Many ingredients of Chinese cuisine are very healthy. For example, soy contains all the essential amino acids that humans need but cannot produce themselves. One cup of soy contains hardly any fat, but about as much protein as a 150-gram steak and is therefore very popular, especially among vegetarians. Rice, which is never missing from any meal, also contains no fat, but plenty of vitamins and minerals. Due to the high proportion of carbohydrates, rice is a good satiator, stimulates digestion and has a dehydrating effect.
Tea: health and cultural value
Tea, which is part of almost every Asian meal, is also good for the body. The polyphenols found in black and green tea reduce the risk of tooth decay. In addition, tea contains vitamins, trace elements and flavonoids, which are said to have cancer-preventing effects. Although the mechanism of action has not yet been fully proven, it is documented that in countries where a lot of tea is drunk, certain types of cancer occur less frequently.
Social component
Even if much of what is common in Chinese cuisine, such as grasshoppers, shark brains, chicken feet and scorpions, is unlikely to find widespread use here any time soon, there is a lot to learn from the Middle Kingdom, nutritionist Schmidt finds:
“This applies above all to the way meals are prepared and enjoyed. The meal is a sociable affair, many different courts are arranged in the center of the table and everyone fills itself from everything into its Ess-Schälchen. A lot of time is taken for the meals, which are additionally decelerated by eating with chopsticks. Eating slowly ensures that you don’t eat more than your body needs to be full, and you don’t overwhelm it with digestive work.”
So it is only logical that in China, instead of a good appetite, people wish to “man man chi” – “Eat slowly.”
