Reading Corner - History of Food

HISTORY OF FOOD

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Food is heavenly provision given to us by God and is a daily reminder that He meets our needs. It is an essential part of life and is a necessity for human existence. Before the modern scientific analysis of nutrition and the important components found within food, human beings ate and enjoyed natural foods. As long as humans have existed, food has supported our bodies. Fresh, natural, good-tasting food is just as in demand today, as it was thousands of years ago. 

HISTORY OF FOOD AROUND THE WORLD

For centuries, people of all countries and all races have been trying to improve the quantity and quality of foods. It is a common goal that mankind works towards because food is so important for existence and survival. As soon as the first civilizations decided to stay in one place and grow their own food, as opposed to roaming around, they sought ways of improving the standards and increasing the production of food.

In the earliest part of human history, a cooking place, sometimes called a “hearth”, was created. Cooking meant dropping food directly onto hot live coals or “embers” and eventually grills of stones to cook on were invented. Spit-roasting, by putting small pieces of food on sticks and holding them over the fire, and stewing, by wrapping food in leaves and cooking them in hot ashes, were commonly practiced.

Middle Easterners domesticated and bred animals for food, such as deer, antelope and sheep. Ancient Egyptians mastered milling by using stone rollers to crush and grind grain into meal, creating flour. Middle Eastern farmers cultivated soil with sticks. Stone sickles were used to harvest grain. Indigenous people throughout the world developed techniques for drying and smoking food.

By 2500 BC, the Chinese, Romans and Greeks domesticated pigs and dairy farming became a major enterprise in the Middle East. The Sumerians learned to make butter by churning milk, and the Egyptians mastered viticulture and the art of wine making. The Egyptians invented irrigation by redirecting water from the Nile River onto their fields while, across the world, the Incas selected and grew potatoes on a large scale. The Egyptians domesticated geese and force-fed them to make them bigger and better tasting

By 2,000 BC, both the Egyptians and Sumerians had learned about fermentation, baking, brewing and making cheese. Humans have eaten naturally fermented foods since the Neolithic Age, but did not understand the process until 38 centuries later. By this time, the selection and breeding of goats, cattle, oxen, horses, geese, chickens and ducks had rapidly replaced hunting.

About 500 BC, Mediterranean people developed marinating when fish guts were soaked in salty solution and left in the sun until fermentation took place. This produced a strong smelling liquid. At about the same time, the Europeans mastered the preservative technique of salting, which led to the development of curing and pickling. Salt thus became a major commodity in international trade. By 300 BC, the Greeks had developed grafting techniques, which led to the creation of orchards and groves.

NATURALISTIC ERA (400 BC - 1750 AD)

The years between 400 BC to 1750 AD were known as the Naturalistic Era. This was the period in which foods were often used as cosmetics, as medicines for the treatment of wounds, or as magical substances. For example, fats or starchy pastes were rubbed over the face as cosmetics. Fats were also rubbed on balding heads to promote hair growth or used to treat rashes and pustules. Needless to say, most of these attempts at treating diseases were unsuccessful.

            Around this era, there was little recognition of the direct correlation between diet and disease. There have been found, however, isolated references to food and health in Chinese, Indian and Biblical writings, such as the treatment of eye diseases by squeezing the juice of liver into the eyes. It was not known at the time that certain eye diseases were due to a vitamin A deficiency. Since the juice of liver had large amounts of vitamin A, enough would get into the eyes to cure the disease.

Around 1000 AD, European farmers began using oxen to pull plows, which allowed more land to be tilled more efficiently. In 1276 AD, the first whiskey distillery was established in Ireland. Modern candy was created in Europe during 1400 AD, when cooks dipped fruits and berries into melted sugar. In 1500 AD, acidic cooking techniques led to the development of foods such as sauerkraut and yogurt. These foods were first fermented and then spiced and salted.

During the early 1600s, Sanctorius of Italy weighed himself before and after a meal. His body weight gained the weight of the food eaten. But when he remained on the scale after eating he lost some weight. He concluded that this weight loss was due to insensible perspiration, and he was partially right. The decrease in body weight Sanctorius observed was due to water loss, and as we now know, the loss of carbon dioxide.

