Food conveys the Tao: Exploring the wisdom of Chinese diet and health from the "Dietary Guide"
In China, food culture has a long history, and it is known as "food is the first thing for the people".
In this era, the core concept of the "Dietary Pagoda" advocated by the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" was not born without any basis. It is actually a scientific display of China's thousands of years of dietary philosophy in a modern context.
Based on the principles of nutrition and combined with the actual situation of the country, it transforms complicated food selection into a bright beacon that guides Chinese people towards health.
After exploring the long history, we have just understood that what we call "pagoda" today is actually an echo and a sublimation of the wisdom of the past that "grain is the source of nourishment".
The foundation of Chinese food civilization is deeply rooted in the vast fertile agricultural soil.
The ancients observed the weather and the geographical location, and formed a dietary structure with grains as the staple food.
"Five grains are for nourishment, five fruits are for help, five animals are for benefit, and five vegetables are for supplement." This discussion comes from the "Huangdi Neijing", which accurately outlines a simple dietary pyramid.
What lives at the base of the tower is the grain that maintains life energy.
From the crop called **wheat** in the north, to the food called **rice** in the south, to the variety and quantity of millet, broomcorn millet, and bean sprouts, our ancestors have understood long ago that the prerequisite for the establishment of the saying "you can never tire of fine food, never tire of fine food" is that the diversity of food ingredients must have its basis.
This is in line with the modern principle of "diversified food, mainly cereals".
It is particularly worth mentioning that the so-called "coarse grains" praised by ancient people, such as millet, sorghum and beans, far exceed fine rice noodles in terms of "nutrition" effect.
After the Tang and Song Dynasties, the economic center of gravity shifted southward, and the Maritime Silk Road became increasingly prosperous. Under this situation, regional dietary characteristics became more and more distinct.
None of these various and diverse cuisine systems does not revolve around the "five-flavor harmony", which is the core of Chinese cooking aesthetics.
On the contrary, in the case of "dietary pagoda", the downward adjustment of the "salt" intake is exactly the kind of modern modification of the traditional "salty" taste.
The ancients said: "Salty things tend to drain blood. Eating too much of it will make people feel thirsty." Excessive eating of salty food will damage the kidneys and the heart. This is the admonition in the "Huangdi Neijing".
"Diseases of wealth" such as high blood pressure, which are highly prevalent among modern people, are exactly the opposite of the health-preserving approach advocated by the sages: "the taste is thin but the soul is thick."
Adjusting the salt intake is precisely the right path to "neutralization", so that the salty taste can properly evoke the original taste of the ingredients, instead of being too dominant and causing damage to the vitality.
After the legend about the invention of tofu by Liu An, King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, this white and tender food was endowed with profound cultural and philosophical connotations.
Soy milk has been a daily drink that has nourished Chinese people for thousands of years.
The ancients said that tofu has the "harmony virtue". It is gentle in nature, can replenish qi, clear away heat and moisturize dryness.
This is exactly in line with the view promoted by modern nutrition that it is regarded as a high-quality protein with a reasonable amino acid composition.
The "Dietary Pagoda" emphasizes the intake requirements of beans and their products. This is precisely the in-depth exploration and promotion of the nutritional value of this traditional food ingredient.
In addition, Chinese food is closely related to the seasons.
This concept of food, which is said to be "in accordance with the seasons," is actually consistent with the modern concept of pursuing food diversity.
The food of each season supplements the body with different nutrients.
In spring, eating spring cakes and chewing radishes is the so-called "biting spring". Choose fresh vegetables that conform to the season. They are rich in vitamins and dietary fiber, which exactly meets the needs of the human body during spring hair growth. This is the wisdom of the ancients in terms of "detoxification".
Ultimately, what the "Dietary Pagoda" advocates is not only the uniformity of food types, but also the need for harmony between food intake and exercise.
This is highly consistent with the concept of "supporting both body and spirit" in traditional health care.
Hua Tuo created the "Wu Qin Xi" and advocated that "the human body wants to work, but it should not use its extreme ears".
If you walk a hundred steps after a meal, you will live to be ninety-nine. The folk proverb also implies this.
From the simple dialectics in the Huangdi Neijing, to the flourishing of local cuisines, to today's scientific "dietary pagoda", Chinese food civilization has been exploring the harmony between man and nature, food, drink and health. In short.
It is not only a daily routine on our dining table, but also a cultural gene flowing in our blood.
Follow the guidance given by this "pagoda" to taste the unique charm of Chinese food, so that you can eat with a healthy body in a world full of fireworks, and then inherit an everlasting civilization.
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