In the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon), it is stated: “The five grains nourish, the five fruits assist, the five livestock benefit, and the five vegetables provide fullness; they should be consumed according to their flavors to replenish essence and vital energy.”
This statement is particularly relevant today, as there are many who criticize staple foods. Many people casually say to eat less carbohydrates ⚠️. If you don’t eat carbohydrates, what will you eat? Just tomatoes and cucumbers? Don’t forget that both men and women need sufficient muscle mass to maintain health, and the main component of muscle is protein. The raw materials for these proteins come from the poultry, eggs 🥚, meat 🥩, and milk 🥛 that we consume. These are digested in the spleen, stomach, and intestines into amino acids or peptides, which then enter the liver to be synthesized into various proteins needed by our bodies for use.
Our muscles require myofibrillar protein, our bones need collagen, our skin requires collagen, and our hair needs protein. Long-term avoidance of staple foods and a solely vegetarian diet may lead to protein deficiency and nutritional imbalances.
The so-called staple foods are primarily seeds, and these seeds must have the ability to reproduce. Additionally, these seeds come from annual herbaceous plants, not perennial ones. Nuts and chestnuts from trees are not considered staple foods because they are from woody plants.
If we further categorize, the staple foods we refer to are a type of fire grain from the Daoist concept of the five grains. Why are they called fire grains?
Currently, the seeds we consume grow at the top of the plants. Where does wheat grow? It grows at the top; where does rice grow? It also grows at the top; sorghum grows at the top as well. Are there any that grow at the waist? Yes, corn does. To be precise, corn does not belong to the fire grains we refer to; it belongs to the earth grains.
For example, peanuts grow flowers above ground, and their seeds grow underground, hence they are called “groundnuts” and do not belong to fire grains. Beans belong to earth grains because they do not grow at the top but at the waist.
The five grains we consume include wheat, rice, millet (sorghum), and sticky yellow rice, as well as sorghum.
Do sweet potatoes and potatoes count as staple foods? No, they are considered vegetables. Why are they vegetables? Because they are tubers of the plant. Do carrots and radishes belong to the five grains? No, but the seeds they produce belong to the five grains.
We must learn to combine our foods reasonably, including staple foods, vegetables, and meats in our daily diet. Our bodies need to intake a variety of nutrients. In conclusion, true health preservation is not about following trends to eat vegetarian, but about listening to the body’s needs.