Scurvy

During the 16th Century, there were many sea explorations in progress, and sailors who went on long voyages for a year or two would develop a painful and lethal bleeding disease. This led to the growing concern that there might be a direct relationship between food intake and disease. During this time, sailors carried dry, non-perishable foods such as grains, beans, meats and dried fruits for their long voyages. These foods stored well but contained no vitamin C. They could not carry fresh fruits and vegetables because coolers and freezers were not invented, and these foods would rot.

Since meats, grains and beans didn’t have vitamin C, and the drying of fruits destroyed nutrients, especially vitamin C, a condition known as "scurvy" developed. The sailors bled all over the body, developed small hemorrhages and sore joints, and eventually underwent a painful, feverish death. This disease killed half the crew or more on long voyages. By 1500, some stories relating types of food to the occurrence of scurvy began to circulate, but communication was poor and information traveled slowly.

In 1535, when Jacques Cartier of France explored the Northeast parts of North America and the St. Lawrence Seaway, his sailors developed scurvy. The Native Americans in the area recommended to Cartier that tea made from evergreen foliage could cure scurvy. Cartier tried it, and it worked. Some thought the foliage was from the Juniper plant, but according to one story, it came from the Northern White Cedar, which was also called the Arbor Vitae or “tree of life”.

In 1747, James Lind, a physician in the British Navy, performed the first scientific experiment in nutrition. Sailors were given seawater, oil of vitriol (sulfuric acid), vinegar, and limes. Those given limes either did not develop scurvy or recovered from it. Further experiments showed that either lemon or lime juice was the effective component.

We now know that scurvy can be prevented by dietary intake of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. Citrus fruits, such as lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits are rich in vitamin C. Cartier and Lind didn't know these facts because vitamin C wasn't discovered until early 1900. But due to their discovery, Admiral Cook of the British navy ordered all sailors to eat limes each day while on sea voyages, and the incidence of scurvy dropped dramatically. Because of this, British sailors became known as “limies”.

CHEMICAL-ANALYTICAL ERA (1750-1900)

The years between 1750 to 1900 were known as the Chemical-Analytical Era, and the knowledge of food and nutritional science advanced in leaps and bounds. While America was winning her independence, the steam-driven mill was invented in London in 1776 AD, making flour milling the first modern food industry. In 1795, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "The greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture, especially a bread grain."

The modern distillery was created in 1830 AD, which dramatically advanced the production of brandies. During 1845-1846 AD, a fungal disease afflicting potatoes ravaged Ireland's potato crop. More than a million Irish people died in the infamous potato famine. In 1850, horse-drawn reaping machines allowed for large-scale farming across America's great plains. Horses were eventually replaced by steam-powered devices, which in turn were replaced by tractors. That same year, soft drinks were invented in the United States. Mixing fruit juice with other ingredients such as sugar, carbonated water and citric acid created the first soft drinks. Also, the Perkins steam-heated oven was unveiled in London. This finally allowed bakers to control temperature, which revolutionized baking.

In 1861, Louis Pasteur developed the technique of pasteurization, named after him. Pasteur was interested in the process of fermentation. He believed that yeast was not just a chemical that changed sugar to alcohol, but a microorganism that made the change during its biological activities. He also looked into the fact of why wine sours. He concluded that it was due to an undesirable bacteria that was in the wine. He extended his studies to find that he could rid the wine of the dangerous microorganism by simply heating the starting sugar solutions to a high temperature. He then removed the air and sealed it in a container.  He did the same with milk to prevent it from souring.

In 1862, the Organic Act established the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)  and directed its commissioner "to collect new and valuable seeds and plants and to distribute them among agriculturists." In 1870, the Navel orange was introduced into the United States from Brazil. In 1879, William James Beal of Michigan made the first clinically controlled crosses of corn in search of colossal yields.

Calorimeter

In late 1700, a most notable event occurred in France. Antoine Lavoisier (1770-1796), the “Father of Nutrition” and “Father of Chemistry” discovered the nature by which food was metabolized. He used guinea pigs to do this. His work involved respiration, oxidation, and calorimetry. He was able to show that in the animal body:

Food  +  Oxygen  -->  Carbon Dioxide  +  Water  +  Heat

Discovery of this reaction was of utmost importance because at the time, no one knew where animal heat came from.

