Why the Chinese Don't Count Calories (25 page)

Traditional Chinese medicine distinguishes between foods that are also medicines and herbal medicine. In China, no one has any doubt that what you eat affects the state of your health, but some foods do more than just promote well being, they exert a specific influence on the workings of the body. Many of these foods are eaten daily and many more have been incorporated into medicinal recipes. Foods with medicinal properties, taken as part of the mixed diet nature intended, can be eaten on a regular basis without putting the body at risk.

Chinese herbalists have tested ingredients extensively on their own bodies. The most comprehensive work on actions of foods and herbs is Li Shizhen’s
Ben Cao Gang Mu
, which was published in 1578 and contains 2,000 entries. It was built on earlier publications, two of which, the
Canon of Herbs (Ben
Cao Jing)
of Shen Nong (‘the Father of Agriculture’) and
The
Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, Neijing Suwen
, date back about 2,000 years to the Han dynasty; they were published to consolidate the knowledge attributed to these legendary figures. The curative powers of traditional Chinese medicine are fascinating, though outside the scope of this book. Many of the ‘foods that are also medicines’ are packed full of health-giving properties as well as nutrients recognized by Western nutritionists – and they can be (and, in China, are) eaten every day.

A daily dose of good health

Chinese dietary therapy is all about eating foods that prevent disease, improve health and resistance and, by toning the organs, prolong life. Fortunately, many of the ingredients that make Chinese food taste so delicious are also good for the body. Ginger, spring onion and fermented black bean are believed to expel wind and therefore help prevent common colds. Garlic has similar properties but must be treated more carefully because it is also classified as a medicine in Chinese thinking. Ginger also helps digestion and disperses cold, so is used to cure many conditions related to too much cold in the body, such as rumbling of the intestines, diarrhoea and vomiting. Yet it is also capable of dispersing what is known as ‘superficial heat’ (near the body’s surface), so is great for nausea and travel sickness. By eliminating poisons it helps to make food safe to eat and was particularly valued prior to refrigeration. Chillies also promote digestion and dispel cold. Another property of garlic is to counteract toxic effects; if Chinese people feel that the hygiene standards in a restaurant are poor they will chew on a few cloves.

Sichuan peppercorns, one of my favourite spices, are good for the teeth as well as helping digestion by dispersing cold from the stomach. The fact that Sichuan peppercorns are known to expel roundworm is a bit of a bonus. Sesame seed, especially the less common black variety that is often sprinkled on
zhou
, benefits the hair and lubricates the intestines. The small green mung beans clear heat from the body and are often boiled into a soup-like green porridge or made into the popular
liang
pi
(‘cold skin’); mung beansprouts blanched and served in cold dishes or stir-fried might be more to theWestern taste.

If you like to include meat in your diet, there are a number of foods that Chinese dietary therapy recommends to make its nutrients more accessible to the body and ensure that it does not stagnate in the system. White daikon radish clears blockages in the body and, when combined with lamb and ginger, creates a dish that nourishes the body’s
yang
energy. Pork is stir-fried with lashings of coriander, which promotes digestion, or made into meatballs with minced ginger and water chestnuts, a combination that also helps eliminate congestion. In winter pork is stewed with cellophane noodles and cabbage. Cabbage stimulates the stomach and mung bean nourishes it. Hawthorn (
shanzha
) is particularly good for promoting the flow of
qi
and is recognized by Western medicine to help keep the arteries clear. It is frequently used in beef stews along with star anise, orange peel and cinnamon, all of which help the
qi
to circulate. Shitake mushrooms,which feature in almost all types of meat stew, as well as in soups, noodles and stir-fries, improve and strengthen the flow of
qi,
prevent hardening of the arteries and are believed to have anti-cancer properties.

Occasionally one of my cooking school students expressed concern about the amount of oil in Chinese cooking. I was always quick to point out that in China rich, fried dishes are always served alongside lighter soups and stews, but I also drew the class’s attention to the many ingredients Chinese chefs use to ensure their dishes are not indigestible.
Hui xiang
, a cross between dill and fennel, is great for the digestion. Where in the West these plants have been reduced to the status of a garnish,
hui xiang
is stuffed into the flat-breads and dumplings that are sold on every street corner in China. Another vegetable used in a similar way is Chinese chives, or
jiu cai
, which are bigger, flatter and stronger in flavour than the English equivalent: they promote the circulation of
qi
and more specifically regulate peristalsis of the intestine.

12.
Foods that work on the spleen and the spleen meridian.
The spleen extracts
qi
from food, separating the pure from the impure.

