Chinese Food Therapy
By Rose Salas
中国的食疗法
中国的食疗法是一种长期形成并传承的概念，中国有大量文献证明食疗的益处，包括如何延年益寿和保持健康。
天然食物作为药物时，通过食用谷物，肉类，水果和蔬菜等天然食物来保持营养均衡，防止人体出现复杂的健康问题，被称为中国营养疗法，他们的关键是保持均衡饮食，而不是服用药物。
中国营养学或食疗法学说解释，医学和食物有共同的起源。食物可以作为治疗疾病的替代药物，因为食物材料可以治疗医学无法治愈的疾病。为了进一步说明这个观点，我们先将食物分为“热性食物”或“凉性食物”。
热性食物是指通常与高热量含量相关的食物，在高温下烹饪，颜色看起来像红色或橙色。这些食物具有独特的苦味或辛辣味。它可以是红肉，油炸食品或酒精。吃热性食物可以治疗你的身体，如苍白，贫血，疲劳，或身体虚弱，寒战或流感。这些食物不宜在炎热的天气下食用，特别是在夏季。
凉性食物是指在药理上具有清热、泻火、解毒等药性功能的食物。常见的凉性食物是蔬菜和绿叶蔬菜，可以治疗皮肤松弛或发红，皮疹，喉咙痛，胃灼热和消化不良等疾病。每种食物的风味和味道对身体有特定的影响，并且可以针对不同的器官。
对于长寿，季节性食物被认为是最好的。在中国传统的历史中，人们在每个季节高产的食物中沉迷和饱腹。冬天的汤有助于避免流感和感冒。成分的营养成分可以调节身体对抗疾病。在春天，绿色蔬菜和季节性的豆芽如芦笋配上新鲜的酸汁，可以清除体内的毒素，去除多余的脂肪。对于夏季，任何水样都可以滋润身体，缓解与炎热季节相关的疾病。在秋季，任何蔬菜或水果产品都可以吃，以保持健康和良好的身体。
即使到目前为止，人们仍然不会妥协选择高度加工的或即食的食品。这就是全球人们认识和欣赏中国文化饮食和营养治疗理念的原因。
Chinese Food therapy is a concept that has long been formed and passed on with a mix of folk views and the therapeutic benefit of foods when used as medicine. There is abundant literature in China, proving how food treats a wide array of disorders and illnesses, including how one can have an extended and long, healthy life. The ancient dietary text is found in the book written by Sun Simiao during the Tang Dynasty - Prescription Worth a Thousand Gold.
Natural food, when used as a medicine, can bring healing to a weakened and frail body. Also known as Chinese Nutrition therapy, maintaining balance through nutrition will keep a person from getting into complicated health problems through the feeding and nourishing of natural food like grains, meat, fruits, and vegetables. The key is to maintain a balanced diet. This means eating everything in an appropriate proportion to supply energy in the body, maintain its normal function, and get cured of sickness quickly. Instead of taking medicine, it is better to supplement the body with organic food that can heal from within. If a person’s ailment is under control, it is advisable to eat the right food than to take medicine.
For the body to maintain its normal functions, the right amount of vitamins and nutrients should be taken. Staying away from starvation and overeating is beneficial, because it causes the body to become susceptible to sickness, make the immunity down, and insufficiency or loss of energy and blood.
The doctrine of Chinese Nutrition or Diet Therapy explains that medicine and food has a common origin. Food can be an alternative medicine to healing sickness, because the food materials can treat medical disorders. To illustrate further, food can be classified as "heating" (热; 熱; rè) or "cooling" (凉; 涼; liáng).
Heating refers to the hot food that is often associated with high-caloric content, cooked in high heat, and the color looks hot like red or orange. These foods have a distinct taste of bitterness or spiciness. It can be red meats, deep-fried foods, or alcohol. Eating hot foods can treat your bodies of cold illnesses, such as paleness, anaemia, fatigue, or weakening of the body, chills, or flu. These foods should not be eaten on hot weather, especially during the summer season.
Cooling foods are the greens and leafy vegetables and can treat diseases like flakiness or redness of the skin, skin rashes, sore throats, heartburn, and indigestion. The flavour and taste of each food has a specific effect on the body and can target the organ that is suffering. For instance, eating bitter foods can reduce excessive body fluids, whereas sour-tasting foods can control diarrhoea and excessive sweating due to emollient effects.
For longevity, seasonal foods are considered the best. In the history of Chinese tradition, people are indulging and satiating in foods which are highly produced in each season. Soups in the winter are good for avoiding the flu and colds. The nutrients of the ingredients can condition the body to fight off diseases. During spring, the green vegetables and seasonal sprouts, like asparagus, paired with fresh sour juices can cleanse the body of toxins and remove excess fats. For the summer season, anything watery can hydrate the body and relieve sicknesses associated with a hot season. During autumn, any vegetable or fruit produced can be eaten to have a healthy and well-maintained body.
Even up to this day, people won’t still compromise their choice for highly-processed and instant food. That is the reason why globally people recognize and admire the Chinese culture for its concept of dietary and nutrition therapy. This holistic approach to self-wellness by eating the right kind of food not just treats the disease; moreover, it aims to cure the whole person mentally, physically, even emotionally.
