Chinese Food Shanghai

Chinese food and the way it is prepared is very much influenced by the two major philosophies, which influence the entire Chinese culture. These dominant philosophies are Confucianism and Taoism. Both have these philosophies have influenced the way that the Chinese people cook and the way that they enjoy their food.

Chinese food in Penang Malaysia and here is Thai food or food from Thailand.                                

Chinese and Tibetan food health Secret    

Confucianism and Chinese Cuisine

Confucius was the man behind the Confucianism beliefs. Among many other standards Confucius established standards for proper table etiquette and for the appearance and taste of Chinese food. One of the standards set by Confucius (you might have noticed this at an authentic Chinese restaurant) is that food must be cut into small bite size pieces before serving the dish. This is a custom that is definitely unique to the Chinese culture.

Knives at the dinner table are also considered to be a sign of very poor taste by those who embrace Confucianism beliefs. The standards of quality and taste that Confucius recommended required the perfect blend of ingredients, herbs and condiments--a blend which would result in the perfect combination of flavor. Confucius also emphasized the importance of the texture and color of a dish, and taught that food must be prepared and eaten with harmony. Interestingly enough, Confucius was also of the opinion that an excellent cook must first make an excellent matchmaker.

Taoism and Chinese Cuisine

Those who follow the Taoism beliefs focus on the health benefits of particular foods vs. the presentation of the same. Taoists search for foods that will increase their health and longevity. They search for foods that have healing powers. Many times these benefits were often referred to as ‘life giving powers’. For instance, the Chinese found that ginger, which can be considered to be a garnish or a condiment was found to be a remedy for upset stomachs or a remedy for colds.

Is Chinese Food Healthy?

Chinese food, when authentic is probably the healthiest food in the world. Some restaurants, which are not authentic, prepare their menu with highly saturated fats or with meats that contain unhealthy amounts of animal fat. These Chinese restaurants are not recommended and they are both neither authentic nor healthy.

Good Chinese food however, is prepared and cooked with poly-unsaturated oils. Authentic Chinese food does not require the use of milk-fat ingredients such as cream, butter or cheese. Meat is used, but not in abundance, which makes it easy for those who love authentic Chinese food to avoid high levels of animal fat. Many believe that authentic Chinese food is really the ideal diet.

Chinese Restaurants in Every Part of the Nation

Whether it is in a Tennessee Chinese Restaurant to a New York Chinese restaurant you are going to find culinary dishes that are both healthy and delicious. Savor the flavor with Chinese food!

1 The majority of the information found in this article can be referenced at the following website: http://asiarecipe.com/chicookinghistory.html

About The Author Marci Crane - To find out more information in regards to delicious Chinese food, or noodle pulling in Tennessee, visit http://royalpandarestaurant.samsbiz.com/page/18jcr/Home.html

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East meets west at the dinner table: an introduction to Chinese food therapy.

Many Americans now recognize what ancient civilizations have known for thousands of years--that the key to optimal health may lie within the foods we eat. While we tend to approacheating from a rote standpoint by embracing the specific dietary guidelines of the popular Atkins, South Beach, and blood-type regimes, Chinese food therapy makes recommendations that are unique to every individual. Its approach seeks to address the root cause of a problem, rather than focusing on simply eliminating symptoms.

Ancient Chinese philosophy maintains that from total consciousness emerged a duality, a yin/yang dynamic that is a continuum of opposites inherent in all of life; this belief is the foundation of all aspects of Chinese medicine. Yin is characterized by such qualities as feminine, dark, cool, damp, dense, nurturing, and creative, while its yang counterpart is characterized by such qualities as masculine, warm, light, dry, and expressive. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the idea that illness arises when the yin/yang within us becomes unbalanced.

At the core of Chinese nutrition is the restoration of this yin/yang balance through the foods we eat. Perhaps this idea is less foreign than it initially sounds, because each of us contains an innate capacity to sense what we need; for example, that afternoon chocolate craving may be the body's way of indicating that the liver energy needs to be soothed. Unfortunately, as we come to rely more on fad diets and culturally-popular eating models, we tend to overlook and dismiss our own inherent wisdom, catapulting our bodies out of the yin/yang balance.

