Winter weather makes it tricky to maintain a regular exercise routine or a healthy diet. How can we avoid the extra weight gain and bad eating habits? A Chinese regimen. From the Yin Yang balance of human body to the use of edible herbs, these Chinese recipes have combined effective and organic elements to keep any collegiette healthy and warm.
1. Avoid the ‘Yin’ food: For Chinese, Yin and Yang are the two elements that keep our bodies balanced. It’s like the sun and the moon. Similarly, we categorize food as ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ according to their nature. During winter, we must strengthen the ‘Yang’ in our system, which one can see as heating up the ‘inner sun’. To achieve that, we must try to avoid some of the ‘Yin’ foods. Fruits: pears, watermelon, kiwi, etc. Vegetables: cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. Meat: duck, fish, etc. If you have to eat one of said ‘Yin’ foods, make sure you combine it with a ‘Yang’ food so that you can neutralize the harm to the body and maintain your body temperature.
2. Best time for stew: One common dish that all Chinese winter menus offer is the meat and vegetable medley-stew. Mutton potato, beef carrots, pork-chop taro, etc. make up this tasty concoction, but there is more to this simple dish than meets the eye. The reason why Chinese like to try out different combinations with root tubers (potato, tapioca, taro) and red meat is that both ingredients offer maximum energy but add little burden to the body. All the vegetables and meat are half melted within the stew; therefore, it’s easier for the body to absorb the nutrients. According to scientific research, foods tend to have high satiety in non-solid form. So, without too much intake of the stew, you can stay full for a very long time. Less intake, less weight gain.
3. Drink your fruit and grains: This winter, let me offer you something more organic and refreshing: fruit and grain juice! Unlike western juices, which are squeezed in the juicier, the Chinese concept of ‘juice’ is a mixture of ingredients boiled in water. Usually, the Cantonese call this ‘tang shui,’ which contains jujube and rice. Another common combo is barley with hawthorn or black beans. Instead of packing-in the calories, this drink heats up the body by fastening the blood circulation. Furthermore, the same ingredients can be boiled over and over again until all the flavor is gone, then you can still eat them. In other words, nothing is wasted with this juicing technique.
So, stop snuggling with your cocoa and cakes. Try to out this exotic Oriental diet style, heat up your body, and, most importantly, stay healthy!
Photo Credit:
1)Source: Shutterstock Copyright: L.F