How to Eat Medicinal Diets to Truly "Nourish"
In today's emphasis on health preservation, many hotels are promoting "medicinal diets" and "nourishing hot pot" to attract customers. However, experts remind the public that not everyone can eat medicinal diets. Improper consumption of medicinal diets not only fails to nourish and strengthen the body, but may also harm one's health.
Many hotels claim that the Chinese herbs in medicinal diets can assist in treating certain diseases or have health benefits, and that consuming medicinal diets can treat diseases or promote fitness. This has attracted many customers. A few days ago, the local consumer protection agency received a complaint from Mr. Zhang. When he was dining at a restaurant, he consumed a mushroom stew recommended by the waiter, claiming to have the effects of nourishing the skin and enhancing digestion. However, he felt uncomfortable in his abdomen after eating only half of it.
According to some restaurant operators, the majority of hotel employees do not have knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. They simply add herbs such as ginseng, angelica, and goji berries to the food to create so-called medicinal diets, following the current trend. Due to the lack of strict standards in production processes and ingredient criteria, as well as the lack of expert evaluation, it is difficult to determine the nourishing effects of these diets.
Some restaurants randomly mix ingredients for their medicinal diets, and some even violate the properties of the herbs, posing hidden risks to consumers' health. For example, ginseng is a good nourishing herb, but it has a warm and moist nature. It is suitable for replenishing qi and can be used for conditions like spleen deficiency. However, it is not suitable for people with yang heat constitution or certain chronic diseases. The expert advises consumers not to blindly consume various so-called medicinal diets, and to carefully choose based on the effects of the diet and their own constitution, in order to avoid causing illness by consuming medicinal diets.
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of dosage. The dosage directly affects the efficacy of the medicine. Without proper dosage, blind usage can lead to serious consequences. There have been cases where people have brewed 20 grams of ginseng in a soup, which resulted in cerebral hemorrhage. Such incidents are not uncommon.
Every person's physical condition is different, and the use of Chinese herbs in dishes should vary according to individual needs. One should not assume that as long as it is a medicinal diet, anyone can achieve the nourishing effect. For example, overweight individuals tend to have excessive yin and deficient yang, so they should avoid consuming nourishing foods such as tremella fungus, bird's nest, jade bamboo, caterpillar fungus, and turtle shell. Thin people tend to have deficient yin and excessive yang, so they should avoid consuming warming and tonifying foods such as Eucommia bark, horny goat weed, lamb, and dog meat, as it may be detrimental to their health.
People say that beauty comes from nourishment. One of the main ways to nourish oneself is through "eating." Eating delicious food is a priority, and eating healthily is a matter of course. Without a doctor's prescription, how should one eat medicinal diets? Traditional Chinese medicine has always advocated the concept of "medicinal food homology." Although medicinal diets are not something new, eating them properly is the key to their effectiveness.
Eating Medicinal Diets: Right and Wrong
(×) Medicinal diets are beneficial to the body, so one should eat more of them.
Everyone knows that Western medicine has strict dosage guidelines. Some people think that Chinese medicine has little or no toxicity, so they do not pay attention to the dosage. They stir-fry fennel when they buy it, boil porridge with a handful of goji berries, or stew soup with a few pieces of ginseng. This is incorrect and dangerous.
(√) If medicinal diets are not categorized according to their properties, they will not treat diseases and may even worsen the condition.
Chinese herbs have four natures: cold, hot, warm, and cool, and it is necessary to determine the properties of the herbs when preparing medicinal diets. Randomly mixing herbs will reduce their efficacy or have the opposite effect. For example, Huangqi (astragalus root) and chicken soup is a nourishing dish as Huangqi is warm and tonifies qi, and chicken is also a warm and tonifying ingredient. It is beneficial for those with deficient qi and weak constitution. However, if someone with a wind-heat cold consumes it, it can worsen the cold and even cause a nosebleed.
(×) Medicinal vegetables can be eaten regardless of the season.
Throughout the year, the climate changes from mild in spring to hot in summer, dry in autumn, and cold in winter. Just as the seasons differ, the medicinal herbs used in dishes should also vary. If medicinal herbs are used in dishes without considering the season, their consumption may be inappropriate and even harmful. For example, Angelica sinensis and lamb soup is a dish that nourishes blood and promotes blood circulation. However, both ingredients have warm and hot properties, making it suitable for winter nourishment. In the hot summer weather, it is not suitable to consume such a dish. If consumed, it can cause excessive heat and even lead to heatstroke.
(√) Medicinal diets are not like regular dishes; there are rules for herb compatibility.
Due to the different natures and flavors of Chinese herbs, the cooking method is highly emphasized when making herbal soups. The order of adding herbs is strictly regulated. The same applies to preparing medicinal diets. Some people cook meat with mint together, which is incorrect. Mint has a warm and aromatic nature, and its aroma easily dissipates during long cooking, which reduces its efficacy. The correct approach is to cook the meat first and add the mint for the last 5 minutes of stewing.
Making Medicinal Diets Fragrant in All Seasons
According to traditional Chinese medicine, medicinal diets can be consumed throughout the year, but the choice of ingredients should be based on individual constitution and seasonal climate. Here are some commonly used ingredients for medicinal diets recommended according to seasonal characteristics to help you maintain health throughout the year.
Spring: As the weather warms up and everything comes to life, it is suitable to use ingredients like fresh ginseng, American ginseng, prince ginseng, codonopsis, goji berries, and astragalus to promote qi circulation and vitality, such as simmered chicken with astragalus.
Summer: As the weather becomes hot, it is suitable to use ingredients like patchouli, perilla, lotus seeds, mint, and mung beans to nourish yin and relieve heat, such as tremella fungus and mung bean porridge.
Autumn: As the climate becomes dry, it is suitable to use ingredients like honeysuckle, dwarf lilyturf, cordyceps, lily, white fungus, honey, and autumn pear to moisten dryness and calm the wind, such as rock sugar white fungus soup and honey-glazed lily bulbs.
Winter: As the weather becomes cold, it is suitable to use ingredients like isatis root, Chinese yam, danggui (Chinese angelica), jujube, longan, walnut, chestnut, and eucommia bark to warm and tonify the body, such as lamb and danggui hot pot and stir-fried pork kidneys with eucommia bark.
TIPS: Multiple Approaches to Nourishment
Chinese medicine emphasizes the importance of nourishing through food, exercise, and mental cultivation to enhance vitality and resistance to diseases, allowing one to overcome illness and aging.
When consuming medicinal diets, it is important to not only choose the appropriate types but also regularly change the varieties. It is not advisable to consume only one type of medicinal diet for a long time, as it can affect the body's yin-yang balance and lead to illness. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine believes that "food nourishment is better than medicinal nourishment, physical exercise is better than food nourishment, and mental cultivation is better than physical exercise."
