Spring is the time of the wood element and additional bitter can be added to the diet. During summer, the addition of bitter foods can help maintain balance with the season. This is based upon the concept that the internal environment must be in harmony with the exterior. Food and drink should be balanced with the season as well as the constitution. It can also be used to warm the interior and support Zang Fu function.
Some foods are neutral while others are cool, cold, warm or hot.
Hot conditions can be subdued with cool foods, while cold conditions can be warmed by hot foods. Deficiencies can be corrected with foods that support the body's weakness. Excesses can be drained and the balance between Yin and Yang restored. Food is pretty powerful stuff. Exterior conditions can be help with foods that move outward, warming the exterior, promoting perspiration and reducing fever.