Skip to main content
Skip to main content

Hot on HuffPost Food:

See More Stories
Tell us what you think for a chance at $1000!


The five seasons of Chinese eating

image of a variety of chinese objects
In China, they have an extra season.

Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Fall, and Winter make up the five seasons of the Chinese calendar; corresponding with the five Chinese elements and a number of their healing philosophies.

According to my knowledgeable friend Lora:
"Each season is connected to a set of organs in the body. Corresponding foods that are fresh in each season are meant to cleanse, detoxify, and heal those organs. When we eat the same diet year-round without paying attention to seasonal foods, we ignore our bodies' needs to support and properly heal organs, which leads to lots of health issues (obesity, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, etc.)."

So. Here's what you should eat right now:


According to Karen Olsen of Utne Magazine:
"Autumn, the season of the large intestine and the lungs, is the time for concentrating on elimination and cold prevention, as well as building up for winter with proteins, grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Winter's emphasis on the kidney and bladder requires attention to reproductive processes and the warming nutrition of fish, cooked foods, and beans."

Now you know. Eat some roughage and fiber-rich foods already! Click here for more information on the other seasons.

Filed Under: Health & Medical
Tags: asia, China, chinese, cleansing, clease, detoxifying, diet, diets, elements, fall, five seasons, FiveSeasons, winter

Sponsored Links

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dr. Charles Martin

10-21-2008 @7:13PM Dr. Charles Martin said... Interesting approach to prevention of diabetes and other chronic diseases. We follow diabetes diet issues closely because of the two-way relationship between elevated blood sugar and gum disease. We blog about it extensively at http://dentistryfordiabetics.com/blog.

Charles Martin, DDS
Founder, Dentistry For Diabetics

Reply

shellyuan

10-24-2008 @9:11AM shellyuan said... The Chinese will change their receipt every season to correspondence with the climate. It is said that, you should eat more ginger in summer and carrot in winter to be healthier. Of course, this is all from experience, as part of Chinese cuisine culture.
Reply

shellyuan

10-24-2008 @9:19AM shellyuan said... The Chinese will change their receipt every season to correspondence with the climate. It is said that, you should eat more ginger in summer and carrot in winter to be healthier. Of course, this is all from experience, as part of Chinese cuisine culture. To learn more about Chinese culture, check http://www.hellomandarin.com/ilovechinese/culture
Reply

3 Comments / 1 Pages

Most Popular Stories

  • FDA Still Struggling to Define

    FDA Still Struggling to Define "Gluten-Free"Read More

  • This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg Itself

    This Omelet Recipe Is Written On the Egg ItselfRead More

  • Why Jewish Food Disappoints

    Why Jewish Food DisappointsRead More

Latest Flickr Feed


Sponsored Links