凡老人有患，宜先以食治，食治未愈，然后命药。此养老人大要之法也。
新登五谷，老人不宜多食，动一切宿疾。
夫善养老者，非其书勿读，非其声勿听，非其务勿行，非其食勿食。非其食者，所谓猪豚鸡
鱼、蒜 、生菜、生肉、白酒、大酢大咸也，常学淡食。至于黄米、小豆，此等非老者所宜食，
常宜轻清甜淡之物，大小麦面等为佳。又忌强用力咬啮坚硬脯肉，反至折齿破龈之弊。常不饥不
饱，不寒不热，善行作坐卧言谈语笑寝食，造次之间能行不妄失者，则可延年益寿矣。
养老之道，食必忌杂，杂则五味相挠，食之作患，是以食取鲜之，务令简少。饮食当今节
俭，若贪味伤多，老人肠胃皮薄，多则不消，膨胀短气必致霍乱。夏至以后，秋分以前勿进肥浓
羡HT 酥油酪等，则无他矣。夫老人所以多疾者，皆因少时春夏取凉过多，饮食太冷，故其鱼 、
生菜生肉腥冷物，多损于人，宜当断之。惟乳酪酥蜜，常宜温而食之，此大利益老年。虽然，
卒多食之，亦令人腹胀泄痢。人年五十始衰，脾胃虚薄，食饮不多，易饥易饱，不得日限三餐，
察其情而渐加之。
人年七十以后，血气虚惫，全赖饮食扶持，且脾胃渐弱，容受渐少，随饱又饥，故须夜间饮
食亦不可缺，若干糕、熟枣、面粟之类，常置卧侧，砂铫铜罐常在炉边，庶不有失。
老人吃食大要十分软烂，易得消化，醇酒每进数杯，助其血气，不得过多。若生冷硬物、
酸老之酒切莫近之，恐乘快进用，致有后悔。吾先封君，享年八十有九，上食曾经知之。
凡是老年人患病，应当首先采用饮食疗法，如果饮食治疗未能痊愈，然后再使用药物。这是赡养老年人的主要原则。
新收获的五谷杂粮，老年人不宜多吃，以免诱发各种旧疾。
善于赡养老人的人，不看非养生之书，不听非养生之声，不做非养生之事，不吃非养生之食。所谓“非养生之食”，指的是猪、牛、羊、鸡、鱼、大蒜、生菜、生肉、白酒以及味道过于酸醋或过咸的食物，应当经常学习清淡饮食。至于黄米、小豆等食物，这些并非老年人适宜食用的，常宜食用性质轻清、甘甜、清淡的食物，如大小麦面等为佳。又忌讳强行用力咬嚼坚硬的干肉，否则会导致牙齿折断、牙龈破损的弊端。饮食要保持在既不饥饿也不过饱的状态，身体要不寒不热，善于安排行走、坐卧、言谈、笑语、睡眠和进食，在匆忙之间也能做到行为不妄失，这样就可以延年益寿了。
赡养之道，饮食必须忌讳杂乱，杂乱则五味相互干扰，导致饮食引发疾病，因此饮食要选取新鲜之物，务必力求简单少量。饮食应当节俭，如果因贪恋美味而吃得过多，老年人肠胃壁薄，食物过多则无法消化，必然导致腹胀、气短甚至霍乱。夏至以后到秋分以前，不要进食肥腻浓厚、酥油、奶酪等食物，这样就没有其他问题了。老年人之所以多病，都是因为年轻时在春夏季节贪凉过多，饮食过于寒冷，所以那些鱼肉、生菜、生肉等腥冷之物，大多损害人体，应当戒断。只有乳酪、酥油、蜂蜜，应当经常温热后食用，这对老年人大有益处。虽然如此，如果突然大量食用，也会令人腹胀、腹泻、痢疾。人到了五十岁才开始衰老，脾胃虚弱单薄，饮食量不多，容易感到饥饿也容易感到饱足，不能限定每天只吃三餐，要根据其具体情况逐渐增加食量。
人到了七十岁以后，气血虚弱疲惫，完全依赖饮食来扶持，而且脾胃逐渐减弱，容纳食物的能力逐渐减少，刚吃饱又觉得饿，所以夜间的饮食也不可缺少，像干糕、熟枣、面食粟米之类，常放在床边，砂锅铜罐常在炉边，这样才不至于有所缺失。
老年人吃的食物大体上要十分软烂，容易消化，醇酒每次进饮几杯，以助血气，不得过量。如果是生冷硬物、变酸陈旧的酒，千万不要靠近，恐怕因为一时痛快而进食，导致后悔。我的先父，享年八十九岁，对于上述饮食原则曾经深知并践行。
For any illness in the elderly, dietary therapy (Shi Zhi) should be employed first; if dietary therapy fails to cure the condition, then medicinal treatment (Yao Zhi) should be prescribed. This is the primary principle for caring for the elderly.
