? On the healthy diet view in Huangdi Neijing

What is the concept of "health" in TCM? In recent years, some people have discussed the health concept of traditional Chinese medicine from many aspects, such as treating diseases before they occur, coordinating and balancing yin and yang, unifying form and spirit, and harmonizing zang-fu organs and meridians. Some people have also revealed the connotation of TCM health view from five aspects: time, space, society, body and psychology. In addition, the health state of TCM is defined as the result of the dynamic balance between man and nature, society and yin and yang, and it is the functional state of "harmony between man and nature", "harmony between yin and yang" and "harmony between form and spirit".

The pursuit of health is the eternal theme of mankind. Among many factors affecting human health, diet is the most important one. Because Huangdi Neijing knows this principle well, it has a profound understanding and discussion on the choice of ingredients, the two-way effect of five flavors of diet on human body, and how to maintain good eating habits.

Reasonable diet collocation

Su Wen on the Method of Dirty Qi: "Poison attacks evil, five grains support, five fruits help, five animals benefit, five dishes are full, and the smell is combined to supplement the essence. These five flavors are bitter, bitter and salty, and each has its own merits. Whether it is scattered or collected, whether it is slow or urgent, whether it is hard or hard, it is appropriate to have five flavors when it is hidden at four o'clock and five o'clock. " It is put forward that the five internal organs and five flavors of medicine and food in four seasons correspond to the four seasons, five elements and five flavors. There are five flavors in medicines and foods such as five grains, five fruits, five livestock and five vegetables, but the five flavors of medicines are mainly used to eliminate evil and treat diseases, and the five flavors of diet are an important source of human nutrition. Therefore, there is a saying in the original text that "poison attacks evil, grains nourish, five fruits help, five animals benefit, and five vegetables supplement". For example, grains such as japonica rice, soybean, adzuki bean, wheat and yellow rice are the main sources of human nutrition. Five kinds of fruits, such as peach, plum, apricot, chestnut and jujube, can only be used as auxiliary; The meat of five animals, such as cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs and chickens, is a kind of flesh and blood, which is often used to supplement the human body; Sunflower (winter sunflower, sunflower. One of the important vegetables in ancient times, which can be pickled), Epimedium (bean leaves, eaten when tender; It also refers to five kinds of vegetables, such as agastaches, onions and leeks. , only used as a nutritional supplement.

Here, the original text emphasizes that the five flavors of diet can nourish and help the human body. Only "five grains" are the most necessary nutrients to maintain human health, the staple food for human survival and the main ingredients. Therefore, its role in maintaining life efficacy is summarized as "nourishing". Auxiliary ingredients such as "Five Fruits", "Five Livestock" and "Five Vegetables" are only helpful, beneficial and complementary to the main material (five grains) respectively, and can never replace the main material.

Another significance of emphasizing that "five grains are the supplement, five fruits are the help, five livestock are the benefit, and five vegetables are the filling" is to require people to choose diversified main ingredients instead of being too single. Once the ingredients are single, it will lead to the nature and taste of nutrients that the human body takes in from food. Over time, it will lead to disharmony between yin and yang, disorder of viscera and affect health. Because plant ingredients and animal ingredients are not only cold and hot, but also sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty. Ingredients with different properties and flavors have different functions in human body, such as spicy, sour, sweet, bitter, hard, salty and soft. Moreover, ingredients with different properties and tastes have specific affinities with different viscera after entering the human body, such as "the five flavors have their own ways, the taste is sour, and the liver comes first; The taste of the valley is bitter, so go first; Gluten, spleen first; Gu Weixin, go to the lungs first; The taste of the valley is salty, and the kidney should be taken first "(Lingshu five flavors). It can be seen that only by impartially harmonizing the five flavors of diet can the essence of the five internal organs be vigorous and full, thus ensuring health. Therefore, the original text thinks that "the smell should be combined and supplemented." Neijing also highlights the concept of "five flavors of diet, each with its own strengths" here.

