In the world of food that varies greatly, food can be roughly divided into two categories based on its source. The first is natural food, and the second is processed food. In natural food, there are differences between plant-based food and animal-based food. In plant-based food, it can further be divided into vegetables, fruits, melons, etc. In animal-based food, it can be divided into livestock, poultry, fish, shellfish, etc. In processed foods, there are differences such as brewing, drying, salting, and modern developments like health food, leisure food, genetically modified food, etc. The nutritional components contained in these foods may be basically the same or have some emphasis. For example: Plant-based food mainly provides carbohydrates, energy, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber. Animal-based food mainly provides protein, fat, energy, vitamins.
For the evaluation of the nutritional value of food, modern science analyzes and evaluates it based on the types and quantities of nutrients it contains. For instance, animal meat contains a lot of protein, whose amino acids are mostly essential amino acids for the human body, making it a primary source of protein for humans. Cereals contain a lot of carbohydrates, making them the main source of carbohydrates for the human body. Fruits contain a lot of vitamins, making them the primary source of vitamins for the human body.
Food, according to its final metabolic products within the body, can also be divided into alkaline-forming food and acid-forming food.
Alkaline-forming food: This type of food contains more potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and other minerals. Their final metabolites within the body are alkaline, hence they are called alkaline-forming food, including vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc. When paired with acid-forming food, it helps maintain the body's acid-base balance.
Acid-forming food: This type of food contains more sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine, and other minerals. Their final metabolites within the body are acidic, hence they are called acid-forming food, including meat, fish, eggs, cereals, beans, etc. When paired with alkaline-forming food, it also helps maintain the body's acid-base balance.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), based on the principle of "medicine and food having the same origin," established the theory of "five natures and five flavors" to evaluate the nutritional value of various foods. The five natures refer to cold, hot, warm, cool, and neutral. The five flavors refer to sour, bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty. Later, "light" was added, becoming "six flavors." In the Huangdi Neijing Lingchu - Wumei, it states, "The five flavors go where they are preferred; thus, sour goes to the liver first; bitter goes to the heart first; sweet goes to the spleen first; spicy goes to the lungs first; salty goes to the kidneys first." In the Huangdi Neijing Suwen - Shengqi Tongtianlun, it mentions, "What yin produces originates from the five flavors; what yin resides in, injury comes from the five flavors. Therefore, if the flavor is too sour, liver qi becomes excessive, and spleen qi will be depleted; if the flavor is too salty, bone qi becomes overworked, muscles weaken, and kidney qi is suppressed; if the flavor is too sweet, kidney qi becomes imbalanced, breathing becomes full, and complexion turns black; if the flavor is too bitter, spleen qi becomes insufficient, and stomach qi becomes thick; if the flavor is too spicy, tendons become loose, and spirit diminishes. Therefore, carefully harmonizing the five flavors ensures bones are straight, tendons are soft, blood and qi flow smoothly, and the internal organs function properly. Thus, bone qi becomes refined. Following the Dao as per the method, one lives long under heaven."
The Bencao Congxin recognized that "sour can constrict and gather; bitter can purge and dry; sweet can supplement and harmonize; spicy can disperse and moisten; salty can descend and soften hardness; light can open the orifices and promote excretion." It points out the functions of the properties of the five flavors, guiding clinical consumption and treatment.
The evaluation of the nutritional value of food by TCM differs from the evaluation by modern nutrition science. TCM focuses on the comprehensive effects on the human body after food metabolism, such as the role of garlic oil. Modern nutrition science emphasizes the effects of various nutrients in food on human physiological metabolism. The former theory could be described as a kind of "black box operation" principle, knowing only the things before the operation and the results after the operation, but not fully understanding the intermediate process. This might seem imperfect in scientific precision, and currently, it is difficult to explain clearly and accurately. However, these theories are summaries of practical experience and have been repeatedly practiced and summarized by countless scholars over hundreds of years, possessing substantial objectivity and reality. They should not be easily negated just because they cannot be comprehensively explained at present. Perhaps the theory of "five natures and six flavors" contains yet-to-be-recognized relationships between nutrients and human life activities. This is exactly a new topic. If further research and exploration can be conducted, it will have positive significance for nutrition science, clinical medicine, and life sciences.
Modern nutrition science evaluates the nutritional value of food simply by three principles. First is comprehensiveness, exploring the various components of the food from the qualitative aspect, whether the nutrients contained in the food are comprehensive, meaning how many kinds of nutrients it contains. For example, when evaluating the protein value of food, we look at whether the essential amino acids it contains are complete; the more complete, the higher its nutritional value. Second is richness, which examines from the quantitative aspect. Besides studying the types of nutrients it contains, we also look at the content of the nutrients it contains; the more content, the higher its nutritional value. At the same time, we need to examine the proportion of nutrients among each other; the closer it is to the needs of the human body, the higher its nutritional value. Third is suitability. This is examined from the aspect of eating. Food selection should meet the needs of the eater; meeting those needs is suitable. We shouldn't think that something tastes good, so we eat it. Neither does high price mean high nutritional value. Instead, we should choose suitable food based on individual physical condition and health status. For example, sweet dishes, although tasty, should not be consumed by diabetes patients. Again, chicken and duck offal, while liked by many, should not be eaten by people with hyperlipidemia because animal offal contains a lot of cholesterol, which increases fat and cholesterol in the body when consumed in large amounts. A combination of these three evaluations leads to a scientific and reasonable diet.
Besides containing various nutrients, food also contains other components, some of which can prevent and treat diseases, while others can cause disease. This must be understood. For example: Allicin in garlic, polysaccharides in mushrooms, soybean isoflavone soft capsules can prevent and treat cancer. Acidic polysaccharides in black fungus can lower blood lipids and blood pressure. However, trypsin inhibitors and lectins in soybeans, avidin in raw egg whites, amygdalin in bitter almonds, tannins in persimmons, etc., if consumed excessively or improperly, can cause food poisoning, leading to hemolytic anemia, indigestion, persimmon stones, etc., which should be paid attention to.
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