Newly harvested grains and beans should not be consumed in large quantities by the elderly, as they may trigger various chronic diseases (Xiu Ji).
Those skilled in caring for the elderly should not read books unrelated to health preservation, listen to sounds unrelated to health preservation, engage in activities unrelated to health preservation, or eat foods unrelated to health preservation. The so-called "foods unrelated to health preservation" include pork, beef, mutton, chicken, fish, garlic, raw vegetables, raw meat, white wine, and foods that are excessively sour or salty. One should frequently learn to eat a light diet. As for yellow millet and adzuki beans, these are not suitable for the elderly. It is advisable to frequently consume foods that are light, clear, sweet, and bland, such as wheat flour and barley flour, which are excellent. One should also avoid forcefully biting and chewing hard dried meats, lest it cause the detriment of broken teeth and damaged gums. One should maintain a state of neither hunger nor fullness, and a body temperature that is neither cold nor hot. By properly managing walking, sitting, lying down, talking, laughing, sleeping, and eating, and by acting without error even in haste, one can prolong life and enhance longevity.
The way of caring for the elderly dictates that diet must avoid mixing diverse foods; mixing causes the five flavors to interfere with each other, leading to illnesses from food. Therefore, food should be chosen for its freshness and kept simple and small in quantity. Diet should be frugal; if one indulges in taste and eats too much, the elderly person's gastrointestinal tract has thin walls, and excessive food will not digest, inevitably causing abdominal distension, shortness of breath, and potentially Huoluan (cholera-like syndrome). From after the Summer Solstice to before the Autumn Equinox, one should not consume rich, fatty, thick foods, butter, cheese, or dairy products, and there will be no other issues. The reason the elderly suffer from many diseases is that they took too much coolness during spring and summer in their youth and ate too cold food. Therefore, fish, raw vegetables, and raw meat—cold and raw substances—harm the human body and should be discontinued. Only milk, cheese, butter, and honey should be consumed warm and regularly, which greatly benefits the elderly. However, consuming them suddenly in large amounts can also cause abdominal distension, diarrhea, and dysentery. Humans begin to decline at age fifty; the Spleen and Stomach become weak and thin, food intake is limited, and one becomes hungry easily and feels full easily. One cannot strictly limit oneself to three meals a day; instead, observe the individual's condition and gradually increase intake.
After the age of seventy, Qi and Blood are weak and exhausted, relying entirely on diet for support. Moreover, the Spleen and Stomach gradually weaken, and the capacity to accept food diminishes; one feels full and then hungry again quickly. Therefore, nighttime food intake is indispensable. Items such as dried cakes, cooked dates, and noodle or millet dishes should be kept by the bedside, and clay pots or copper jars should always be near the stove, so that nothing is lacking.
The food eaten by the elderly should generally be very soft and well-cooked to facilitate digestion. Mellow wine can be taken in several cups to assist Qi and Blood, but not in excess. Raw, cold, hard items and sour or aged wines must be avoided; otherwise, acting on impulse may lead to regret. My late father lived to be eighty-nine years old and had deep knowledge of these dietary principles.