While appropriate nutrition is emphasized, as is the case in modern medicine, diet is not dictated by food pyramids or numerical supplement facts. Chinese nutrition does not emphasize the biochemical nature of foods, and does not seek to add or subtract from its natural state in an effort to alter a food's inherent nutritional value. By eating fresh seasonal food...REALfood...with lots of âQi,â that energy is transferred to us and we can feel positive shifts in our health. In Chinese dietetics, foods are categorized by specific flavor (bitter, sweet, spicy, salty, sour & bland) temperature and function (warming, cooling, drying, moistening). Like herbal medicine, diet is unique to individual demands, health history and constitution. By choosing the appropriate combination of foods, a balanced state of health is achieved.