What are the five flavors in a nutritious diet?

The core of the five flavors often mentioned in nutritious diets are the five taste types of sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty derived from my country's traditional dietary health system. It not only includes the taste sensations that our tongues can taste directly, but also corresponds to the eating habits of different ingredients. Currently, some modern nutrition scholars advocate that "fresh" should also be included in the category of five flavors, but the traditional five flavors are still used as the standard in mainstream applications.

When many people first come into contact with this concept, they think it is a simple classification of flavors. In fact, it is not. The older generation often says that "a balanced balance of five flavors nourishes the five internal organs", which means that ingredients with different flavors have different effects on the body. However, there have been different opinions in the academic circles regarding the actual role of the five flavors. The traditional Chinese medicine health system believes that the five flavors correspond to the five internal organs of the liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Preferring a certain flavor can easily damage the corresponding organs. Modern nutrition scholars are more inclined to map the five flavors to specific organs. It is believed that the body's response to different tastes is essentially a function of nutrients. There is currently not enough large-scale clinical data to support the direct correspondence between the five flavors and the internal organs. It is also recommended that the combination of the five flavors be used as a reference principle for a balanced diet.

To take the most common example, when the weather is hot and there is no appetite in the summer, the elderly at home always like to make some hawthorn water to whet everyone's appetite. According to traditional saying, the sour taste enters the liver, which can astringent the production of body fluids and promote digestion. From the perspective of modern nutrition, it is the organic acids such as citric acid and malic acid in hawthorn that stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and help increase appetite. The two explanations have different logics, but the actual effects are interoperable. Many people are naturally averse to the bitter taste, but when the weather is hot, eating two mouthfuls of cold bitter melon always makes the whole body feel refreshed. Traditionally, the bitter taste can reduce inflammation in the heart. In fact, it is the quinine and flavonoids in bitter melon that help regulate body temperature and fight inflammation, and the effect is real.

Don’t think that sweetness refers to the sweetness of white sugar and milk tea. Millet, pumpkin, and yam are the most recommended sources of sweetness in traditional diets. They are the most recommended sources of sweetness in traditional diets. Many people like to drink a bowl of warm millet porridge when they have an upset stomach. It doesn’t have a strong taste but makes you feel comfortable. The essence is that these mildly sweet ingredients are easy to absorb. They also have B vitamins to help repair mucous membranes, and are especially friendly to people with weak spleen and stomach. Spicy ingredients such as ginger, garlic, and peppercorns that are commonly used in cooking are not only used to enhance the flavor. When you are cold, make a bowl of brown sugar tea with shredded ginger and sweat. It is the volatile oil component corresponding to the pungent flavor that promotes blood circulation and helps the body dissipate cold air. The salty taste is more familiar. The table salt we eat and the seaweed and kelp in the sea are all salty. Appropriate supplementation can help maintain the electrolyte balance in the body. However, whether it is traditional health care or modern nutrition, it is not recommended to eat too salty, otherwise it will easily increase the burden on the kidneys and cardiovascular systems.

When cooking daily, you don’t need to be stuck on what flavor and how much to add. Eat more ingredients with different flavors. It is much more comfortable than eating spicy or purely sweet every meal. This idea of ​​​​food matching that has been passed down for thousands of years is actually in line with the principle of food diversification advocated today.