In the cold winter season, with the weather getting colder, medicinal cuisine has become popular. Many customers like to choose dishes with health benefits as their first choice for nourishment. However, there is a lot to learn about eating medicinal cuisine. Not every chef can make it, and not everyone is suitable to eat it.
【Regulations on Medicinal Cuisine】
There are regulations on medicinal cuisine in China. Since the 1970s, the Ministry of Health has successively announced 79 types of medicinal ingredients that can be used in food. Now, there are many more types available in the market, over a hundred. Some herbs are incompatible with certain foods and should not be consumed together. For example, when consuming lily grapefruit to treat chronic bronchitis, it is not advisable to eat rapeseed, radish, or fish and shrimp.
【Examples of Misconceptions】
Miss Li heard that medicinal cuisine is beneficial for health, so she went to eat ginseng chicken. However, that night, she felt dry mouth and had to drink two to three glasses of water to quench her thirst. She also couldn't sleep well the whole night. In fact, this is a case of "hot" in the body, which can cause restlessness and affect sleep. Experts warn that young people with good health should not take excessive supplements.
【Common Taboos in Medicinal Cuisine】
Let's take the four common medicinal dishes of astragalus stewed chicken, pineapple chicken slices, sugar lotus soup, and deer head soup as examples. The way of consumption is very particular. Astragalus stewed chicken is best consumed in spring, pineapple chicken slices are a summer delicacy, deer head soup is best for winter, and sugar lotus soup is ideal for autumn. Regardless of the season, these four dishes have different effects. Pineapple chicken slices and sugar lotus soup are suitable for those with a balanced yin and yang and good health, while astragalus stewed chicken is a medicinal dish that enhances immunity. Deer head soup is suitable for those with yang deficiency and fear of cold, and should be avoided by those with yin deficiency and excessive internal heat.
【Don't Eat Medicinal Cuisine Blindly】
When it comes to medicinal cuisine, many consumers are blindly pursuing health benefits. However, what you may not know is that if medicine is mixed into food, it should not be eaten casually, especially for long-term consumption. It may not only be ineffective for health preservation but also be harmful to the body.
Of course, there are also some common medicinal dishes that have long been consumed by the general public, and eating them is harmless and beneficial to health. For example, stir-fried lily (clears the lungs and relieves cough), chrysanthemum tea (clears heat and improves eyesight), longan porridge (strengthens the spleen and nourishes the kidneys), hawthorn cake (digests food and nourishes the blood), red bean porridge (strengthens the spleen and detoxifies), mung bean porridge (clears heat and diuresis), etc. These medicinal dishes can be consumed by ordinary people, as well as those with various illnesses. However, some medicinal dishes are specifically formulated for patients and should not be consumed by ordinary people.