Lavoisier developed a method for measuring the heat given off by animals. He used a box containing ice, placed an animal in it and measured the rate at which the ice melted. He measured the rate because thermometers didn't exist at that time. The name of the device for measuring heat energy is called a "calorimeter", which is a device for measuring calories or heat. Unfortunately, Lavoisier, being one of the aristocracy, was guillotined in 1796 during the French Revolution.

Mendel Genetics

In 1865, Augustinian Monk and the father of modern genetics, Gregor Mendel, presented his laws of heredity to the Natural Science Society in Brunn, Austria. But the scientific world, enthusiastic over Darwin's new theory of evolution, paid little attention to Mendel's discovery. It wasn’t until the early 1900s, that the science of genetics was born when Mendel's work was rediscovered by three scientists, Hugo DeVries, Erich Von Tschermak and Carl Correns, as they each checked scientific literature for precedents to their own "original" work.

The Missing Nutrient

In 1840, Justus Liebig of Germany, a pioneer in early plant growth studies, was the first to point out that the nutritional value of food was related to its nitrogen content. In the mid 1800s the chemical constitutions of carbohydrates (sugars), fats (fatty acids) and proteins (amino acids) were discovered. The question raised was, "If an animal is given a mixture of purified carbohydrates, fats, proteins, mineral ash and water, could its life be supported?" One key group of nutrients was missing from this mixture - vitamins.

Knowledge of nutrition was very incomplete in the 19th Century and vitamins were still unknown. In 1871, Dumas, an MD in France during the Siege of Paris, was in charge of a baby hospital. The infants were starving because the Germans had surrounded Paris and would not allow any food into the city. To save the babies, Dumas tried to make

a synthetic milk from carbohydrates, fats, protein and some minerals based on his knowledge of nutrition at that time. It still remains unknown exactly what ingredients he used, but he tested the hypothesis that a synthetic milk could be formulated with what he believed were complete essential nutrients. The infants died. Dumas concluded that something was missing from his synthetic formula that was found in real milk.

In 1881, Lunin of Germany similarly fed mice a synthetic milk made of casein (milk protein), lactose (milk sugar), fats, and minerals. The mice in Lunin's experiments also died while those fed real milk lived. Between that period and 1906, twelve more experiments were carried out with similar results. With the techniques at hand, all these observations led to the sound conclusion that small amounts of "natural foods" always eliminated the problem. But what was missing?

Natural milk contains essential substances other than proteins, sugars, fats and minerals that Dumas and Lunin were unaware of at that time. We now know that the groups of nutrients missing in Dumas' and Lunin's experiments were minute amounts of vitamins. They were first discovered around 1913.

Beriberi

In 1897, Christian Eijkman of the Netherlands, worked with natives in Java and noted that they were susceptible to a paralytic disease called beriberi. At the time, it was thought to be caused by either a poison or infection. However, chickens fed the native diet of white rice that had been polished or refined to remove the brown outer bran also developed symptoms of beriberi. He noted that brown rice prevented beriberi in the chickens. Eijkman then fed brown rice to his patients, and their beriberi was cured. He discovered and concluded that food could cure diseases and its correlate-cause diseases.

Nutritionists later learned that the brown rice bran contained the water-soluble vitamin called thiamin or vitamin B1. When rice was polished through removal of the bran, all of the thiamin was also removed. Incidentally, the economic reason for polishing rice was to increase its storage capability because removal of the bran eliminated most of the rice fat, which easily became rancid. With better communication available, word spread rapidly around the world that foods were able to cause or prevent diseases.

BIOLOGICAL ERA (1900-present)

Advances in chemistry and biochemistry and studies of metabolic pathways took place during the Biological Era of 1900 to the present day. In 1906, the Pure Foods Act and Meat Inspection Act began the modern era of American food and consumer protection. In that same year, modern freeze-drying techniques were mastered in France.

In 1912, E. V. McCollum, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin, developed an approach, which opened the way to the discovery of all nutrients. McCollum decided to work with rats rather than large farm animals like cows and sheep. Thus the rat became an experimental animal because 1) rats were easier to maintain, 2) rats were inexpensive to feed and work with, and 3) quick results could be obtained. Using this procedure, McCollum discovered the first fat soluble vitamin, which was vitamin A. Rats fed butter were healthier than those fed lard because butter contained more vitamin A. In 1912 Dr. Casmir Funk was the first to coin the term "vitamins" as the vital amines or “vitamines”.

