食疗是中国养生保健的一个重要内容。中国的老百姓似乎人人都懂这个，特别是身体有了什么毛病时，总要吃点什么，或者用于促进康复，或者就作为一种药进行治疗。最典型的就是受凉后，赶快喝点姜汤水，预防感冒；已经感冒了，喝点姜汤水后发汗，就把感冒治好了。

   现代医学对这种事是不屑一顾的，食物就是食物，药物就是药物，把两者混同起来那是绝对不行的。

   可是，中国的老百姓就是相信这一套。电视剧《神医喜来乐》宣传的就是这一套，甚至可以说把这种做法推到了“神”的地位。

   中国的医疗管理机构对这件事则处于一种十分为难又尴尬的状态。不承认吧，和老百姓的观念不符，承认了吧，和现代医学观念有矛盾。于是就就弄出来个“保健食品”，一种食品不是食品，药品不是药品的东西，按照药品管理，却又不准宣传疗效的东西。

   老外是怎么对待中国的食疗的呢？美国的做法很简单，不论什么样的中药，FDA一律视之为食品。要想让FDA承认疗效，那就严格第按照它的标准和方法进行实验、验证，符合了现代医学的观念才可以。

   不过，事情已经开始发生变化了。一本名为《Vegetables and Fruits. Nutritional and Therapeutic Values》的书出版了。作者及相关出版信息如下：By Thomas S. C. Li (Penticton, British Columbia). CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group: Boca Raton, FL, USA. 2008. ix +286 pp. 16 × 24 cm. $129.95. ISBN 978-1-4200-6871-9.

   美国化学学会（ACS）的出版物《Journal of nature products》介绍了这本书。该杂志对这本书的评述如下：

   Although the title of this book is compelling and the Foreword makes interesting mention of the historical use of food as medicine in many Asian cultures, the information that follows on the nutritional and herapeutic utility of various fruits and vegetables falls short of the expectations a scientifically trained reader might reasonably have for a reference volume.
   One initially begins reading with the impression that evidence-based scientific and clinical literature has been critically reviewed and summarized within, accompanied by insights regarding the specific fruits and vegetables that are presented. However, this is not the case, as the “Nutritional and Therapeutic Values” listed in the tabular summaries for each species of mention appear to be randomly selected snippets taken from references that range from obscure popular press articles and media Web sites to review articles and primary
literature. One might have expected a heavier emphasis on citing primary scientific literature, which would seem more appropriate given the target audience. A comprehensive survey of the publicly available literature may not have been carried out for each fruit or vegetable, as the information presented is quite limited in scope and suffers from significant omissions. For example, under kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), although
published reports on kidney bean phaseolamin predate the printing of this book, there is no mention of this protein, which has been reported to inhibit alpha-amylase, a key enzyme involved in breaking down starch into glucose. Folkloric and other uses are listed haphazardly per plant, sometimes without accompanying citations, and in some cases entries are poorly edited for accuracy. An example is the notation on page 13 under alfalfa sprout (Medicago sativa) stating that “alfalfa sprouts may trigger lupus in sensitive individuals if there is a family history with lupus infection.” The reader may or may not be aware that lupus is not an infection, but rather an autoimmune disease; such inaccuracies must be edited out prior to publication in order to revent their perpetuation. Statements such as [Brussels] “Sprouts have always been eaten by vegetarians who tout their anticancer effects (p. 24, Brussels sprouts, Brassica oleraceae var. gemnifera)” are vague and not substantiated by authoritative referencing.
   The tables of macronutrient and selected vitamin and mineral content per fruit or vegetable would have provided much more value had the units per weight or per serving been provided, so that a food chemist or practicing toxicologist could use this reference to aid in calculating estimated daily intakes of nutrients from specific food sources. Appendix 1 lists specific chemicals and some of the species that contain them, but the levels are not reported, which again limits the usefulness of this information. The scientific and practical value of this book is thus severely limited in numerous ways; as such, it cannot be recommended.