In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the belief is that the physician should first modify the patient's diet and lifestyle and then integrate it with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Chinese dietary therapy is called yin shi zhi liao fa in Chinese and has been practiced for more than 3,000 years.  This translates literally as drink and food treatment method. TCM dietary therapy is divided into two broad categories - health preservation through dietary therapy and remedial dietary therapy. 

Most books on Chinese dietary therapy belong to the latter category and are composed of food formulas for the remedial treatment of various diseases and pathological conditions.

In Chinese dietary therapy, every food has one of five flavors - sweet, bitter, acrid, sour and salty. The Chinese believe that only a diet comprised of all five flavors can keep the bones straight, the qi (energy) and blood flowing, the pores closed, and the functioning of the five major organs coordinated and balanced harmoniously. Conversely, persistent addiction to a certain flavor will lead to its accumulation within the body and, in within time, create an imbalance.

Additionally, guarding against partialities in food also means balancing foods of both hot and cold natures. Beyond the five flavors, each food has one of four natures - hot, warm, cool, or cold. This refers to its inherent temperature and that temperature's effect on the human body. Too much hot food injures the original qi and body fluids or yin while too much cold injures the spleen and stomach qi and damages the digestive ability. Therefore, in terms of food therapy, if the patient suffers from a hot condition, one prescribes some cold or cooling foods. If the patient suffers from a cold condition, one prescribes some warm or hot foods.

It is important to note that the above principles are based on the fact that each person has an inherent or constitutional predisposition. Different schools within Chinese medicine have historically used different systems defining various constitutional types. Chinese herbal medicine practitioners utilize these principles in order to design a healthy, preventive dietary regime for their patients.