Choose ingredients at the right time

The principle of "nourishing yang in spring and summer, nourishing yin in autumn and winter, from its roots" mentioned in Su Wen's theory of regulating qi and spirit is also applicable to the concept of healthy eating, that is, choosing ingredients according to the laws of the four seasons.

As far as the health preservation method is concerned, it is "nourishing yang in spring and summer", so that the body yang can be vented in spring and summer to adapt to the law of the growing season. The specific method is to exercise more, rest less and sweat more. Sweating is a sign of exuberant yang, so it is called "nourishing yang". In autumn and winter, the body should be full and the yang should be restrained to adapt to the climate characteristics of the convergence season, that is, "nourishing yin in autumn and winter". The specific method is to rest more, exercise less and sweat less. Because sweat is transformed by body fluids, body fluids are a part of * * *. Sweating less will not damage the yang, but also preserve * * *, so it is called "nourishing yin".

Bing Wang, a doctor in the Tang Dynasty, explained it by choosing ingredients in diet therapy. It is believed that "the spring is cold and cool, and Xia Han raises yang; Eat warm food in autumn and hot food in winter to nourish yin. "This is expressed from the spirit that the original text conforms to the laws of nature. It is warm in spring and summer. Eating hot food again will release too much yang, which will not achieve the purpose of "nourishing yang". On the contrary, "nourishing yin" is achieved by preserving yang, which decreases in autumn and winter. In order to "nourish yin", it is necessary to prevent the yang from leaking out, but if you eat too much cold and cool things, it will hurt the yang, which is also in line with the original health care idea of "dispelling cold and warming skin". Therefore, "eating warm in autumn and eating hot in winter" is also in line with nature to nourish yin. Wang's theory is to achieve the mutual balance of Yin and Yang through the conditioning of Yin and Yang, to restrict the ups and downs of Yin and Yang in the four seasons of nature through the application of cold, heat and coolness of drugs and food, and to nourish each other through mutual restraint, so that Yin and Yang are impartial and healthy. Therefore, Bing Wang said, "The root is in Yin, and the root of Yin Qi is in Yang. Without Yin, you can't live; without Yang, Yin can't be transformed. Full yin means that the yang is not very strong, and full yang means that the yin is not bad. Obviously, Wang's theory is based on the interaction of yin and yang. It is also in line with the principle repeatedly emphasized in Su Wenliu's Collection of Jacky that "it's the same to eat with cool and far cool, cold and far cold, warm and far warm, and hot and far hot".

Departmental preparation

The so-called "four-year preparation" refers to choosing ingredients according to the law of fate change. This is another academic standpoint of healthy diet in Neijing.

On Su Wenzhizhen: "The emperor said: What is the main disease? Qi Bo said: "When you are four years old, you are the master. "The emperor said," What's the first thing? Qi bo said: the specialty of heaven and earth is also ... the emperor said: what is non-age? Qi Bo said: "Scattered, so the same quality is different. "The smell is strong, the sexual use is calm, the treatment is maintained, and the intensity is from shallow to deep. This is also called. 」

The so-called "four-year-old, the owner is tired" means that people should collect medicine and food according to the characteristics of four-year-old in order to survive and be healthy, so that nothing is lacking when health needs it. Because "specialization in heaven and earth" refers to drugs and ingredients prepared according to age, with pure and strong smell and excellent curative effect. "Health care" refers to the influence of drugs and food raw materials on human health. "Empowering" refers to the efficacy of drugs (food) in the body.

Since the change of weather corresponds to the metaplasia of everything on the ground, the preparation of ingredients and medicines should also be different according to the luck of each year. For example, at the age of Jueyin, prepare sour things, at the age of Shaoyin and Shaoyang, prepare bitter things, at the age of Taiyin, prepare sweet things, at the age of Yangming, prepare pungent things, and at the age of the sun, prepare salty things. In this way, the world will be exquisite and full of spirit.