Then in 1913, home refrigerators were invented in the United States. The first food guide, "Food Guide for Young Children", was developed by the USDA in 1916. In 1920, Charles Birdseye of America invented the process of deep-freezing foods. In 1937, the Swiss invented instant coffee, which later led to the development of powdered food products. In 1938, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was enacted to update and expand the 1906 Pure Foods Act.

Microwave technology was discovered in 1940, which led to the invention of microwave ovens. Microwaves cooked food by making food molecules vibrate, thus creating friction and heat.  In 1940, American Oswald Avery precipitated a pure sample of what he called the "transforming factor”, and for the first time, pure DNA was isolated. In 1941, the Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences published the first edition of “Recommended Dietary Allowances”.

In 1943, the Rockefeller Foundation, in collaboration with the Mexican government, initiated the Mexican Agricultural Program. This was the first program to use plant breeding as foreign aid. In 1953, James Watson's and Francis Crick's manuscript describing the double helical structure of DNA was published. This was the discovery for which they would later share a Nobel Prize in 1962.

CELLULAR/MOLECULAR ERA (1955 to present)

Coincidental with the Biological Era was the Cellular or Molecular Era, which began in 1955 and continues to the present. During this period, functions of the essential nutrients were elaborated on. For example, the role of micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals as part of enzymes and hormones and their subsequent roles in metabolic pathways were discovered. Also, the role of carbohydrates and fats in diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis were discovered.

As a result of plant breeding efforts that began in 1943, Mexico became self-sufficient in wheat for the first time in 1957. In 1958, amendments to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act were enacted to enhance food safety protection. This included the Delaney Clause, which prevented any cancer-inducing substance from being introduced into the food supply. In 1958, the "Basic Four" food guide presented by the USDA introduced the milk, meat, vegetable, fruit, and bread and cereal groups.

The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 was enacted to require post-slaughter inspection to prevent food borne illness. In 1969, the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health was held to set the agenda for food programs to feed the hungry, food safety, and nutrition. In 1973, the era of biotechnology began when Stanley Cohen of Stanford University and Herbert Boyer of the University of California, San Francisco, successfully recombined ends of bacterial DNA after splicing a foreign gene in between. Their achievement was called recombinant DNA.

In 1973, voluntary nutrition labeling appeared on food packages after heightened interest in food and health followed the White House Conference. The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs published “Dietary Goals for the United States,” in 1977.

The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, "Healthy People" was published in 1979. The first edition of "Nutrition and Your Health:  Dietary Guidelines for Americans" by DHHS and USDA was published in 1980. In 1985, the FDA approved the use of aspartame, a low-calorie intense sweetener. That same year, the DHHS and USDA published the second edition of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”. Between 1986-1992, irradiation was approved by the FDA and USDA, which would lengthen the life span of selected foods, such as papaya from Hawaii, pork, poultry and selected food applications.

In 1988, the Surgeon General's “Report on Nutrition and Health” was released, which broadened dietary recommendations on macronutrients, such as protein, fat, and carbohydrates. For the first time in United States history, the Surgeon General acknowledged the value of a good diet, while simultaneously condemning typical American eating patterns. In 1989, the "Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk" was published by the Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences. This contained a food report and quantitative dietary recommendations.

In 1990, the United Kingdom approved a yeast used in baking. This was the first food product modified by biotechnology. Also in 1990, the United States Nutrition Education and Labeling Act was enacted to update and require nutrition labeling on virtually all food products.  That same year, the DHHS and USDA published the third edition of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”. They also published "Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives", which contained a national strategy for improving health and preventing diseases.

In 1992, the USDA released the new "Food Guide Pyramid," which provided a graphics-based quantitative guide to food consumption in six food groupings: 1) bread, cereal, rice, pasta, 2) vegetables, 3) fruits, 4) milk, yogurt, cheese, 5) meat, poultry, fish, dried beans, eggs, nuts, 6) fats, oils, and sweets. In 1993, the FDA approved the use of bovine somatotropin (BST) to increase milk production, and the Federal Government set the goal that 75 percent of all farmland use integrated pest management (IPM) by the year 2000 AD.

