It is mentioned in the Dietary Guide for China Residents that eating vegetables, fruits and potatoes regularly is beneficial to the health of human organs. Generally speaking, the nutritional value of dark vegetables and fruits is higher than that of light vegetables and fruits, and dark vegetables refer to dark green, red, purple, orange and so on. Moreover, in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the colors corresponding to the five elements are blue, red, yellow, white and black, and the corresponding viscera are: white and lung, red and heart, green and liver, yellow and spleen, black and kidney. So what are the benefits of these colors of food to body organs?

White food-moistening lung

White belongs to gold in the five elements, enters the lung meridian, and focuses on benefiting qi and promoting qi. White food can make people get starch, protein, multivitamins and more than ten kinds of nutrients, and it is the safest and best calcium source.

White food is a relatively safe nutritious food because its fat content is much lower. Especially for patients with hypertension, heart disease, hyperlipidemia and fatty liver, eating white food will be more beneficial to their health.

Typical representatives of white food are: rice, white flour and dairy products. The special white food is garlic. Common foods in life, such as almonds, water bamboo, wax gourd and white radish, are also white foods.

Red food-nourishing the heart

Red belongs to fire in the five elements and enters the heart meridian. Red food is an important source of high-quality protein, sugar, dietary fiber and various inorganic salts.

Red food generally has strong antioxidant capacity. They are rich in lycopene, tannic acid and so on. It can protect cells, diminish inflammation and purge fire, and clear away heat and toxic materials. In addition, most red foods are rich in iron, which can replenish blood.

Such as red beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, medlar, bayberry and hawthorn are all common red foods.

Yellow food-invigorating spleen

Yellow belongs to the earth in the five elements and enters the spleen meridian. Yellow food contains a lot of plant protein and unsaturated fatty acids, which is a good food with high protein and low fat. It is most suitable for people with hypertension and hyperlipidemia.

In addition, vitamin E contained in yellow food can reduce skin spots, delay aging, be of great benefit to spleen, pancreas and other organs, and regulate gastrointestinal digestive function.

Common yellow foods are corn, soybeans, pumpkins, oranges and carrots.

Black food-tonifying kidney

Black food refers to the black or purple and dark brown of various natural plants or animals. Among the five elements, black is the main water and enters the kidney meridian. Eating some black food often can tonify the kidney.

Black food is rich in protein, amino acids and trace elements such as iron, calcium, manganese and zinc. It has the effects of appetizing, benefiting middle energizer, astringing essence, replenishing essence, invigorating spleen, warming liver, relaxing muscles and tendons and promoting blood circulation, and is very suitable for people with kidney deficiency.

Eggplant, kelp, mushrooms, black sesame, black fungus and black rice are black foods that people often eat in their daily lives.

Blue food-protecting liver

Green food always plays the role of "scavenger" and "patron saint" of life and health. Green food is rich in vitamin C, carotene and multivitamins. Moreover, green vegetables can maintain the acid-base balance of human body, keep the digestive tract unobstructed and the normal intestinal flora multiply, which has a very comprehensive promotion effect on health.

Green vegetables are rich in vitamin A, vitamin B 1, vitamin C, inorganic salts, nicotinic acid, carotene and so on. It has the functions of detoxicating, clearing away heat and cooling blood, softening blood vessels and cleaning up garbage in the body. In addition, green vegetables are rich in folic acid, which has been proved to be one of the most important vitamins in human metabolism.

The five elements of liver belong to wood, which matches cyan. The cleaning effect of cyan food on the body is very beneficial to the liver.