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The Five Elements in Food

 

A Dharma Talk by the Venerable Master Hua

Sour corresponds to wood, bitter to fire, pungent to metal, salty to water, and sweet to earth. Let’s talk about food. I’m sure many people will like to hear this, because all people have to eat. “Food and lust are in our nature.” We like to eat, and we like to look at pretty colors. These are habits that we are born with. You can see that when a baby is born, the first thing it wants is to drink milk. If it isn’t given milk to drink, it will cry. If it’s allowed to nurse, it stops crying. When the baby gets hungry, it also cries. When it’s full, it doesn’t cry anymore. These are all inborn habits. However, when we eat, we must understand what kinds of food we should eat.

There is a secret method that isn’t usually transmitted, but now I’ll transmit it to you. Originally I didn’t want to speak about it, because Westerners don’t understand this principle. Not only do Westerners not understand, even Easterners who understand this principle are very few. What is it? Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, and salty—these are the five flavors. These five flavors correspond to the five elements—sour corresponds to wood, bitter to fire, pungent to metal, salty to water, and sweet to earth.

In the springtime we shouldn’t eat too much sour food. Why is this? Spring is when wood flourishes. Wood is most flourishing then, and if you add food of a sour nature, it becomes even more flourishing. “Isn’t it good to be more flourishing?” you might ask. Too much is the same as too little. Going too far is the same as not going far enough. Therefore, we need to make up the deficiencies in our body. Wood flourishes in the spring. Wood is in command then, because spring is when all the myriad things are coming forth. Sourness is correlated with wood, and so in spring we should not eat too many sour things. Is it okay to eat a little bit? As long as you don’t eat a lot, it won’t be too much. Sourness is associated with the liver. If you eat too many sour things in the springtime, it will hurt your liver. When the liver is injured, you won’t be able to see things clearly.

Summer corresponds to the flourishing of fire. It’s very hot in summertime, so fire flourishes. Someone says, “You say summer is hot, but when you go to Australia, the summer month of June is the coolest time of the year.” That’s because of the climate there. It’s not the ordinary case. In summer, we should not eat too many bitter things. We can eat a little bit, but not a lot. Why is bitterness said to be associated with fire? No matter what kind of food it is, if you burn it with fire and then eat it, it tastes bitter. Bitterness is associated with the heart.

Autumn is associated with metal. At this time we should not eat too many pungent (hot, spicy) things. If we eat too many pungent things in autumn, this will hurt the lungs. Winter is associated with water. We should not eat too many salty things in wintertime. If we eat too much salty food, it will harm the kidneys.
If you know the principles of regulating and balancing the five flavors, you will find that this is the best method for staying healthy. It’s better and more effective than eating any amount of vitamins. No matter what kind of food it is, you shouldn’t eat too much of it. If you eat too much, not only will it not be beneficial, it will actually be harmful.

When should sweet things be eaten? Foods that are sweet can be eaten at any time. That’s because sweetness corresponds to earth, and earth flourishes during all four seasons. The four seasons are spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and we can eat sweet things during any of them. Sweet things do not have any major harmful effects on people, but if one eats too much of them, they are not of any benefit either.

What kinds of food are associated with earth? Such foods as rice and bread belong to earth. They have a sweet flavor to them. Therefore, some people eat bread, and others eat rice. People all need this kind of food.

 

This is the speaking of the Food Sutra. There isn’t any place you can go to hear the Food Sutra, because the Buddha never spoke this Sutra. The Buddha told us to not eat after noon, and to eat one meal in the middle of the day. There has to be an orderly progression. Therefore, we should all be aware of this kind of principle. As long as you don’t eat too much of any food, you will seldom get sick. If you seldom get sick, your body will be healthy. Having a healthy body is a blessing in life.