The Golden Principles Of Chinese Nutrition

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

As early as 2,500 years ago, Chinese scientists began to analyze in detail and in many ways the food and its effect on our body. Today they have reached conclusions that build the principles of their nutrition system. It includes specialized advice on how to choose our food, how to combine and consume it.

Chinese traditions teach to emphasize in the menu: rice, legumes, soy, vegetables / especially green / and more fruits to make the diet healthy.

However, the elderly should not overdo the consumption of raw vegetables and fruits, because they have a cooling effect and weaken the digestive system; may cause bloating; to act as a laxative and to "suck" our energy.

Eating meat, seafood and eggs should be dosed - less and combined with vegetable garnish. The meat must be finely processed: minced or thinly sliced. Taking it 3-4 times a week is enough.

Spicy or too fatty foods "overheat" the digestive system and should be avoided. They are considered a major factor in getting constipation, diarrhea and even acne.

Of particular importance is the mood in which we approach cooking and eating. We should not be emotionally upset or very stressed.

It is good to avoid touching food before we are completely calm - with relaxed senses and body. To relax well from tension, the following simple exercise can be used: sit or stand up and breathe slowly and deeply in a quiet place.

The Chinese often drink green tea 20 minutes before a meal, which slightly warms and prepares the body for the upcoming meal, especially if it includes indigestible foods such as meat, french fries or those that are very spicy. It is highly recommended not to drink cold drinks during meals.

The digestive process requires so-called "warm conditions" to more easily break down what we eat. The cold by nature, according to the Chinese, is slowing down and hindering and is associated with causing discomfort to the gastrointestinal tract.

Let's not overeat! This is a key sentence - advice we hear everywhere.

When we overeat, we burden not only our digestive system, but also the whole organism. Symptoms of this are: rapid heartbeat, sweating and more. According to Chinese nutrition theory, we should get up from the table when we feel a little hungry.

After eating, it is desirable to take a break and not rush straight to mentally strenuous or hard physical work. It is good to gently massage the abdominal area with circular motions. It is recommended to do up to ten minutes.

Anyone who has left a restaurant in China can hear the staff thank them and then add: "Man zou", which means "Walk slowly".

This is the idea that after eating everyone needs a slow, even aimless walk to allow their body to properly assimilate eating in a state of movement, but also a good general mood.

A basic principle of good nutrition, according to the Chinese, is a good breakfast. We must learn to eat as much as possible in the morning, and during the day to reduce the amount of food consumed, which should be at least for dinner.

We definitely need to create a schedule of our meals so that our body gets used to it. As with sleep or the period of activity, our body reacts and its activity is facilitated by precisely fixed hours of work.

Another important tip is not to drink too much fluid, and this should happen only when you feel thirsty. According to Chinese medical theory, drinking excessive amounts of any type of fluid leads to a weakening of the digestive system and kidneys. First, each fluid goes through a digestive process, which, if it happens often, burdens and permanently weakens digestion in the same way that we do when we overeat.

Second, excess fluid is not simply excreted through the bladder - the kidneys have previously been loaded to process it.

Contrary to what we are used to thinking because of the commercialized presentation of the topic of healthy living, in the Chinese theory of nutrition, dairy products are not very well accepted. Fresh yogurt and cheese are not the best source of calcium, nor are they the healthiest. If we eat a lot of dairy products, especially fresh milk, it can cause intestinal stickiness, allergies and more.

However, the most important "golden" principle of all these is: choose your food according to the season and your environment!

Traditional Chinese medicine advises us to live in complete harmony with nature, where we are and to consider which cycle / season of natural transformation has begun.

This means picking and eating fresh food produced near where we live. Vegetables or fruits grown in the past season that have been packaged unripe and transported from afar are de-energized and not healthy at all.