The so-called "old material" refers to the ingredients and drugs that are not prepared according to the age, but are "qi-dispersed" and have poor efficacy, and their qualities are the same but different. As Zhang Jiebin said, "the qi of heaven and earth is not frequent, so the biological constitution is the same, and the sexual thickness is different".

Selection of ingredients in different regions

According to On Su Wenyi's Law and Prescription, people living in different geographical environments have different food choices and eating habits. This paper discusses the reasons why people have different diseases in different living areas, influenced by different natural environment, living conditions and eating habits, and must adopt different methods to treat diseases according to local conditions. It is believed that in the east, "people eat fish and love salt, so they all live in peace and enjoy their food"; In the west, "its people eat fat and fat, so evil can't hurt them"; In the south, "people love acid and eat rot"; In the north, "its folk music is wild and milky"; The central government "its people eat groceries"

This paper not only emphasizes the geographical environment and climate characteristics of Wu Fang, the living habits of residents in different regions, but also emphasizes the different health conditions of people in different regions. This idea is also suitable for people in different regions to choose ingredients, which is why people in different regions have very different eating habits, highlighting the overall idea that people are closely related to nature. At the same time, it also demonstrates how people living in different geographical environments choose healthy ingredients that suit them according to the characteristics of their living environment, which is also the content of "healthy eating concept" in Neijing.

There is no "overuse" of food.

"Su Wen Meridian Differentiation": "Spring, summer, autumn and winter, the four seasons of Yin and Yang, the disease starts from overuse, which is normal." "Illness starts with use" is an important thought in the pathogenesis of Neijing. However, any factor that exceeds the adaptation limit of human body will damage human health and cause diseases. Although the "overuse" mentioned here, including excessive emotions, abnormal climate, overwork, excessive sexual intercourse, etc., are all pathogenic factors. Here, we only analyze the factors that are harmful to health, such as excessive hunger, cold temperature imbalance, eating too many fatty sweets, partial eating, bad eating habits and so on.

Eating without hunger "excessive hunger" refers to insufficient food intake and exhaustion of the source of qi and blood biochemistry, so the dirty qi is weak. Because "if you don't go into the valley, you won't be angry for a long time, and you won't be angry for a day" ("Lingshu Wuwei"). "Qi deficiency" and "Qi deficiency" are easily influenced by pathogenic factors and diseases. Therefore, the method of keeping fit through diet is not worth advocating.

Eating without satiety "satiety" refers to overeating, which damages the function of the spleen and stomach and causes many diseases. Because "double your diet will hurt your stomach" (On Su Wenbi). "As a result, you are full, your veins are horizontal, and your intestines are full of hemorrhoids" ("Su Wentong's Theory of Strange Heaven"). Although the two original texts have different starting points, they hold the same position, that is, improper diet, overeating, damage to the stomach and healthy qi have become important factors that endanger health and cause diseases.

There is no prejudice in taste. On Su Wen's anger: "Yin is born in five flavors, and Yin's five houses are hurt in five flavors. Therefore, the taste is too sour, the liver qi produces fluid and the temper is unique. The taste is too salty, strong and tired, with short muscles and depressed heart. The taste is too sweet, the heart is full of asthma, the color is black, and the kidney is unbalanced. The taste is too bitter, the temper is not strong, and the stomach is strong. The taste is too pungent, the tendons are sunken, and the spiritual center. Therefore, it is necessary to harmonize the five flavors, strengthen the bones, run the qi and blood, and manage the secrets. If so, the bones will be exquisite. If you follow the law, you will have your own destiny. Here, the original text demonstrates the dialectical relationship that the five flavors of diet can not only nourish people, but also hurt people. It is believed that human metaplasia originates from five flavors of diet; Eating too much or being addicted to five flavors will become a pathogenic factor that damages the yin and yang of the five internal organs. The * * * of the human body comes from the five flavors of diet. " The five houses of yin are damaged by the five flavors ",because according to the yin-yang attribute, due to the five flavors of diet," sweetness diverges into yang, bitterness overflows into yin, and salty overflows into yin "(Su Wenzhizhen's Great Theory), under normal circumstances, the five flavors of diet are the foundation of human life and the original material for transforming the essence of viscera, but if you indulge in the five flavors excessively or for a long time,

