Chinese food therapy.docVIP

Chinese food therapy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Redirected from Food therapy) Chinese food therapy is a practice of healing using natural foods instead of medications. Chinese food therapy is a modality of traditional Chinese medicine, also known as Chinese Nutrition therapy. It is particularly popular among Cantonese people who enjoy slow-cooked soups. One of the most commonly known is a rice soup that goes by many names including congee and jook. This is a traditional breakfast of Asian people all over the world. Congee recipes vary infinitely, depending upon the desired health benefits as well as taste. Chinese food therapy dates back as early as 2000 BC. However, proper documentation was only found around 500 BC. The Yellow Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine also known as the Niejing, which was written around 300 BC, was most important in forming the basis of Chinese food therapy. It classified food by four food groups, five tastes and by their natures and characteristics. Contents [hide] 1 Philosophy about Food 2 Cantonese classification of food 3 Some common food therapy items and recipes 3.1 Bird nest 3.2 Korean or Chinese ginseng 3.3 American ginseng 3.4 A Cantonese cough remedy 4 See also [edit] Philosophy about Food The ideas of yin and yang are used in the sphere of food and cooking. Yang foods are believed to increase the bodys heat (eg. raise the metabolism), while Yin foods are believed to decrease the bodys heat (eg. lower the metabolism). As a generalization, Yang foods tend to be dense in food energy, especially energy from fat, while Yin foods tend to have high water content. The Chinese ideal is to eat both types of food to keep the body in balance. A person eating too much Yang food might suffer from acne and bad breath while a person lacking Yang food might be lethagic or anemic. As a separate categorization, some foods are considered to be especially restorative/healing to the body. [edit] Cantonese classification of fo