1. Food nutrition and dietary taboo wisdom : the historical origins of the traditional Chinese medicine view of diet
Tracing back the thousands of years of evolution of Chinese food civilization, the idea of “medicine and food come from the same origin” has always been present throughout it. As early as "Zhou Li Tianguan", "food medicine" was listed as the first among all doctors. He was specifically responsible for preparing the Six Foods and Six Diets of the King, laying the early theoretical foundation for dietary conditioning and disease taboos. Later generations, for example, there was a special article in "Qian Jin Yao Prescription·Food Cure" written by Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty, which stated that, "As a doctor, you must first understand the source of the disease, know its cause, and treat it with food." This is the profound insight that the Chinese people have about the balanced relationship between food and the body. Specifically for conditioning a specific constitution, the so-called "taboo" tip is not simply to avoid certain things, but to follow the four qi and five flavors of the food and follow the rules of the meridians, qi and blood in the human body, in order to achieve the purpose of regulating yin and yang of the human body. Items with high fat properties, such as the fatness of the traditional roast suckling pig called "cannonball", or the crispy flavor of the food called "oil cake" sold in the market. Although they are precious and delicious foods used in ancient rituals and celebrations, the overall characteristics of these foods are mostly greasy, which is more likely to cause phlegm and dampness symptoms, and it is also easy to block the flow of qi and blood in the human body. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were some people in Jiangnan who were well versed in dietary therapy. They clearly pointed out that greasy, sweet, mellow, and heavy-flavored foods could easily promote "internal heat", which was closely related to the disease "Zheng Jie" (similar to a certain symptom described in modern times) in women. They advocated the use of "thin taste" to nourish Qi and blood.
In ancient times, most of the rice eaten by ancestors was called "brown rice", which was not pounded very finely in order to preserve all the grain's essence. The kind of rice recommended in the Song Dynasty's "Shanjia Qinggong" was called "green rice", which was made by soaking rice with plant juices and then steaming it. It also had health-preserving significance. However, those overly elaborate snacks and sweet drinks, as mentioned in "Suixiju Diet Manual", present a situation where "sweetness can make people full". When consumed excessively, it will cause the Qi mechanism to be blocked and affect the release of Liver Qi. This influence will interfere with the normal state of menstruation. Processed meat, like the traditional Lingnan delicacy, also known as "cured meat", is produced due to the need for food preservation. It requires some air-drying and pickling work, and the salt content is relatively high. In ancient food customs, cured meats were mostly used as decorations during festivals, or as food to prepare for long-distance journeys. Cured meat is not a food that is often eaten every day, which is exactly in line with the modern saying of "eat less pickled food".
2. The Caution of Tea and Wine and the Valley of Promoting Qi : Dietary Sustainability and Taboos from Classical Recipes
The unique tea culture and wine culture have always been the essence of Chinese food etiquette and cultural exchanges. When the tea ceremony flourished in the Tang Dynasty, the "Tea Classic" written by Lu Yu determined its relevant regulations. However, ancient people also understood that the characteristics of tea are divided into cold and warm. For women with a weak and cold constitution or who are in their menstrual phase, traditional health-preserving concepts advocate drinking fresh tea and strong-flavored tea with caution, so as to prevent cold air from condensing blood vessels and aggravating abdominal pain. However, if you drink excessively, just as the "Health Preservation Essentials" warns, there is a saying, "Alcohol can be beneficial to people, but it is also the most harmful to people." The nature of alcohol is very strong, it can easily promote moisture in the body and generate heat, interfere with the liver's yang energy, affect the liver's function of storing blood and dispersing fluids, and is especially inappropriate for the regulation of women's internal organs.
Furthermore, "five vegetables are filling". In the Chinese dietary structure, vegetables and fruits play the role of replenishing grain energy by clearing and filling gaps. However, traditional dietary wisdom also pays attention to the "property" of the material itself and the adaptive relationship between the individual's physique. For example, beans are an extremely important edible grain in the process of integration between nomadic and farming peoples in the north. After stone mills were widely used in the Han Dynasty, processed derivatives such as tofu and tempeh greatly enriched the vegetarian diet in China. However, the characteristic of beans is that they are stagnant. If they are eaten too much, they will easily become "full" and cause flatulence. When ancient people cooked bean soup, they often used ginger and cumin to help circulate qi and reduce bloating. Another example is the cruciferous cabbage (cabbage) and turnip (turnip), which have been cultivated since the time of the Book of Songs. They are the main vegetables in the north during winter and spring. However, they are peaceful in nature. However, if they are eaten raw or in excess, people with weak spleen and stomach will inevitably feel bloated and stuffy. In ancient cooking, people often relied on stewing for a long time, or paired it with seasonings with warm and spicy flavors to neutralize its bias. This is the idea of "harmony" in cooking aesthetics.