In 1994, “the FlavrSavr tomato” became the first whole food produced using modern biotechnology.  This received FDA approval and soon entered the marketplace. In 1995, the DHHS and USDA published the fourth edition of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans”. In 1996, the FDA expanded the approval of aspartame to general food use. That same year, the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health was released, and the USDA published the revised meat inspection rules, which expanded safeguards to include HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) techniques. Also in 1996, the FDA approved olestra, a non-digestible, heat-stable fat replacement for use in savory snacks.

IN THE WORKS

There are a number of important food safety efforts coming out of government offices to protect the American consumer.  The Food Quality Protection Act is designed to modernize US food pesticides that may be found in the food supply and to minimize the risk to the American consumer. This new law will provide buyers with consumer-friendly materials explaining these new regulations along with an active education program.

The Food Safety Initiative will deal with a number of important issues for consumers. It will increase the education of consumers on major food safety issues. The most important of these being 1) the need to wash hands often and thoroughly when working with foods, 2) to wash cutting boards and all utensils after preparing any meat, poultry or fish before using it for other things, and 3) to keep cold things cold (below 40 F) and hot things hot (above 140 F). Anything left at "room temperature" for more than two hours should be discarded.

A major new initiative will do more to track and document food safety issues, i.e., to select some spots in the U.S. to get intensive attention and discover any food safety problems. This effort has already led to the observation that a pathogen, "Campylobacter" found in poultry causes more human sickness incidents than previously suspected. Therefore, more effort will be needed to address the role of this pathogen.

There will be changes in meat and poultry inspection. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is moving away from a visual inspection of meat and poultry into an era of more scientifically based inspections. At the same time, this will put more of the responsibility for food safety on the industry.

They are also introducing microbiological testing requirements for the first time. Initially, they are trying to determine the current state of the industry with respect to E.coli (those that reflect fecal contamination and not the specific 0157:H8 pathogen) and of the pathogenic salmonella. Once base lines are established, the government will require the industry to lower the overall average. At this time, the industry is also being held responsible for developing a more comprehensive set of daily sanitation plans.

There were changes in seafood inspection. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiated a stronger food safety requirement on all seafood. The industry was required in 1999 to have initiated a hazard analysis, critical control point (HACCP) plan. This requires the industry to document the hazards that could affect the safety of seafood and to have an active plan to monitor the critical points where control of these hazards can occur. They will then need to take corrective action, document their corrective actions, and will be subject to verification by the government. The USDA is also moving towards a similar program for meat and poultry.

There will be a program to eliminate rabies in the northeast. Cornell University has developed a vaccine that can be used to vaccinate raccoons and other wild animals against rabies. With proper vaccination, it should be possible to eradicate this dreadful disease from the Northeast. The vaccine is delivered by airplanes and will cost up to $20 million in the next five years to administer. It certainly seems to be worth the cost because the damages caused by rabies on the human body has been estimated to be about $300 million per year nationally.

Due to the fact that Western countries in the 20^th century have based the study of food only upon chemical analysis, the whole knowledge of food is incomplete. Therefore, it is crucial for professionals in the medical field to learn about the physical, biological and chemical properties found within food and to learn from traditional natural medicine. The "new era of food research" is now upon us as scientists and medical professionals uncover and rediscover the complete knowledge of food and nutrition in the 21^st century.

HISTORY OF FOODS IN CHINA

In China, foods have been an integral part of health and healing for over 4000 years. Since the beginning of Chinese civilization to the present day, the Chinese people has always used food as medicine to preserve good health, prevent diseases and to heal ailments. Thousands of years ago, they had already discovered truth in the modern saying, “You are what you eat”. With each advancement in the Chinese civilization, the people became better able to use food in their healthcare.

When the Chinese people discovered fire by rubbing two sticks together, they were able to eat cooked foods instead of raw foods. This change in diet helped to get rid of digestive problems and diarrhea. Then came food cultivation and the plowing of the fields, and this improved the production of food. Porcelain cookware was developed and people cooked their foods in these containers and later used them to hold food. It was during this time that people no longer ate with their hands. Then came the discovery that wine improved blood circulation. With each new civilization improvements, the knowledge of foods also improved.