Some people fear that a foray into Chinese food therapy will result in a mandate to eat foods that are unfamiliar, difficult to purchase and prepare, and unpleasant tasting. Actually, if you have ever sampled sesame seeds, cinnamon, or cloves, or enjoyed beets, squash, tomatoes or broccoli, you have eaten some Chinese nutritional fare. The idea is to address "dis-ease" at its most basic level--how you are nourished. For instance, a practitioner may determine that there is a spleen deficiency and recommend orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Or for those who experience the excess heat of heartburn, cooling foods such as apples and cucumbers might appear on the shopping list. The taste of a food also relates to the organ system it supports. Thus, sweet foods nourish the spleen, sour foods nourish the liver, hitter foods nourish the heart, spicy foods nourish the lungs, and salty foods nourish the kidneys.

A practitioner of Chinese food therapy draws from various Chinese theoretical models to evaluate a client's nutritional needs. One of these models is the Five Element theory, which assigns general qualities, characteristics, and specific foods to the elements of metal, earth, fire, wood and water (see table). For example, the qualities associated with water are reflective, meditative, truth-seeking, and philosophical; its related foods are seaweed, salt, and minerals.

Using foods to heal the body does not necessarily mean sacrificing your favorite dishes. It is true that in more acute cases, it is sometimes necessary to temporarily refrain from certain food choices. For example, asthmatics may need to initially eliminate ice cream, because cold foods deplete the spleen energy, which then in turn sends fluid to the lungs. Once balance is restored, however, eliminated foods can again be integrated into the food plan.

Although Chinese food therapy embraces a more individualized approach, there are some general guidelines from which most everyone can benefit. Here are some basic tips for improving digestion:

* Cut down on raw foods, including salads, which can be difficult to digest.

* Avoid tofu, instead selecting fermented soy products such as tempeh and miso.

* Double the amount of water and cooking times for beans and rice, and add a piece of kombu (kelp seaweed available at health food stores) while cooking.

* Use spices such as coriander, cumin, and fennel.

* Eliminate iced and cold liquids with meals, instead choosing warm water or tea made with fresh ginger.

Five Element
Characteristics
and Corresponding Foods

Element Personality Traits Beneficial Foods

Metal The scientist, fine artist, turnips, radishes,
or neurosurgeon--one rice
who is interested in
precision and quality

Earth The caregiver, educator carrots, yams,
or intellectual--one yellow squash
who looks after others

Fire The entertainer--one beets, tomatoes
who exhibits a passion
for what they do

Wood The General, Planner, or baby greens,
director--one who has sprouts, broccoli
a plan of action

Water The reflector or seaweed, salt,
philosopher--one who minerals
seeks truth
Lorraine Harris is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist who practices in Asheville, North Carolina. She can be reached at (828) 215.8185 or through her website www.chimedicineworks.com.

COPYRIGHT Natural Arts and Gale Group
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Chinese system of food cures

Definition

The Chinese system of food cures regards dietary regulation as preventive medicine as well as a corrective measure to be undertaken once someone falls ill. Diet is one of four major treatment modalities in traditional Chinese medicine , the other three being acupuncture/moxibustion, herbal medicine, and massage, plus remedial physical exercise.

Origins

The selection of foods in the diet as part of a lifelong program of health maintenance and treatment of illness has been a part of Chinese medicine from its beginnings. The first extensive written Chinese medical treatises (as the West understands the term) date from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), but the use of food as preventive medicine probably goes several thousand years further back. Legends says that tribal shamans and holy men who lived as hermits in the mountains of China as early as 3500 B.C. practiced what was called the "Way of Long Life." This regimen included a diet based on herbs and other plants, qigong exercises, and special breathing techniques that were thought to improve vitality and life expectancy.

