To Maintain Good Health – A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective (II)

Myron Yau, HK BioTek Nutritionist

Health care

Tastes including sour, bitter, sweet, acrid, pungent and salty may be varied among different people. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, people have to eat different foods to maintain healthy.

Acrid

It tastes a bit pungent whilst also tastes a bit sweet. Having food with the taste of acrid can help hematopoiesis, energy replenishment, relief tiredness, stomach circulating and detoxification. For those who have diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular disease and etc are recommended to eat less food that contains acrid.

Sour

Food that tastes sour can strengthen the digesting system and protect the liver. Hence, consuming more food that contains sour can help digestion, kill the bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract, prevent us from getting colds, lower the blood pressure and increase the elasticity of the blood vessels. Tomato, hawthorn and orange are examples of sour foods. All of them involve rich Vitamin C that can prevent cancers, anti-aging and arteriosclerosis.

Bitter

Bitter pills may have blessed effects. Bitter can help assist dehumidification and diuretic effect. For example, bitter gourd can help to relieve the Edema Disease.

Pungent

People who always use spring onion, ginger, chilli, and pepper as seasoning, are most like having spicy food. These foods involve spicy ingredients that can help protecting the blood vessels, regulating the blood circulation and dredging the meridian.

The foods pertaining to ‘yang’ contains high calories; it’s also called ‘hot’ food. On the other hand, the foods pertaining to ‘yin’ contains low calories and is called ‘cool’ food. Thus food that is pungent or spiced is treated as ‘yang’ and ‘hot’ food. It can help to confront against cold weather and preventing us from getting cold. However, people with the symptoms of hemorrhoids, constipation and neurasthenia are recommended to consume less food with these seasonings.

Salty

Salt can help to regulate human cells and maintain normal metabolism. It is recommended to drink water with some salt after vomiting, diarrhea, and sweating to regulate the blood circulation and maintain normal metabolism.

There should be rules to choose suitable medicine to the illness. Under the concept of Traditional Chinese medicine, the excessive odour of herbal, wood, gold and stones are used for medical application.

Golden mean is the philosophy in Traditional Chinese medicine. Having a balanced diet and consuming a wide range of foods will lead to a healthy life.

Traditional Chinese medicine claims that having bitter food can alleviate a person’s impulses while having too much food in acrid flavour can lead to loss of appetite. Having food in pungent flavour will harm the liver. Therefore, for those who love having food in this flavour may look pale. For those who cough or have pompholyx are suggested not to have food with pungent flavour. Consuming large portions of food with a sour flavour will harm muscles and having too much salty food will harm to the stomach, a vital organ for circulating the blood pressure.

People have high concerns of having good food in Hong Kong. Therefore, more people who have excess nutrition are far more than those who have under-nutrition. Hence, it is highly recommended to have a habit of breatharianism for one week per season.