Five Element Diet and Nutrient Density

September 3, 2017 Joe Brady

“Food is Medicine” is an old five element diet axiom in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Public education about traditional Chinese dietary therapy provides a useful element in the battle against obesity in the United States and elsewhere in the developed world. Asian cooking is already a popular cuisines in many countries, and greater education would enlighten the public to healthier versions of these cuisines.
Evidence for the efficacy of the Chinese five element diet is extensive. As a result of the differences in diet and exercise, Chinese men averaged blood cholesterol of 138 compared to American men who average 212. Death from heart disease is only 6% of the U.S. rate; breast cancer occurs at one-fifth the rate of U.S. women; and colon cancer is one-third the U.S. rate. In the Chinese diet there is no limitation of calories, yet the nutrient dense quality of the diet is excellent.

Foods vary according to color, temperature, and taste; for example:

Flavors Tastes and the Perception of food

The TCM nutritional strategy of the five flavors and tastes comprise a simple, yet effective and delicious approach to nutrient density. The TCM dietary approach requires a shift in perception of food as we normally think of it, to appreciating the energetic quality of food.
The energetic nature of food
In TCM diet therapy. Foods are classified according to their energetic nature (hot, warm, cold, cool, or neutral) and their taste (sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, or salty).

Cold foods: raw vegetables, salads, fruit, cold drinks, and ice-cream. Excessive consumption of these foods tends to create Cold in the spleen and stomach and ensuing epigastric pain.
Hot-spicy foods: curries, spices, lamb, beef, and alcohol. Excessive consumption of these foods produces Stomach-Heat that can manifest with a burning epigastric pain, thirst, and a yellow tongue coating.
Sugar and sweets: Excessive consumption of these foods may tend to produce both Dampness and Heat in the Stomach.
Greasy foods: fried foods and dairy foods: an excessive consumption of these leads to the formation of Phlegm or Dampness in the Stomach.

Dietary recommendations

The culinary alchemy of Chinese 5 element diet offers a rich and varied way of encouraging more Americans to meet the healthy eating and dietary guidelines.

TCM Guidelines

  • Food must be delicious
  • Eat when you are hungry
  • Intake must be moderate
  • Foods must be varied to ensure nutrient density.

Obesity problems are primarily created by the overconsumption of sweet and damp creating foods at the expense of the others, creating an imbalance between the spleen and the other organs. By increasing the amounts of the other flavors in the diet, one can focus on long-term enjoyment of the diet. The only way to truly lose weight and not gain it back is to focus upon a long-term strategy rather than a short-term diet. The only way to really do this is to focus on increasing the variety, flavor, and enjoyment of the diet.