Diet according to the five elements
The diet according to the five elements is the transfer of parts of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to the diet common in western countries. It is based on the teaching of the five elements : wood, fire, earth, metal and water. However, it differs considerably from Chinese dietetics , i.e. dietetics based on the principles of TCM.
As in TCM, the basic principles of nutrition are the ideas of yin and yang . If there is a harmonious balance of these energies in the body, the person is healthy. The purpose of nutrition is to promote and maintain this harmony.
Classification of food
Chinese nutrition also divides food into yin and yang , with yin standing for cold and yang for warmth. This classification should not be confused with the actual temperature of the food: Yin foods include many types of fruit, cucumber , tomatoes , green tea and milk . As Yang are among other dried fruit , fennel , leeks , spices , meat and fish. There is also a group of neutral foods such as cabbage , carrots , legumes or grains . One and the same food can be assigned to different elements depending on its degree of ripeness: Since an unripe pear has little Qi, it is assigned to the wood element. The fully ripe fruit is part of the earth element.
At the same time, the food is also divided into five groups according to the elements:
- The sour taste corresponds to the element wood . These include, for example, vinegar , oranges , tomatoes , wheat and chicken.
- The bitter taste is assigned to the element fire . Corresponding foods include beetroot , rocket , rye and sheep cheese .
- The earth element corresponds to the sweet taste and foods such as potatoes , corn , butter , eggs , beef and carrots .
- The element metal includes the sharp taste and foods such as onions , mustard and roast goose.
- The salty taste is assigned to the element water . Corresponding foods are salt , fish , legumes , olives and water .
According to the teachings of TCM, both too much yin and too much yang in the body cause illnesses or disorders. Since the proportion of energies is individual for each person, the correct diet according to the five elements can only be determined after a previous determination of the yin and yang proportions, in order not to cause any undesirable effects. Too much yin is then balanced out by a heavy weight of yang foods, too much yang by yin intake. However, the basis of the meals are neutral foods.
The “real” Chinese nutrition theory even knows five levels, namely hot, warm, neutral, refreshing and cold. It also assumes that the “right” food grows in the region in which people live. For this reason alone, the dietary recommendations for Europeans are different from those for Asians. Raw food is mainly recommended for competitive athletes and physically hard-working people, otherwise cooked food is preferred as more energy is required to digest raw food. The nutritional recommendations are also based on the respective season. Cold food should mainly be eaten in summer or the warm season, while warm food should be eaten in winter or the cold season. The quality of the food can be influenced by how it is prepared: "Yinizing" is blanching and boiling in plenty of water, "yangizing" is grilling , roasting and slow cooking.
Every meal should contain all five flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, hot, salty) and also all five colors (green, red, yellow, white and blue / black). Vegetarians are advised to eat as much cooked food as possible to get enough energy. Industrially heavily processed foods and frozen foods are rejected, as is preparation in the microwave oven. A special form of culinary art is “cooking in the element cycle”, in which the respective ingredients are added gradually starting with the element fire, whereby no element may be left out. For children, foods of the earth element are especially recommended.
criticism
The division into yin and yang , as well as the division according to the five-element theory, are not scientifically founded, but rather shaped by the Daoist worldview .
The esoteric energy term is also used to evaluate the energy content of food. This is contrary to an objective assessment of the nutritional quality of a food. For example, nutrients can be destroyed by excessive heating and thus the biological value of a food can be reduced.
There is also no scientifically proven justification for the general refusal to heat food in a microwave oven . Most importantly, this is also contradicting itself, as other methods, such as cooking, frying or grilling - in which the food is heated to much higher temperatures - are expressly recommended. This contradiction is justified by the fact that the “vibration pattern” of the radiation from the microwave is similar to cancer cells and it is therefore assumed that microwave radiation causes cancer.
This can be positively contrasted with the fact that the use of fresh ingredients that are as different as possible (color, taste) actually leads to an improvement in nutrient absorption. As specific quantities are missing and are subjectively determined, malnutrition can still occur.
literature
- Kathrin Ingrid Leitner: Nutritional evaluation and the importance of alternative forms of nutrition (5 elements of nutrition, Ayurveda) in dietetics. (PDF) University of Vienna, January 29, 2010, accessed on August 15, 2011 .
- Barbara Temelie, Nutrition According to the Five Elements. How you can strengthen your health, love and vitality with joy and enjoyment, Joy Verlag 1992
