For the past five millennia, historical documents point to the fact that the Chinese people have been constantly searching for medical cures and the secrets of health in food.
If we pore through the pages of Chinese history, we can observe that in the kitchens of each of the emperors of China, there always was a medical consultant to assist the chef.
Chinese food therapy in Overland Park works on the theory that mirrors that of Chinese herbal medicine and, obviously, food therapy, is not a recommended form of treatment for medical emergencies. Nonetheless, its aim is to help strengthen and maintain the health of the body in the long term. For example, while certain medication can help treat mild abdominal conditions, they can also be treated by avoiding certain types of food and by following the right eating habits. Therefore, you can avoid drugs if you know there is an equally effective and safer alternative.
In China, the meaning of ‘healthy eating’ is totally different from that in the States. Healthy eating is not about practicing healthy eating habits or eating healthy food, what it actually means is to eat certain dishes or ‘give your body a much needed nutritious boost’, to help mitigate health problems.
Thousands of years ago, the Chinese people have started looking at all these beneficial ‘healthy recipes’. Today, there are restaurants in China that exclusively serve these kinds of special dishes, and some other conventional restaurants have begun incorporating some of them in their menus.
In the book stores and online stores in that country, you will find the word ‘Yang Sheng’ everywhere. This term traditionally means to prevent illness, boost the health of the body and maintain health in order to have a long healthy life. ‘Yang’ refers to ‘nourishing the body, and for nursing problems, and maintenance while ‘Sheng’ refers to ‘growth, existence, and life.’
Half a decade ago, most of the Chinese people were living a much poorer life, and the most important thing for them was to put food on the table every day. Today, with the rise of the Chinese economy, you can now buy all kinds of foods in the markets. The foods that were once “rich” and only available to royalty were no longer unattainable by the masses. Definitely, the food culture in that country has been considerably ‘revamped’.
Those royal recipes can be different to what one would prepare on an everyday basis. The means of mixing the ingredients is different, as well as the method of combining various recipes in a single meal. There are ingredients that are difficult to find and are quite expensive but most foods are widely available in the markets and sold at very reasonable prices.
Some hard to find and expensive foods such as rare wild mushrooms may need to be cooked and combined with other ingredients in a certain way, or else, they will not give out the desired benefits. On the other hand, when they are cooked in the right way and mixed with the right ingredients cheaper food products, can have the same nutritional value as the more expensive ones. But if the combination is wrong, then the result might not be as good as one might want. For instance, beef or lamb are extremely good for nourishing the blood in your body, but if you eat watermelon or fresh red veggies afterwards, then the nutritional value of the beef or lamb can be reduced.