After the Han dynasty, the next great age of Chinese medicine was under the Tang emperors, who ruled from A.D. 608 to A.D. 906. The first Tang emperor established China's first medical school in A.D. 629. This period produced China's earliest expert on dietary therapy, Sun Simiao. He specialized in the treatment of diseases caused by malnutrition and wrote several works on diet and health. Sun Simaio's principle of using diet and lifestyle changes as the first line of treatment for illness has governed traditional Chinese practice ever since. According to Sun Simaio, only when dietary treatment is not enough to cure the patient should the doctor turn to acupuncture and herbal medicines.

Benefits

The benefits of traditional Chinese dietary treatment are many years of vigorous good health. According to the Nei Jing, China's oldest medical classic, the metaphor is that human beings are constituted to live for a hundred years, barring accidents or violence. Diet and good digestion are considered the most important ways to maintain physical strength and vitality.

Description

Chinese food cures are based on the philosophical principles of Taoism and its teachers' observations about nature. Some of its concepts are difficult for Westerners to understand because they rely on symbols and images rather than scientific measurements and theories. In general, Chinese medicine regards the human organism as an integrated entity within itself and as linked to the family, society, and the natural order by a pattern of symbolic connections.

The cosmic and natural order

In early Chinese philosophy, the Tao, or universal first principle, generated a duality of opposing principles that underlie all the patterns of nature. These principles, yin and yang, are mutually dependent as well as polar opposites. Yin represents everything that is cold, moist, dim, responsive, slow, heavy, and moving downward or inward; while yang represents heat, dryness, brightness, activity, rapidity, lightness, and upward or outward motion. The dynamic interaction of these two principles is reflected in the cycles of the seasons, the human life cycle, and other natural phenomena.

In addition to yin and yang, Taoist teachers also believed that the Tao produced a third force, primordial energy or chi (also spelled qi or ki, the Japanese term). The interplay between yin, yang, and chi gave rise to the Five Elements of water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. These entities are all reflected in the structure and functioning of the human body.


The human being

Traditional Chinese physicians did not learn about the structures of the human body from dissection (although they did perform some animal studies) because they thought that cutting open a body insulted the person's ancestors. Instead they built up an understanding of the location and functions of the major organs over centuries of observation, and then correlated them with the principles of yin, yang, chi, and the Five Elements. Thus wood is related to the liver (yin) and the gall bladder (yang); fire to the heart (yin) and the small intestine (yang); earth to the spleen (yin) and the stomach (yang); metal to the lungs (yin) and the large intestine (yang); and water to the kidneys (yin) and the bladder (yang). The Chinese also believed that the body contains Five Essential Substances, which include blood, spirit, vital essence (a principle of growth and development produced by the body from chi and blood), fluids (all body fluids other than blood, such as saliva, spinal fluid, sweat, etc.), and chi.

A unique feature of traditional Chinese medicine is the meridian system. Chinese doctors viewed the body as regulated by a network of energy pathways called meridians that link and balance the various organs. The meridians have four functions: to connect the internal organs with the exterior of the body, and connect the person to the environment and the universe; to harmonize the yin and yang principles within the body's organs and Five Substances; to distribute chi within the body; and to protect the body against external imbalances related to weather (wind, summer heat, dampness, dryness, cold, and fire).

The composition and use of foods
Chinese food cures operate within this system of cosmic principles, symbolic correlation of internal organs with the five elements, and the meridian system. Food serves several functions in traditional Chinese medicine. It supplies nutritional energy to the body to replenish chi. It is also used by the body to produce vital essence and blood. Lastly, foods can be chosen to regulate the balance of yin and yang and the five elements within the body and to direct the flow of chi to different parts of the body.

Chinese medicine classifies foods according to four sets of categories:

Temperature. Foods are classified as cold or cool (yin); or warm or hot (yang).
Taste. There are five tastes correlated with the Five Elements: sour (wood); bitter (fire); sweet (earth); pungent (metal); and salty (water).

Direction of action. Pungent, salty, and bland foods are thought to have an ascending or floating action that redirects chi upward, while sour, bitter, and sweet foods are thought to have a descending or sinking action that moves the chi downward.

The organ or meridian affected by the food.

