Food Flavors are Part of Good Health

In Chinese Medicine, food is often considered medicine.  Food is the primary means of providing us with the energy and a key source to help our bodies function correctly.

What I find rather interesting in the Chinese medicine way of thinking is that even the flavors of the foods are important in considering a prescription for good health.

There are five different flavors identified as having different purposes in maintaining and contributing to ones health.

• Sour
• Bitter
• Sweet
• Pungent
• Salty

Each of these different flavors have different functions in contributing to balancing or providing good health.

Sour flavor, for example, is an astringent and can generate liquid. You use this flavor when there is a fluid deficiency.

The bitter flavor is used for purging or reducing excess.  It is indicated for fever or when there is damp retention, like edema.

The sweet flavor is for relaxing, toning, and harmonizing.  It is used if there is a deficiency pattern and is also used to help relieve pain as well as calm the mind.

The pungent flavor helps stimulate digestion and gets things moving.  This flavor is used for phlegm as well as to stimulate Qi, get food to move, as well as help blood stagnation.

Salty flavors are used to soften and is used to help goiters, cysts, lymph nodes, and abdominal masses.

I find this aspect of food flavors being part of maintaining good health rather fascinating

Food Flavors are Part of Good Health