The way we classify today?s foods as: herbs, vegetables, fruits, and even weeds is a recent invention. In the 17th century cabbage and carrots were herbs. The same status as marigolds and marjoram were. Alkaloids and saponins are not only found in herbs, fruits and vegetables cal also be therapeutic or even damaging.
Foods used to be categorized by temperature or taste, and these foods were used to maintain the body?s balance. Hippocrates already stated that fresh foods were more healthy in comparison to the frozen foods of the Tibetan culture.
Galen labeled foods as hot or cold, dry or damp. Meat tended to be heating and fish was damp. Food always was considered to have an effect on the four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. For instance, if you ate too many of the phlegm foods, then you would stimulate mucous. The housewife of Galen?s century would automatically choose foods that would be balancing to the body.
Here are some examples of food categorizations:
Hot: Onions, mustard seeds, almonds
Dry: Asparagus, millet, coriander, honey
Damp: Grapes, radishes, oatmeal, barley
Cold Lettuce, chicory
In Ayurvedic medicine, classical Indian meaning the science of life, taste is also categorized. These are believed to either increase or decrease the three humors: water or phlegm, fire or bile, and air or wind. If foods are not properly balanced, then illness would follow. The correct balance was also considered to have an effect on healthy growth and also on healthy body maintenance.
Sweet: Sweet taste foods increase body decretions. These reduce body toxins. Sweet tastes should be avoided if you have colds or flus.
Sweet potato, rice, cashews
Sour: These tastes were used to stimulate digestion. Lemon, spinach, cranberries
Salty: Salty tastes were used as expectorants. Mineral salts, seaweed
Pungent: Used for chills, lethargy and depression. Horseradish, basil, cloves
Bitter: These tastes stimulate digestion to absorb phlegm. This taste was used to reduce toxins. Belgian endive, turmeric, artichoke
Astringent: Used for diarrhea and heavy menstruation. Sage, bilberries
Yin and Yang
The Chinese categorize foods to the five temperatures: Hot, Warm, Neutral, Cool, Cold. The balance of hot and cold foods is still prevalent in the orient today. Food is neither good nor bad; rather it is chosen how it affects you. The reason that many diets of today run the risk of illness is because whole food groups are left out of daily meals.
Foods are assigned to different tastes, for example salt is associated with the kidneys. Dates are associated with the stomach. Bitter is associated with the heart and pungent is associated with the lungs and skin.
