Moderation in Eating
Moderation in Eating
Food moderation is one of our ancestors’ great inventions in health preservation. Over time, extensive experience accumulated, with one key principle being moderation—crucial for longevity and wellness. Moderation means regular, measured eating—neither too much nor too little.
(1) Eat at Regular Times
Timely meals are vital for health. The *Lüshi Chunqiu* states: “Eating at proper times prevents illness.” The *Shangshu* advocates: “Eat according to season.” Regular eating establishes conditioned reflexes, enabling orderly digestive and absorptive functions. Near mealtime, the gastrointestinal tract begins secreting digestive juices. Food is digested and absorbed smoothly, distributing nutrients throughout the body. Irregular eating disrupts digestion, overworking the gut without rest, weakening digestive function, reducing appetite, and harming health. The traditional Chinese practice of three meals a day, if strictly followed without snacking, greatly benefits digestive health.
(2) Eat in Appropriate Quantities
The body requires a fixed daily food intake to sustain life. Insufficient intake deprives the body of essential nutrients, affecting health and possibly causing disease. Conversely, overeating damages spleen and stomach function, leading to illness. As stated in *Suwen·Bilun*: “Excessive eating injures the intestines and stomach.”
Modern medicine confirms that overeating dramatically increases fibroblast growth factor in the brain—by tens of thousands of times compared to pre-meal levels. This factor is a primary cause of premature brain aging. Once the brain ages early, other organs follow. Hence, a current trend suggests moderate reduction in food intake—keeping the body in a semi-starved state—can stimulate the autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system, enhancing regulatory functions, stabilizing internal environment, boosting immunity, and balancing nervous system function. Experiments by the U.S. National Institute on Aging show animals fed freely live shorter lives and suffer more diseases than those with restricted intake. Researchers infer that limiting calorie intake could slow biological aging, potentially extending human lifespan by 40 years.