourishing Life" clearly states that "Walk several hundred steps after eating, which is very beneficial to people."

3. Rinse your mouth after eating.

When rinsing your mouth after eating, first put a small amount of tea or salt water in your mouth, close your lips tightly, open your upper and lower teeth naturally, puff out your cheeks, and let the liquid pass through the interdental area.

Then, thump your cheeks and lips, and let your tongue move naturally so that the solution can fully contact the tooth surface, gums and oral mucosa in the mouth.

Rinse your mouth repeatedly with the force of the water, then spit it out.

After eating, food residue is easily left in the mouth. If it is not removed in time, it will often cause bad breath, tooth decay, or periodontal disease.

Rinsing your mouth frequently after meals can keep your mouth clean, strengthen your teeth, and effectively prevent oral diseases such as bad breath, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.

For example, Zhang Zhongjing's "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber" from the Eastern Han Dynasty states, "After eating, one should rinse one's mouth several times to prevent tooth decay and maintain a fresh breath."