Some people in Western societies have been known to subsist on just a single type of food. In East Asia, particularly in China, people usually eat a variety of foods to preserve health and to promote balance in their minds and bodies. In Chinese culture, no food is maligned or consumed in excess. Food is a way to achieve balance between people and their natural cycle, and environment. There’s an ancient Chinese proverb saying that goes, “Bitter, sour, pungent: all should be tasted.” You have foods that have been known to change an individual’s disposition towards, restlessness or fatigue, and there are various foods that are recommended for the different seasons of the year.
People susceptible to cold usually prefer warming foods; people who get cold easily tend to prefer spices and warming foods over foods that are cold, in traditional Chinese medicine. Every food has its own specific thermal property. Food can create certain effects on the body besides its physical temperature, (you can break out in sweats by eating a curry). Foods and herbs with hot properties include ginger, chili peppers, cinnamon, nutmeg, green onions, and walnuts. In the winter or on a very cold day, these foods can be very good to eat. Conversely, people living in a tropical or hot climate who may be hot prefer citrus, tomato, mint tofu, lettuce, milk, cucumber, celery and lettuce.
The world of natural foods in traditional Chinese medicine is designed to beef up and balance the various parts of our bodies. We need to eat foods of different colors (white garlic, green spinach, yellow squash, black sea vegetables red tomatoes, and purple eggplant). When considering the wide range of colors, Chinese nutritional therapists are likely to bundle a few groups, (e.g. fruits and vegetables) into preparations that are lavish and highly attractive. Interestingly, scientific studies have proven that phytochemicals in colored plant foods have special health-giving qualities. For example, peppers, watermelon, and red tomatoes all are known to carry lycopene, a powerful biochemical compound; Several sulfides have been suspected to increase immunity, eliminate bacteria and prevent cancer. They include carrot, squash, apricots, and other orange or yellow fruits that are rich in beta carotene. They can substantially reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Most foods In the West are over-processed, but due to the growing negative feedback of eating factory farmed and processed foods, many of us are now slowly turning to free range and organically grown foods. If you have eaten organic foods in the past, traditional Chinese medicine can still recommend following a different endeavor in the kitchen. Since salads and other raw cold foods are quite difficult to digest, they should be eaten in moderation. For older people and for those suffering from poor health, cooked foods are considered beneficial for their condition since cooking free up the nutrients in those making them easier to digest. Foods that are cooked are warm which may facilitate the raising of body temperature. If you eat cold raw foods, you need to eat them along with digestion-boosting and warming ingredients such as garlic (that can go with cucumber salad) or miso (can be used for dressing lettuce salad).
Moderation is an important factor to consider in traditional Chinese medicine since eating the right foods not only can improve your health, it can also help extend your lifespan. There is another Chinese saying that states, “eat until you are 70 percent full if you want to live a long life.” A Japanese version of this states that you need to eat until you are 80 percent full. When you eat in excessive amounts, you just stress your body, particularly your digestive system, needlessly. Therefore, in order to acquire the benefits of moderation, quite eating before you become 100 percent full.
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