Many people are aware that consuming a variety of nutritious and healthy foods is important for maintaining a good health and preventing any illness.  However, you may not realize that all sorts of so-called healthy foods out there may not necessarily be appropriate for you.  In Oriental Medicine, different properties and nature of the foods can affect your body either positively or negatively depending on the types and conditions of your body.  That is why it is crucial to choose your foods wisely and selectively, compatible to your own body.  By now, you will be wondering what kinds of foods will be right for your body type or your body’s problems.  I’ll have another post on finding your body type according to Oriental Medicine in the future.  But for now, a rule of thumb is to include five different colors in your diet such as green, red, yellow, white, and black.  Consuming various kinds of foods in these specific colors can beneficially promote the health of your organs according to the old tradition.  This is explained by the Five Element theory in Oriental Medicine.

The Five Element theory has been used as a means of diagnosis and treatment for thousands of years in Oriental Medicine.  It comes from a belief that all phenomena in the universe correspond to five elements in nature and are also related to human life.  The Five Elements include wood, fire, earth, metal, and water .  They are used in accounting for the relationship between the physiology and pathology of the human body and the natural world.  It is thought that the internal organs, body parts, and tissues have similar properties to the Five Elements and they interact physiologically and pathologically as the Five Elements do.  Each of the Five Element has corresponding organs and colors.  Liver and Gall bladder belong to Wood and their associated color is green.  Heart and Small intestine belong to Fire and their associated color is red.  Stomach and Spleen belong to Earth and their associated color is yellow.  Lung and Large intestine belong to Metal and their associated color is white.  Kidney and Urinary bladder belong to Water and their associated color is black.

You can nourish your different organs to improve the balance of your body by including five different colored foods in your diet.  The following is a list of different foods belonging to each element.  So make your meals colorful and you will be off to a good start for better health.