How much can you lose weight with this diet?
The 5 elements nutrition is less understood as a diet but rather as a permanent diet. Depending on how many kilocalories you consume per day and how you fed and exercised before the 5 elements diet, you can lose weight differently.
What risks/hazards does this diet entail?
There are hardly any risks with the 5 elements diet, as the menu includes fresh and healthy ingredients. Theoretically, deficiency symptoms can occur if the body does not get all the necessary vitamins and trace elements. Allergic reactions can occur, especially to the exotic ingredients in the diet.
Criticism of the 5-elements nutrition
The 5 elements diet is a dietary regime that is influenced by the Daoist worldview. The division of food into Yin and Yang (cold and warm) is not scientifically based. An important aspect of this dietetics is the esoteric concept of energy.
This involves assessing the energy content of foods without any connection to the commonly used objective assessment of the nutritional quality of foods. The warming of food is also critically considered. Methods such as roasting, cooking or grilling are permitted, while heating in a microwave oven is prohibited and is even said to promote the development of cancer. However, many nutritionists welcome the use of various fresh ingredients according to traditional Chinese medicine. This is said to have a beneficial effect on nutrient intake.
Medical evaluation of nutrition
With the 5 elements nutrition there are special divisions of the food, according to the elements, Yin and Yang and the energy of the food. These are evaluations that are influenced by religious world views and are not scientifically based. Nevertheless, the nutritional teachings of traditional Chinese medicine encourage people to eat fresh and as varied as possible foods that differ in their natural colour and taste.
One can create varied, balanced meals if one follows the 5 elements of nutrition. This form of nutrition can be carried out in a very healthy way and can have a positive influence on body weight. Deficiency symptoms occur very rarely with this form of nutrition.
Nevertheless, one should take care to supply the body with the vitamins and trace elements it needs to prevent deficiency symptoms in the long term. We consider the 5 elements nutrition to be without health concerns.