Chinese medicine uses foods to keep the body in internal harmony and in a state of balance with the external environment. In giving dietary advice, the Chinese physician takes into account the weather, the season, the geography of the area, and the patient's specific imbalances (including emotional upsets) in order to select foods that will counteract excesses or supply deficient elements. Basic preventive dietary care, for example, would recommend eating yin foods in the summer, which is a yang season. In the winter, by contrast, yang foods should be eaten to counteract the yin temperatures. In the case of illness, yin symptom patterns (fatigue, pale complexion, weak voice) would be treated with yang foods, while yang symptoms (flushed face, loud voice, restlessness) would be treated by yin foods. In addition, cravings for specific foods or flavors point to deficiencies to be remedied. Thus someone who wants a lot of hot drinks probably has a "cold" illness, while someone who refuses beverages has a "damp" disease.

Chinese medicine also uses food as therapy in combination with exercise and herbal preparations. One aspect of a balanced diet is maintaining a proper balance of rest and activity as well as selecting the right foods for the time of year and other circumstances. If a person does not get enough exercise, the body cannot transform food into chi and vital essence. If they are hyperactive, the body consumes too much of its own substance. With respect to herbal preparations, the Chinese used tonics taken as part of a meal before they began to use them as medicines. Herbs are used in Chinese cooking to give the food specific medicinal qualities as well as to flavor it. For example, ginger might be added to a fish dish to counteract the cold of the fish. Food and medical treatment are closely interrelated in traditional Chinese medicine. A classical Chinese meal seeks to balance not only flavors, aromas, textures, and colors in the different courses that are served, but also the energies provided for the body by the various ingredients.

Preparations
A traditional Chinese physician will examine a patient carefully before giving advice about diet. The diagnosis is based on four types of examination: visual observation, which includes examining the shape, color, and coating of the tongue as well as observing the complexion and taking the pulse; listening to the voice and breathing; inquiring about the patient's symptoms, food preferences, emotions, bowel habits, and sleeping patterns; and palpating (feeling) the patient's abdomen and key points along the meridians. The doctor will suggest changes in diet that will return the patient to inner balance and harmony with the environment according to the patterns he detects.

Precautions
The most important precaution for Westerners who are interested in Chinese food therapy is to consult an experienced practitioner of Chinese medicine. The system is complex and based on principles that differ from Western systems of thought. These factors make self-evaluation quite difficult.

Side effects
There are no known side effects from using the Chinese system of food cures as part of a wellness program under the guidance of an experienced practitioner.

Research & general acceptance
Research in the West has been largely confined to study of the herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine as distinct from food cures. Alternative practitioners in the West, however, have shown considerable interest in incorporating Chinese food cures into other systems, including color therapy and women's folk medicine. One school of color therapy classifies foods as yin or yang according to their color and recommends certain color combinations to correct energy imbalances in the body.

Training & certification
In contemporary China, traditional medicine is practiced alongside Western methods of diagnosis and treatment. Some Chinese medical schools still offer courses in Chinese medicine. Practitioners of traditional medicine must pass rigorous examinations and be licensed by the government. They usually obtain their clinical experience by serving apprenticeships under experienced doctors.

Key Terms
Chi (Qi or Ki)
The universal life-force or energy. The quality, quantity, and balance of a person's chi determines his or her state of health and longevity.
Five Elements
The five basic substances (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal) that symbolize the fundamental qualities of the universe. In Chinese food cures, the five elements are correlated with the internal organs of the body and with the five basic food tastes.
Five Substances
The basic entities in the human body that serve its development and maintenance. They include chi, vital essence, spirit, blood, and fluids.
Meridians
Pathways of subtle energy that link and regulate the various structures, organs, and substances in the human body.
Taoism
The system of thought that looked at humans in relation to the whole universe. It had a big influence on Chinese medicine.
Yin and yang
In Chinese thought, the two primordial opposing yet interdependent cosmic forces.

Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Rebecca Frey
New Life Journal

Organizations
American Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (AFTCM). 505 Beach Street, San Francisco, CA 94133. (415) 776-0502. Fax: (415) 392-7003. aftcm@earthlink.net.