The typical Chinese diet includes small portions of fish or meat, lightly cooked vegetables and fresh fruit, and steamed grains, although exact ingredients and preparation styles vary from region to region. Spices, including chilis, ginger and garlic, add medicinal value to food, aiding digestion and warming you from the inside out. Chinese culture views food as more than simple sustenance---it's a primary tool for healing, according to traditional Chinese medicine.
Benefits
Statistically speaking, the traditional Chinese diet is one of the healthiest in the world. Benefits include lower rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity, according to T. Colin Campbell, head of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project. In his groundbreaking book "The China Study," Campbell argued that the modest amounts of animal protein and large quantities of plant-based food contained in the rural Chinese diet were the key to many of these benefits.
Theory
Since ancient times, traditional Chinese medicine has drawn the connection between diet and health. The key to food's value lies not in its caloric or vitamin and mineral content, but in the qi--vital life energy--it carries. Your body gets most of its energy or qi from food--about 70 percent--according to physician Joerg Kastner, licensed acupuncturist and author of "Chinese Nutrition Therapy." For this reason, the closer your food is to its natural state, the better. To maximize your qi intake, focus on fresh ingredients and stay away from processed foods, artificial ingredients and preservatives.
Food Types
Over the centuries, TCM has developed an elaborate system of categorizing food. Each food falls into one of five flavor categories: sour, bitter, salty, sweet and spicy. Each flavor carries with it a different type of qi or energy, that helps balance different medical conditions. The sweet flavor--carried by vegetables like yams and carrots and fruit--can help boost your mood and ease worry. TCM also categorizes food as "warming" or "cooling." A food's warming or cooling quality depends in part on how you prepare it.
Preparation Techniques
Traditional Chinese cuisine emphasizes cooking, fermenting, or pickling vegetables rather than serving them raw. Well-cooked vegetables--such as those served in a soup heated at low temperatures for long periods of time--warm the body, and are ideal if it's winter time, or if you tend to be cold, according to Laura Knoff, holistic nutritionist in Berkeley, California and author of "The Whole-Food Guide to Overcoming Irritable Bowel Syndrome." Use fermented vegetables to overcome constipation or deal with summer heat. When in doubt, steamed vegetables and soups are ideal for balancing any body type.
Considerations
In the West, many people suffer from qi deficiency--the product of a heavy, processed diet and excessive stress. If you're feeling fatigued or anxious, and you frequently crave refined sugar, you could have qi deficiency. Build your qi using the principles of the Chinese diet by consuming warming, slightly sweet foods. Include substantial protein sources like lentils, oily fish, and small amounts of beef in your diet. Add nutritious vegetables like shitake mushrooms, squash and potatoes. Indulge in small amounts of sweet fruits, like cherries, dates, and figs. Avoid using the microwave--it depletes the vital energy in food, according to the website Food Energetics.
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