Chinese dietetics

INTRODUCTION

TO CHINESE DIETETICS

Chinese dietetics, also known as Yin Shi (饮食), emphasizes the age-old principle that “food is your first medicine”, as the ancient Chinese doctors used to say. Thanks to simple, economical methods, Chinese dietetics can help prevent disease and restore balance.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that we should start eating jellyfish or dog, but rather that we should apply the theoretical principles of Chinese dietetics to your own foods, giving preference to those from your own terroir.

The way these foods are cut, prepared, cooked and combined has been meticulously studied by Chinese dieticians for thousands of years. So, before resorting to medication, attention is first paid to the patient’s daily diet.”

A LITTLE HISTORY

CHINESE DIETETICS

“Chinese dietetics derives from Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy that seeks to understand nature in order to achieve immortality, synonymous with longevity. According to this philosophy, man finds himself between Heaven (YANG) and Earth (YIN), and it’s essential to understand both in order to use them for the benefit of human health. As a result, the study of foods, known as dietetics, and that of medicinal plants have become distinct disciplines within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

THE PRINCIPLES

CHINESE DIETETICS

The basic principles of Chinese dietetics are relatively simple. Over centuries of studying the effects of food on the human body, the Chinese discovered the energetic properties of each food and classified them as follows:

Their nature: Cold or Fresh, Neutral, Warm or Hot. Depending on their intrinsic nature, foods help to regulate the human body’s temperature, helping to rebalance it in the event of an energy imbalance. However, overconsumption of a particular type of food can also lead to imbalance.
Their flavours: Sweet, Spicy, Salty, Acidic, Bitter, Insipid. Each flavor is associated with a specific organ (for example, acid is linked to the Liver, bitter to the Heart, etc.). Each of these flavors has specific healing properties (for example, Sweet can soothe or strengthen, Bitter can detoxify or purge, etc.). However, if abused, they can also cause imbalances and disorders.
Their recipient meridians: Lung, Kidney, Liver, Heart meridians, etc. When you wish to treat a specific organ, choose foods that act on the energy meridian associated with that organ.

A FEW ESSENTIAL RULES

CHINESE DIETETICS

Chinese dietetics is based on personalized diagnoses, but also includes general guidelines essential for maintaining the body’s balance and preventing disease:

Choose quality food: The origin of food and the way it is grown influences its vitality and, consequently, its nutritional value.
Preserve the food’s vitality: Eat food as quickly as possible, as its vitality diminishes over time.
Practice temperance: Eat lightly and only fill your stomach to 75%. Overfeeding can have a negative impact on your longevity.
Stick to a regular schedule of three meals a day: Maintaining fixed mealtimes helps preserve your energy by avoiding excessive digestion.
Choose seasonal and local products.
Limit consumption of raw foods and cold drinks: vegetables should be lukewarm and lightly cooked for better assimilation and preservation of nutrients. Drinking warm water during meals also promotes effective digestion.
Reduce meat consumption: In Chinese dietetics, animal products play a limited but essential role in a balanced diet. It is recommended to consume meat only during three meals per week.