The holistic nutritional theory is an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Food is important for the Chinese above all to gain life energy, the so-called Qi, and therefore elementary for health and well-being. Health complaints try the Chinese primarily by a different lifestyle, especially by a change in diet.
You are what you eat
From a Chinese perspective, there is no clear distinction between medicines and foods. Foods are considered mild therapeutics in China. Everything edible has what is called qi power, which tells how and where the food affects a person. Thus, food can influence a disturbance of qi in the human organism and disturb or restore harmony in the body.
Thus, Chinese cuisine aims not only to be pleasurable, but to be healing. However, there is no such thing as one Chinese cuisine, just as there is no such thing as a European cuisine, because the taste preferences are very different in the various parts of the country with its 1.3 billion inhabitants: “Salty in the north, sweet in the east, mild in the south and spicy in the west,” is how a Chinese proverb describes the cuisine.
What all regions have in common is that food is generally highly valued. People don’t wish each other a good day, but ask as a greeting, “Have you eaten yet?” Although the formula dates back to a time when being full was not a matter of course, it is still widely used today.
Components of nutrition
Explaining the basic features and ingredients of Chinese cuisine that are common to all regions, TK nutrition expert Schmidt says: “The basis of healthy Chinese cuisine is the use of fresh foods in all directions equally. What makes the food so healthy, moreover, is above all the balanced proportion of vegetables, meat and rice.”
Unlike in our country, where meat often makes up the bulk of a meal and vegetables, rice and potatoes are relegated to minor side dishes. In addition, low-fat and gentle preparation, short frying in a wok, blanching and steaming in a bamboo basket preserve the nutrients for longer. Baking and deep-frying, on the other hand, are restrained.
“The Chinese don’t dissect their food for nutritional value, carbohydrate, vitamin and fat content. They do not count calories and do not rely on constantly changing nutritional trends as is often the case in the Western world. Rather, the focus is on the quality, taste, smell and color of the food,” explains Maike Schmidt.
