昔圣人诠置药石，疗诸疾病者，以其五脏本于五行，五行有相生胜之理也。荣卫本于
阴阳，阴阳有逆顺之理也。故万物皆禀阴阳五行而生，有五色焉，有五味焉，有寒热焉，有
良毒焉。圣人取其色味冷热良毒之性，归之五行，处以为药，以治诸疾。顺五行之气者，以
相生之物为药以养之；逆五行之气者，以相胜之物为药以攻之。或泻母以利子。或泻子以补
母。此用药之奇法也。
《经》曰∶天地，万物之盗；人，万物之盗。人，所以盗万物为资养之法。其水陆之物
为饮食者，不啻千品，其五色、五味、冷热、补泻之性，亦皆禀于阴阳五行，与药无殊。大
体用药之法，以冷治热，以热治冷。实则泻之，虚则补之，此用药之大要也。人若能知其食
性，调而用之，则倍胜于药也。
缘老人之性，皆厌于药而喜于食，以食治疾，胜于用药。况是老人之疾，慎于吐痢，尤
宜用食以治之。凡老人有患，宜先食治；食治未愈，然后命药，此养老人之大法也。是以善治病者，
不如善慎疾；善治药者，不如善治食。今以《食医心镜》、《食疗本草》、
《诠食要法》、《诸家法馔》、洎是注《太平圣惠方》食治诸法，类成养老食治方。各开门目，用治
诸疾，具列于下。为人子者，宜留意焉。承奉郎前守泰州兴化县令陈直述。
In ancient times, the Sages formulated medicines and stone needles to treat various diseases because the Five Zang Organs (Five Viscera) are based on the Five Elements (Wu Xing), which possess the principles of mutual generation and mutual restriction. Ying and Wei (Defensive and Nutritive Qi) are based on Yin and Yang, which possess the principles of smoothness and reversal. Therefore, all things are born by inheriting Yin and Yang and the Five Elements; they have five colors, five flavors, cold and hot properties, and safe or toxic natures. The Sages selected these properties of color, flavor, temperature, and safety/toxicity, assigned them to the Five Elements, and used them as medicines to treat various ailments. To harmonize with the Qi of the Five Elements, one uses substances that mutually generate as medicine for nourishment; to counteract the Qi of the Five Elements, one uses substances that mutually restrict as medicine for attacking pathogens. One may drain the Mother to benefit the Child, or drain the Child to tonify the Mother. These are the extraordinary methods of medication.
The Classics state: "Heaven and Earth are the thieves of all things; humans are also the thieves of all things." Humans utilize all things as a method for sustenance. Among the creatures of land and water used for diet, there are more than a thousand types. Their properties of five colors, five flavors, cold and hot nature, and tonifying or draining effects are all derived from Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements, differing little from medicines. Generally, the principle of medication is to use cold-natured remedies to treat heat syndromes, and hot-natured remedies to treat cold syndromes. For excess conditions, apply draining methods; for deficiency conditions, apply tonifying methods. This is the major principle of medication. If people can understand the nature of food and regulate its use, the effect will be twice as good as that of medicine.
Because the disposition of the elderly tends to dislike medicine and prefer food, treating illness with food is superior to using medicine. Moreover, for diseases of the elderly, one must be cautious with emetic and purgative therapies, making it especially suitable to use food for treatment. Whenever the elderly fall ill, one should first employ dietary therapy; if dietary therapy fails to cure, then prescribe medicine. This is the great principle of caring for the elderly. Thus, one who is skilled in treating disease is not as good as one who is skilled in preventing disease; one who is skilled in using medicine is not as good as one who is skilled in managing diet. Herein, I have compiled the dietary therapy formulas for the elderly by categorizing methods from *Shi Yi Xin Jing* (Mirror of the Food Doctor's Mind), *Shi Liao Ben Cao* (Compendium of Food Therapy Materia Medica), *Quan Shi Yao Fa* (Essential Methods of Diet), *Zhu Jia Fa Zhuan* (Various Families' Culinary Methods), along with the dietary therapy methods annotated in *Tai Ping Sheng Hui Fang* (Imperial Grace Formulary of the Taiping Era). Each category is opened with specific headings to treat various diseases, listed in detail below. As children, you should pay attention to this. Chen Zhi, Chengfeng Lang and former Magistrate of Xinghua County, Taizhou, narrates.