Lu Shi’s book, written over 4000 years ago, contained a chapter of original tastes. In this book, two people named Shang Tang and Yi Yi had a conversation about the use of ginger and cinnamon as condiments in foods. In the Zou Dynasty, about 1000 BC, the royal physicians were divided into four groups, with the food therapy physician holding the highest rank. The food therapy physician only used foods in the care and preservation of the emperor’s health.

During the Warring States period, a book called “Huang Di Nei Jing” or “The Emperor’s Internal Classics” was written. It contained several food prescriptions that were very effective for the healthcare of the emperor and they were recorded. In this book, it was brought up that if one wanted to diagnose a disease, one had to first ask the patient what they ate, drank, and where they resided because the physicians had to investigate and treat the original cause.

At this time foods became a part of medicine and the Nei Jing emphasized the five grains as the main foods. The five grains are for nourishment, the five fruits are for help, the five meats are for benefit and are subsidiary and the five vegetables are supplements. The physicians considered energy and taste in combination and not individually.

This book also mentioned the foods that are good for certain organs and gave directions on the use of foods in the treatment of related illnesses of these organs. It told of what tastes went with what colors. For example, the colors of the liver system are green and blue, which means sour foods such as small beans, plums and chives should be consumed. The color of the heart system is red, which means spicy foods such as millet, peach and green onions should be consumed. The color of the lung system is white, which means bitter foods such as wheat, lamb and almond should be consumed. The color of the spleen system is yellow, which means sweet foods such as brown rice, dates and sunflower seeds should be consumed. The color of the kidney system is black, which means salty foods such as pork, big beans and chestnuts should be consumed. This showed that in ancient times, the use of food in the treatment of health problems had already gone through rigorous research and use.

Between the Qin and Han dynasties, a person named Shen Nong published a book that was the earliest monograph on “Materia Medica”, and he recorded foods, such as the Chinese dates, sesame seeds, Chinese yams, grapes, walnuts, lily bulbs, fresh ginger, and Job’s tear seeds. During this period, the emperors sent royal physicians on missions to find herbs that would prolong life. Seng Nong had 365 herbs split into three groups: superior, medium and inferior.

The superior herbs consisted of 120 types and they were for the emperor’s use. These herbs were only beneficial and not at all harmful and they could be prepared any style for eating. Due to these qualities, the superior herbs were considered food, and some examples are Chinese dates, ginseng, Job’s tear seeds, wolfberry, poria cocos, etc. The medium herbs also consisted of 120 types and these herbs helped take car of the body. Some of these herbs were poisonous and some were not, and they had special preparation instructions. The medium herbs had medical benefits and some examples are ginger, onion, plum, almond, Chinese angelica, etc. The inferior herbs consisted of 125 types and more or less, they all contained poisons. They couldn’t be used for a long period of time, but they were good for the treatment of diseases. Some examples of the inferior herbs are herba ephedra, cinnamon bark, etc.

After the Chin dynasty, China split into 7 kingdoms. One of the kingdoms was named Bei Wei. A doctor who lived there, named Chuei Jie, wrote a book called “The Food Classic”. Liang was the name of another kingdom and a book that was written there listed the contraindications for the emperor’s foods and drinks. Another doctor named Liu Xiou wrote a book called “Food Recipes”.

These 7 kingdoms went through 10 generations, until unification under the Tang dynasty and it was then that food therapy became a specialty. A famous doctor named Shen Shi Miao said, “To be a doctor, one must find the source of the disease. When a person has a disease, first use food therapy, and then medicinal herbs.” He also wrote two books, one called “Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies” and the other called the “Supplement to Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies”. They discussed and listed dietary treatment for senior healthcare and health preservations and these books were very substantial.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were already over 60 books on food therapy. Meng Xian in the Tang dynasty wrote a book called the “Dietary Therapy of Materia Medica”. He collected 241 different kinds of herbs that he felt had great dietary value. Then a student named Chang Ding added another 87 lines of additional research and rules to Meng Xian’s collection, and now three volumes of books became the “Dietary Therapy of Materia Medica”. Chen Shi Liang of the Tang Dynasty used all the books that had to do with food therapy, put them together and organized them into the “Shi Xin Ben Chao” or “Dietary Properties of Materia Medica”. There were a total of ten volumes and now, food had a systematic conclusion.

