If you have bit of knowledge about Chinese food, you will also know that food is not just a basic necessity for the Chinese people. It is much more than that. It is a symbol of celebration, familial ties and a way of passing down traditions and knowledge to the youngsters. However, a significant characteristic of healthy Chinese food is that it can also be used as medicine. This is known as Chinese Food Therapy or CFT.
What is Chinese Food Therapy?
The Chinese call it “shí liáo”. The idea behind CFT is that food can heal or help overcome various illnesses. All naturally occurring foods including fruits, vegetables, meat, herbs, and spices have their own characteristics or “personalities”. Eating the right types of combinations and amounts that fit one’s body’s needs can create balance and harmony in the body. According to the Chinese people, this balance and equilibrium is very important to avoid and heal diseases. Traditional Chinese Medicine also approves of this healing practice.
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Basic Assumptions of Chinese Food Therapy
1.Yin and Yang
Chinese Food Therapy utilizes the belief that food, like everything else in the universe, consists of two opposite but complementary life forces: yin and yang. Yin is linked to dark, cold and negative while yang is associated with light, heat and positive. To maintain balance, both energies should be in harmony with each other. However, this is not easy. Because every individual is unique in terms of body constitution type, we all have different yin and yang constituents and requirements.
In terms of food, all-natural foods fall under one of the following categories:
- Neutral (neither leaning towards yin or yang)
- Slightly yin or slightly yang,
- Moderately yin or moderately yang
- Extremely yin or extremely yang
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To keep the body in balance, one must select healthy Chinese food that is neither more yin nor yang. Or food with either one in more quantities to achieve the balance if it is disrupted. Other than diet, environmental factors and such as stress, lack of exercise and sleep, etc. can also disrupt yin and yang balance.
Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine believe all chronic ailments are a result of an imbalance of yin and yang. These ailments can range from mild conditions such as insomnia and acne to more serious diseases like heart disease and cancer. As mentioned, the foods that have a yin quality are cooling and moisturizing while foods with a yang quality are warming and drying. The nature of the food as well as how we cook it determines its yin and yang properties. Raw, uncooked foods tend to be on the yin side while foods cooked on high heat—such as grilled, baked, or deep-fried—tend to be more yang.
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2. The 5 Elements Theory
The 5 element theory further supports the Yin and Yang theory. The five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — are the fundamental elements of everything in the universe according to the Chinese people. These five elements correlate to every aspect of life. This includes colors, sounds, emotions, seasons, direction, climate, sense organs, solid body organs, taste, smell and more. The image below highlights which color corresponds to which above-mentioned aspect of life.
For balancing the energies, it is essential to eat healthy chinese food with different energies and different elements. However, in case of an ailment that is related to a certain organ, one should eat more food corresponding to that organ in terms of taste, color, and yin/yang forces.
Source: The Budding Optimist
How Can Chinese Food Therapy Help Us?
1. Understand Your Constitution and Eat Accordingly
Here’s a detailed list of the 9 different constitutions according to Traditional Chinese Medicine and the characteristics linked to each constitution. Once you know your exact body constitute, you can prepare food according to your yin/yang and elements requirements. You will figure out what foods you need to eat more and what foods you need to avoid.
2. Avoid Cold Foods and Beverages
A popular concept in China is that people drink warm water unlike in America. This is because they believe that excess of cold food or beverages over time can have a negative result on the body. It slows down bodily processes, such as metabolism, and can disrupt the energy equilibrium. The body works like a furnace, and cold substances can decrease the body’s ability to work efficiently.
3. Everything in Moderation
This is a very simple concept and applies to diet as well. Unlike many famous contemporary diets, Chinese Food Therapy doesn’t try to limit any type of natural food groups from our diet. Everything from meat and fish to grains and legumes has a health benefit according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Even if your constitution calls for eating either more yin or yang foods, don’t eat too much at once. Similarly, eating foods belonging to the same color group, taste, or food group can also disrupt the balance and can lead to negative results.
Chinese food is not just delicious but also nutritious-packed. All the ingredients and herbs used are full of robust qualities and flavors. You cannot find the uniqueness of flavors and taste in any other cuisine. After reading all the positive qualities of Chinese food, we are sure you are craving some amazing Chinese food. Why not head over to Usmania Chinese for a fresh and hot serving of your favorite Chinese meal? We serve the best Chinese food in Chicago and are among the top Chinese restaurants Chicago has to offer. For further details, reservations, and orders, please contact us at 773-338-4488.