The research contents of dietary nutrition in traditional Chinese medicine mainly include basic theory and clinical application. According to the relevant literature records of past dynasties and the analysis of clinical actual situation, it basically includes four aspects: diet preservation, diet therapy, diet control and diet taboo. The first two refer to the application scope of diet in real life and clinic. The latter two refer to the ways and means of diet application in life and clinic. They are closely related and cannot be separated or isolated. Therefore, there is a view that the use of medicated diet plus drugs, such as stewed chicken with astragalus, is "Chinese medicine dietary nutrition." Actually, this view is not comprehensive. Diet health, commonly known as "food supplement" and "food supplement", refers to the activities of nourishing the body, maintaining health or promoting health by using diet. Su Wen Zheng Wuchang Da Lun said that "all grains and fruits and vegetables are available", which is the concept of food support recorded earlier.

The function of diet is not only to maintain the normal life activities of the human body, but also to nourish it. The so-called "strengthening the body without disease" is different from the viewpoint of modern nutrition. According to the statistics of related literatures of traditional Chinese medicine in past dynasties, there are more than 20 kinds of foods commonly used for nourishing ears, improving eyesight, blackening hair, growing hair, strengthening body, improving intelligence, calming nerves, beautifying skin, slimming, strengthening tendons, strengthening yang, seeds (helping pregnancy) and prolonging life. These functions are of great significance for improving human health quality and preventive health care, and are an integral part of dietary nutrition.