"Five elements" refer to gold, wood, water, fire and earth. Traditional Chinese medicine often combines all parts of human body with nature, and pays attention to the relationship between five elements and five senses, five flavors, five colors and five seasons (spring and summer, long summer, autumn and winter). Only when the five elements of the body are harmonious can it be healthy, so it is feasible in theory to keep in good health with the five elements. However, in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the basic law of the five elements is very complicated, and it is definitely not just "black belongs to water, so people with kidney deficiency should eat more black food and wear more black clothes".
Winter: The five elements belong to water in winter, and the kidney in the five internal organs belongs to water. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to tonifying the kidney in winter health, which will have a multiplier effect. Black belongs to the kidney, and eating more black food is good for tonifying the kidney, such as black fungus, black sesame seeds and black beans. But the weather is cold in winter, and black fungus and black sesame are cold foods. So people who are afraid of cold due to yang deficiency should also eat mutton and dog meat. Black clothes can absorb more ultraviolet rays from the sun and keep warm. So it is more appropriate to wear black clothes in winter. However, due to the dark color of black, it is easy to make people calm, and winter is the season of frequent depression. Therefore, people with depressive tendencies had better not wear black clothes in winter.
Spring: the five elements in spring belong to wood, and the liver in the five internal organs of the human body belongs to wood. Therefore, the liver should be paid attention to in spring health preservation. Green belongs to the liver. You can eat more green fruits and vegetables such as cucumber and spinach in spring. Among the five flavors, sour taste enters the liver, so people in liver blood deficiency can eat some sour food in moderation in spring, such as putting some vinegar in the cold dishes. Excessive liver qi is manifested as bad temper, so people who are often angry should eat less sour.
Summer: The five elements belong to fire in summer, and the fire of the five internal organs of the human body is the heart. Red belongs to the heart, but you can't blindly supplement red food in summer, but you should decide according to your physical condition. If the heart is weak, it will have a good effect on people who are not at ease to eat red dates and longan; But if you are angry inside, it is not only bad for people with sores on their mouths to eat red dates, but it will also aggravate their condition. Among the five flavors, bitterness enters the heart, so people with strong spirits can eat more bitter foods, such as bitter gourd and kudingcha, to clear their hearts.
Long summer: Chinese medicine theory divides a year into five seasons, that is, late summer and early autumn are divided into a "long summer" season. The five elements belong to the soil in the long summer season, and the spleen belongs to the soil in the five internal organs of the human body. Yellow food will be more conducive to strengthening the spleen, so you can eat more sweet potatoes and corn in the long summer to strengthen the spleen and promote diuresis. Among the five flavors, it is sweet to the spleen. However, eating too much sweets will also lead to wet phlegm, and the climate will be hot and humid in the long summer. Therefore, you can't eat more sweets mechanically according to the five elements.
Autumn: the five elements belong to gold in autumn, and the lungs in the five internal organs belong to gold. White among the five colors belongs to gold, so you can eat more white radish, tremella, Chinese cabbage, winter bamboo shoots, lilies and so on. Their temperament is flat and moist, which can strengthen the lungs and clear the throat, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, strengthen metabolism and make the skin full of elasticity and luster. Among the five flavors, pungent flavor enters the lungs, but the climate in autumn is dry, so you can't mechanically belong to the five elements, and eat more spicy food.
In short, the theory of traditional Chinese medicine regards the five elements as an important tool to guide disease prevention and treatment, which has strong professionalism. If you need to recuperate, you need to ask a professional Chinese medicine doctor to feel your pulse, and don't blindly follow the theory of heat transmission.