In the process of struggling with nature, primitive humans gradually discovered that some animals and plants could satisfy hunger and cure diseases, and accumulated a lot of valuable experience. With the progress of society, people realize and begin to use fire. "Han Liwen's family" records: "Sui people drill wood to get fire, and they are familiar with guns, so that people have no abdominal diseases and are different from animals." It can be seen that the discovery of fire is a progress of human diet nutrition and health care, which has far-reaching significance.

With the appearance and use of pottery, food processing is not limited to "burning meat" and "burning grain on stone". Cooking methods are increasingly diversified, and food tastes more delicious. During this period, wine also appeared. It was recorded in Lv's Spring and Autumn Annals that "Yi Di made wine", but at first it was limited to the wine naturally fermented by grain crops and fruits, and later there were edible wine and medicinal liquor with compound ingredients.

Yi Yin, the minister of Shang Dynasty, reformed cooking utensils, invented soup and other foods, and created a diet method of cooking soup and drinking soup without slag. In the Zhou Dynasty in the 5th century BC, there appeared a "food doctor" who was responsible for diet, nutrition and health care. Since then, spices and foods such as vinegar, sauce, sugar and tofu have also appeared one after another.