5 Element Nutrition
In Chinese medicine, the distinction between food and medicine is vague at best. There is a deep understanding that we are what we eat and that food can be healing, transforming both the form and function of our bodies from the inside out. In Chinese medicine, there are four different characteristics to look at when it comes to food: quality, quantity, habit, and nature. The nature of foods includes medicinal properties that are determined by things like energetic temperature, flavor, and direction of action. Most of us are familiar with the idea that the quality and quantity of what we eat is important, and that our eating habits can affect our digestion. However, many of us never think about the nature of the types of foods that we eat and how that determines their medicinal properties. Ultimately, it is understood that no one diet right for every person and every condition and that the more specific and individualized we can be about what we eat, the better.

Quality: Nourish Your Body
Quantity: Stoke Your Fire

Habit: Rhythms and Focus
Nature: Properties and Characteristics
- bitter: cooling, draining, reducing, drying, contracts and moves energy down. These foods are cooling and draining so they can help the body eliminate the heat of toxicity, fever, and infection via the bowels. They are also draining so they can assist the body in processing out excesses of yeast, parasites, and mucus. Examples of bitter foods include leafy greens like lettuces, kale, and collard greens.
- sweet: warming, building, strengthening, harmonizing, moistening, moves energy up and out. These foods are building and strengthening so they are most appropriate for conditions such as fatigue and exhaustion. They are also harmonizing so they are considered to be soothing and relaxing for anxiety and stress. Examples of sweet foods include barley, squash, and sweet potatoes.
- pungent: warming, expansive, moving, stimulates circulation, moves energy up and out. These foods are good for treating the common cold because they get mucus secretions moving and push pathogens out to help break fevers. Because they are thinning and improve circulation, they are also good for conditions like high cholesterol and plaque. Examples of pungent foods include cayenne pepper, ginger, and mustard.
- salty: cooling, purging, softening, moistening, moves energy down and in. These foods are good at moistening and moving things down so they are beneficial for certain types of constipation. Because they are softening they are also good for reducing nodules and swollen glands. Examples of salty foods include seaweeds like kelp.
- sour: cooling, drying, astringent, contracts energy. These foods are contracting and drying so they can be helpful in cases of excessive perspiration and hemorrhage. Because they are astringent they also help tighten tissues for conditions like hemorrhoids and varicose veins. Examples of sour foods include lemon, cranberries, and sauerkraut.