Brian Kwon Acupuncture According to the five elements East Asian Medicine theory, we can generally classify taste into five types: sour, acrid/bitter, sweet, spicy, and salty.
Each taste can benefit different parts of the body. In addition, different body constitutions can benefit more from certain food types.
This first part of the taste series will explain, with simple terms, how sour tastes can benefit different body types and a sample list of food for each taste:
Sour tastes usually enhance the function of the liver and gallbladder (in East Asian Medicine terminology). The liver and gallbladder (in East Asian Medicine) are associated with muscles and joint tendons. Also, the gallbladder is often related to migraines. Thus, if an individual has a low-level sour diet, they could potentially have the following symptoms (not exhaustive):
• Migraines
• Neuralgia
• Knee joint pain
• Muscle cramp
• Hip pain
• Other joint issues
A slightly higher level of sour taste consumption would also benefit those individuals who would use lots of energy on a daily basis (e.g. speaks a lot, resulting in consuming a lot of energy). However, high-level sour food consumption isn’t recommended for those with obese body types since sour-tasting foods tend to hold fluid, and it tends to have an astringent function.
Examples of food:
• Barley (e.g. sour dough)
• Wheat
• Oranges
• Strawberries
• Sour apples
• Cherries
• Peanuts
• Walnuts
• Vinegar
• Sesame oil
Please note that this is general guidance. If you would like to learn more details on this, Brian Kwon is available for further consultation at The North Creek Clinic.