13.
Foods that work on the kidneys and the kidney meridian.
The
qi
from the kidneys, the body’s own ‘original’
qi
, helps the heart change
qi
into blood, which carries
qi
round the body.

At business meetings, get-togethers or in teahouses, walnuts are often used as a snack together with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and perhaps a few sour plums, figs or marinated quail’s eggs. Walnuts boost
qi
, nourish the hair and complexion and are believed to help the brain – as they look like one. Traditional Chinese medicine worked this out long before the West discovered essential fatty acids and Omega-3. Sunflower seeds regulate the action of the large intestine and figs strengthen the stomach. Quail’s eggs invigorate
qi
, replenish the blood and strengthen the muscles and bones.

14.
Foods that work on the lungs and the lung meridian.
The lungs take in
qi
from the air, separating the pure from the impure. The
qi
from the lungs then combines with the
qi
from the spleen/stomach, and is sent to the heart.

Foods for long life

A diet made up of the foods that nature has made available will benefit your body, especially if you use the acquired knowledge of Chinese food culture to eat them in the right combinations. I have explained how all foods tone and enter one or more organs, depending on their flavours, but some foods are also specifically recognized by Chinese dietary therapy to work on the meridians, that is, the channels which link the organs and carry the
qi
round the body, and in doing so stimulate the flow of
qi
. Weak or stagnant
qi
is the precursor of disease, whereas when
qi
flows freely, good health ensues. Because the
qi
that circulates in the body is made up of the
qi
that we breathe in from the air, the
qi
we obtain from food and the
yuan
, or original
qi
(or essence) of the kidneys that we are born with, foods that act on the lungs, spleen and kidney meridians are believed to promote long life.

The list is eclectic and there is no linking theme in terms of flavours or energies. Many of them have already cropped up before in this book for one or other of the many ways in which they promote good health. Some are easily accessible, others can only be found in specialist shops. For unfamiliar ingredients, I offer suggestions for using them both Chinese and Western style (see pages 29 and 160).

Putting it all to work

Some health-giving foods are a welcome addition to any family diet, while others may get a more mixed reception.
Long yan
(dragon-eye fruit), which is similar to lychee but with smoother skin and larger stone, goes down a treat, either as a snack or in sweet or savoury dishes.
Bai he
(lily bud) is sweet and crunchy with a slightly bitter aftertaste and is always well received. Lotus root is generally a successful addition to both hot and cold dishes. The long tuber known as
shan yao
(‘mountain medicine’), on the other hand, has little to recommend it in terms of flavour but can be disguised quite well in mashed potato.
Gou qi zi
(wolfberries) can be similarly hidden in carrot cake, or added to couscous along with a few raisins.

My family were quite keen on the sticky sweetened walnuts from the local market until some clever child read the packet and found out that the stickiness came from
er jiao
. Frequently used in traditional Chinese medicine,
er jiao
, or ‘donkey-hide gelatin’, is used with great effect to regulate the menstrual cycle and, although I hastily discarded them, I never heard the last of the ‘donkey bottom walnuts’.

Some herbs classified as ‘foods that are medicines’ need to be treated with respect. I once delighted my family with Shitake mushrooms stuffed with minced chicken, wolfberries,
ren shen
ginseng and
he shao wu
(or ‘multi-flowered knotweed tubers’). Tim thought they weren’t bad at all, so I told him that the
he shao wu
would stop him from going grey. In the event, though, the only immediate effect of the dish was to induce a severe attack of hiccups. I also felt tight across the chest. Undeterred, I started to use the same herbs in chicken stock. Then Sam finished a bowl of noodle soup and threw it straight back up. Six trips to the bathroom later, he had recovered.
Ren shen,
ginseng, is very
yang
, and
yang
, of course, means ‘upward and outward’. Speaking from experience, I advise you to use even familiar foods in moderation.

Traditional Chinese medicine

Generally, though, all the foods mentioned in this chapter can, and should, be eaten regularly to keep your body fit and well. Chinese dietary therapy can also help with specific conditions, but while you are pretty safe taking ginger tea for nausea or scrambling eggs with garlic if you have diarrhoea, I do not recommend self-diagnosis for more serious complaints. Chinese medicine is a complex subject and an illness that manifests itself in one area may be attributable to an imbalance somewhere completely different. However, Chinese doctors can be found on practically every high street, and often offer a free first consultation. If you are suffering from a condition, however minor, that Western medicine has not been able to cure, it may well be worth your while making a visit to one.