3. Anti-inflammatory delicacies and menstruation-regulating grain delicacies : the nourishing philosophy in the Chinese food library
Abundant products are spread all over the land of China, which has given rise to the philosophy of food culture with profound heritage. Although there was no such name for the "anti-inflammatory" demand in modern times, it actually existed in ancient times. For example, the kind of fish that grows in deep oceans has gradually become a delicacy that is highly valued by people living along the coast since the Tang and Song Dynasties, as maritime trade activities and fishing technology continued to mature and develop. Flax was introduced after Zhang Qian traveled to the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty. The sesame oil extracted from it is not only the finishing touch in Northwest cuisine, but also has been regarded as "fairy bait" by those who follow Taoist health care. The reason is that it can moisturize and smooth the intestines and have a certain tonic effect on the liver and kidneys.
Moreover, grains, fruits and vegetables with high fiber characteristics have been the basic support of China's diet since ancient times. Among them, millet is called "ji", and miscellaneous grains such as sorghum, which is called "liang", were common foods used by ancestors to fill their stomachs. The grain energy they contain can make the intestines and stomach thicker and muscles more substantial. However, in Qilu cuisine, which has a unique cooking style, green onions and garlic are often used. With their unique pungent and dissipating properties, they are also helpful in promoting the flow of gas and thus allowing the flow of yang energy. Pomegranate is a fruit introduced from the Western Regions. It has always been regarded as an auspicious fruit in traditional wedding food customs because it has the symbolic meaning of many children and good fortune. Pomegranate tastes sour and sweet. Eating it can produce fluid and quench thirst. Although it is acidic and astringent, it also has nourishing effects. After the non-native tomato species entered the category of Chinese food, its part called "tomato juice" was integrated with a variety of cuisines, just like the dish "Tomato Scrambled Eggs" that is popular across the country. It is a typical example of the combination of different Chinese and Western ingredients. It contains very rich lycopene, which is in line with the antioxidant concept of modern nutrition.
Speaking of iron and blood nourishing, this is a specific aspect of caring for women in Chinese dietary etiquette. In the traditional "confinement meal" culture, ingredients such as red dates are cleverly used in the soup, longan is also cleverly used in the soup, brown sugar is also cleverly used in the soup, black fungus is also cleverly used in the soup, and animal blood like "blood tofu" is also cleverly used. It is used in soups, red dates are also cleverly used in dishes, longan is also cleverly used in dishes, brown sugar is also cleverly used in dishes, black fungus is also cleverly used in dishes, and animal blood like "blood tofu" is also cleverly used in dishes. Take "Maoxuewang" as an example. It is quite famous in the Sichuan and Chongqing regions, and its distinctive feature is its reputation for spicy food. However, duck blood, the main raw material of this dish, has been an ingredient that has the effect of clearing the lungs and nourishing blood since ancient times. There is also spinach, which was introduced to our country from abroad, that is, from Nepal in the Tang Dynasty. When it was first introduced, it was called "spinach". Why it was called that is because it has green leaves and red roots. Because of its unique appearance, the ancients believed that this vegetable could open blood vessels and open the heart and chest diaphragms. It coincides with the ancient people's health-preserving habit of "negative sun exposure", that is, when supplementing vitamin D, it is necessary to accept the sunshine appropriately, and also use fatty fish and egg yolks to assist. The application of egg yolks in traditional Su-style pastries and snacks, such as egg yolk cakes, achieves a clever combination of deliciousness and nutrition.
This humanistic connotation of food comes from ancient wisdom. It reminds us that the so-called conditioning is not a rigid dogma. It is an art of life. This art of life is integrated into three daily meals, adapts to the four seasons, and respects individual differences. With "harmony" as the beauty and "nurturing" as the basis, only in this way can we find long-term peace of body and spirit while savoring the fireworks of the world. Just as the ancients said, "The foundation of survival must depend on food." Such respect and dedication to food, after thousands of years, are still the most gentle and lasting power for us to protect our health.
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