Wang Huai Yin and other doctors of the Song Dynasty wrote a book called “Peaceful Holy Benevolent Prescriptions”. They talked about how to treat many diseases with food. Chen Zhi wrote a book on how to help seniors preserve health and the king to prolong his life. This book was the earliest geriatric classic. Over 70% of this book consisted of food therapy formulas, and this book believed in the use of food as medicine to treat diseases. During this time, food therapy was becoming very mature.

During the Yuan Dynasty, a famous royal doctor whose name was Hu Si Hui wrote a book that consisted of three volumes. The first volume was about contraindications. The second volume talked about food therapy, hygiene, food toxicity, 56 ways of decocting formulas, 24 food therapy formulas for longevity, and 61 formulas for dietary therapy. The third volume covered food properties, such as smell, taste, color, etc. It was called the “Principles of Correct Diet”, and it contained rich dietary prescriptions and discussed dietary contraindications for wet nurses. Another doctor called Wu Ruei wrote the “Materia Medica” for ordinary use. This book contained eight families of foods, which were rice, wheat, vegetables, fruit, birds, and creatures of the land, fish and insects. He discussed how to use ordinary foods to treat diseases. He collected 540 different medicinal herbs and foods and discussed their tastes, properties, and related functions.

During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shi Zhen collected and recorded many food prescriptions in the “Compendium of Materia Medica”, which included formulas for food congee and herbal wines. Li also had a new breakthrough in categorizing herbs. He believed that water was the source of everything and earth was the mother of everything. Therefore, thirst is quenched by water, hunger is satisfied by earth, and drinking and eating are the channels of life. We must also rely on the healing and defense from foods and observe the yin and yang of foods. He collected 43 different types of water, 73 different kinds of rice and wheat, 105 different vegetables, 127 different fruits and 444 different animals. These foods were high in medicinal value and rich in food value. He also explained how to cook the foods and listed contraindications of these herbs and foods. After Li Shi Zhen, there were many food therapy monograph books.

During the Qin Dynasty, food therapy treatments varied in characteristics. Huang Shi Xiong had a book of dietary recipes for daily life and he introduced 300 species of foods that belonged to 7 different phyla. Chang Muo wrote the “Book of Analysis of Foods and Drinks” and the “Treatment of Diseases”, which introduced more foods used for medicinal purposes. Yuan Mei wrote the “Cookbook in the Yard”, which introduced many cooking methods and procedures. Cao Ting Dong wrote about methods for senior health preservation and introduced the health congee.

In the 1950s, the government of The People’s Republic of China wrote an herbal encyclopedia and dictionary, which had records of animals, herbs, and foods from all over the country. Many local Chinese areas opened food therapy restaurants and research institutes. During this time, scholars from other countries also became interested in food therapy study and many books were published all over the world. Nakao, a famous scholar, wrote many papers and furthered the study of food therapy.

Ye Ju Quan, a famous Chinese doctor, wrote a book called “Chinese Medicinal Foods and Recipes”, which contained 901 different daily prescriptions. Other books that were written included “Popular Medicated Diet by Ming Quan”, “Science of Chinese Dietary Treatment” by Qian Bo Wen, “Manual of Medicated Diet for Nourishment and Healthcare” by Yu Chang Fang, and “Chinese Dietary Treatment Signs” by Xie Wong Xin. Many congee books and herbal wine books were also written.

In 1980, Cheng Du from the Si Chuan province and Ji Nan from the Shan Dong province each opened a large food therapy restaurant. Many Chinese hospitals established departments of food therapy and outpatient food services. There has also been a growth of food therapy snacks and drinks on the market. Now all over the world, there are food therapy programs for the treatment of the common cold, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, reproductive system disorders, etc. food therapy is used for the prevention of diseases, preservation of health and for longevity.

Foods have been used to treat illnesses, prevent certain diseases, create personalized diets, and to meet individual health needs. Food is a mutual objective for all people because of the importance and daily requirement of vital nutrients. Food, water and nutrition are “necessity items”. They are unlike the “want items”, such as new clothes, jewelry, or a new car. Without “necessity items”, the human body cannot function or survive. food therapy is backed by over 4000 years of history, research and human use. This knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation, and food therapy has been and still is reaching more and more people all over the world.