Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, organ health is affected by various foods, colours and flavours and of course seasons. Below is a list of organs along with their function based on Chinese Medicine, as well, flavours and foods that affect the specific organ.  All the flavours are not necessarily eaten in equal proportion. The flavour focus may vary from season to season, as the elemental dominance changes, and according to our individual balance. In North America, sweet and greasy foods are readily available, and these are consumed more plentifully than sour, salty, bitter, or spicy ones.

Over indulgence of one flavor of food over the other will effect organ function- for example, overindulgence of sweet foods will effect the function of spleen energetically, and this is in turn will effect the digestion and distribution of foods in general, causing symptoms such as fatigue or sluggishness or digestive disturbances/indigestion  after eating. Making a meal that provides examples of foods associated with each color, hence affecting various organs.

These colors may act like the flavours in stimulating certain organs and functions. Thus, the red foods, such as meats, cayenne, and tomatoes, may stimulate blood and circulation; green foods, such as many green leafy vegetables such as kale, dandelion, collards, spinach, may help purify us and support metabolism or strengthen the liver. This view actually seems to have a physiological basis in many instances. Click here for more information on changing foods according to the seasons

 Elemental Nutrition

Element	Wood	Fire	Earth	Metal	Water
Organs	Liver Gall Bladder	Heart Small Intestine	Spleen Stomach	Lungs Large Intestines	Kidneys Bladder
Color	Green	Red	Yellow	White	Blue/black
Functions	Purification Metabolism	Circulation Vitalization	Digestion Distribution	Elimination Mental Circulation	Storage Emotional Circulation
Flavor	Sour	Bitter	Sweet	Spicy/ pungent	Salty
Foods	Lemons Other citrus Sauerkraut Pickles Vinegars Buttermilk Yogurt Preserved foods	Lettuce Spinach Chard Other greens Celery Asparagus Eggplant Some nuts Herbs	Grains Potatoes Carrots Beets Squash Peas Corn Yams Sweet potatoes Most fruits Sugar cane Honey Maple syrup Milk	Onions Garlic Radish Mustard Cayenne Chili pepper Horseradish Chives	Seaweed Ocean fish Celery Olives Salted foods Miso Capers Soy sauce Brine foods

By Sushma Shah, Naturopath, at the Nature’s Intentions Naturopathic Clinic, in Toronto.