Neijing has demonstrated the harm of five flavors to human body in many articles, such as: "Eating more salty food will make the pulse cry discolored;" If you eat too much, your skin will wrinkle and your hair will pull out; If you eat more spicy food, your muscles will be anxious and your claws will dry up; Eating too much acid exposes the meat; Eat more sweets, bones will hurt and fall off. The damage caused by these five flavors is also "("Su Wen Five Organs Formation "). It also demonstrates the movement and distribution of the five flavors after they enter the human body, and how to prevent the harm of partial eclipse of the five flavors, pointing out that "the entrance of the five flavors has its own way and each has its own diseases." It is embarrassing to eat too much when you are sour; Salty blood, eating more, makes people thirsty; Zou Xin is angry and eats more, which makes people feel bored (such as "Fumigation" in Yanyun); Bitter bones, eating too much, make people vomit; Willing to eat more meat is worrying. Knowing why, I don't know why, and I want to hear why "("Lingshu Inaction Theory ").

Because of this, the concept of "healthy diet" of "harmony of five flavors" was clearly put forward in the original text of Su Wen's Angry God.

If you don't have too much fat, you won't have too much fat and sweetness, otherwise it will make the wine wet and heat, turn into phlegm and turbidity, and produce a disease of "quenching thirst", which will lead to stagnation of qi and blood and abscess for a long time. "When sorghum changes, big crops are born, as weak as weak" (Su Wen's Angry Days) refers to this. If we combine the discussion of Su Wen's ice cream theory, we can better understand the intention of the above original text. What is the name of the patient who said "the emperor said" with a sweet mouth? How to get it? Zeebe said: Overflow of five qi is also called spleen abscess. The five flavors of the husband's mouth are hidden in the stomach, the spleen is fine, and the body fluid is in the spleen, so it makes people sweet. This fat beauty is also caused. This person must eat sweet fat, fat people make people feel hot inside, sweet people make people full, then the gas overflows and turns to quench their thirst. Treat with orchids, except Lao Qi. 」

It is clearly recognized in Neijing that fatty food can help people with damp heat, and if it is heated for a long time, it will hurt yin, leading to diabetes, ulcers and boils. This tells the world from the angle of pathogenesis that a light diet is a dietary concept beneficial to human health.

Excessive drinking is the liquid of whole grains, and its nature is "strong" (Su Wen Jue Lun). If you drink too much, there will be a phenomenon that "too much wine will lead to qi" (Su Wen Jue Lun), which is harmful to your health. The "adverse qi" here refers to excessive drinking, and the "violent" alcoholic nature leads to the disorder of human qi, which often leads to palpitation and even nonsense (that is, "adverse wine"); When the lung qi goes up, it is short of breath; If the stomach gas comes up, it will cause nausea and vomiting; Liver-qi upwelling may cause dizziness, headache, even syncope and coma. Obviously, drinking less or not drinking is in line with the "healthy diet view" in Neijing.

Don't eat too hot or too cold. "Biography of Master Ling Shu" warns: "Those who eat and drink are not hot and anxious, and the cold is not surging. Cold and heat are moderate, so qi will flourish, but it will not be evil. Diet is an important factor to ensure health. It is neither too cold nor too hot. Only "moderate cold and moderate temperature" can meet the needs of health. Only in this way can we not be exhausted and hurt by diseases and pathogens.

To sum up, scientific and reasonable dietary concepts, namely "reasonable dietary collocation", "timely selection of ingredients", "selection of ingredients according to the changing law of qi movement", "selection of ingredients by region" and "not overeating" are the main contents of "healthy dietary concepts" in Neijing.