Guest guest Posted March 11, 2000 Report Share Posted March 11, 2000 _____ LETTER FROM CHINA March '00 (1) A newsletter on and modern China by Dagmar Riley ______ In this issue: THE 5 ELEMENTS ....(A)Short Revision ....(B)Balancing Liver Disharmonies - 2: Nutrition BEIJING MEMOIRS OF MY CANADIAN FRIEND ROBIN ....visiting the Muslim part of town DISCLAIMER SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE information ______ Please feel free to FORWARD this newsletter to friends. ______ A)SHORT REVISION: The 5 Elements are a symbol for the 5 basic energies of the Universe. The 5 Elements are: Wood - Fire - Earth - Metal - Water. The Element WOOD is associated with: Spring - Birth - Anger - Wind - Liver - Gallbladder - Eyes - sour. Balancing Liver Disharmonies includes 3 aspects: *your lifestyle including stress reduction, energy work and dealing with your emotions. *nutrition (nutrition is part of your lifestyle, but it's a large enough issue to be treated separately) *medical (self-)treatment including herbal products, acupuncture, acupressure and foot massage. For BACK ISSUES of this series, please visit http://www.topica.com/lists/Letter-from-China or send an e-mail to gesund2000 B)BALANCING LIVER DISHARMONIES - 2: Nutrition In this issue, we will look at the second aspect: Nutrition. " Oh no, nutrition! Another of those theories... " This is how many people, most of them quite health conscious, react when I mention nutrition, and I quite agree: There are so many nutrition-theories, all of them claiming to be right, most of them contradicting other theories. No wonder we are sceptical, especially the ones amongst us who have actually tried them and didn't suddenly feel as great and wonderful as it promised in the book. What went wrong? After learning about the 5 Elements we know what went wrong: Except some very common sense guidelines (eat fresh food instead of canned/processed food, don't overcook your food, don't overeat, don't drink ice-cold drinks) nutrition is highly personal. What makes us feel good doesn't necessarily agree with somebody else, because his body type is different, his imbalances are different, and so are his nutritional needs. We all know that there IS a better way to eat for us, because we have experienced meals that have been " just right " for us: * they have made us feel energized and content, instead of feeling sluggish, tired and bloated. * we have felt a nice, warm energy in our bodies. * we felt that that meal gave us exactly what we needed, so that we didn't crave for anything else for the next few hours. * our digestion thanked us by expelling our waste quickly and efficiently, and we felt light and clean inside. Chinese nutrition-theory is open and flexible: The 5 Element Theory allows you to recognize both your body/personality-type and your current imbalances. As everything in the universe, also food is classified according to the 5 Elements, which makes it possible for you to select your food according to your personal situation and needs. As with all other Chinese tradition, also Chinese nutrition-theory is based on balance rather than quantity of certain nutrients. How, then, can food be classified according to the 5 Elements? Classification is according to 2 principles: 1. Yin and Yang, including the 4 energies of food: hot and warm (Yang), cool and cold (Yin). 2. The 5 Flavours: sweet - earth bitter - fire sour - wood pungent - metal salty - water " Sour " , for example, has a natural affinity to Wood and the internal organs associated with Wood: The Liver and the Gallbladder. When suffering from Liver or Gallbladder imbalances, it is beneficial to eat foods classified as " sour " , such as chicken, vinegar or parsley (Yang foods), or yoghurt, tomato or spinach (Yin foods), as they will influence the Wood organs. Yang foods are stimulants and generate heat. They are used in winter, cold climates and in cases of " cold " diseases and Yang deficiency syndromes. People that suffer from Yang deficiency or " cold " imbalances, or so-called Yin types, * easily feel cold, even when they sweat * feel more comfortable in warm climates and seasons * tend to fell dull pain in cases of pain * if they feel pain it is alleviated by pressure or warmth * don't like to eat cold foods and feel invigorated after a hot soup or hot drink. * have a tendency to be tired and never feel completely refreshed after sleep. * have a weak immune system, are not easily motivated, and feel a need for stimulants like coffee. An example of a Liver imbalance that falls in the category of cold imbalances is " Stagnation of cold in the Liver channel " . Because the pain in the area of the scrotum, lower abdomen and testicles occurring in this imbalance is relieved with application of warmth, it is a typical " cold " pain. Yin foods are calming and cool the organs. They are used in summer, hot climates, and in cases of " hot " diseases like fever, carbuncles, hypertension etc. People that tend to suffer from " hot " diseases, or so-called Yang types, * easily feel hot * have a strong desire for liquids, easily feel thirsty * when having pain tend to feel pulsating, violent pain * if they feel pain it is not alleviated by touch or warmth * tend to have a red face * are (hyper)active * have a dominant personality and loud voice * love cool drinks and foods * often have dry skin An example of a Liver imbalance that falls into this category is " Liver fire flaming up " , with the typical symptoms: strong headaches, blood-shot eyes, red face, irritability, outbursts of anger, bleeding from the nose, coughing up blood, dry mouth, dry stools, sparse urine, etc. The questions to ask are: What kind of energy does this food provide (hot/warm or cool/cold) and what parts of the body does it nourish or have an affinity to? A person that suffers from a Wood imbalance that falls into the " hot " category would therefore chose vegetables, meat, spices, drinks and fruit that fall into the " sour - Yin " category. The aim is to regain a harmonious energy for each organ. Harmony never means " the more the better " but rather " just enough " . Avoid excessive consumption of any food type: Even if you are a Yin type, if you are excessively and exclusively eat Yang food, constipation, sore areas in the mouth, pimples etc can result. The same goes, by the way, for the excessive consumption of Yang tonics (a males' favourite in China): A tonic is only a tonic if it fills a need, otherwise, it becomes poison. One point of attention: It is possible to be, for example, a general Yin type but still temporarily suffer from a " hot " disease. In this case, use cool but not cold foods, and go with the advice of your best doctor: Your body's intuition. Whether you are a Wood type or not, there are some general guidelines for Yin and Yang types of all 5 Element categories: Rebalancing the Yin type: * Eat cooked food rather than raw foods. Although raw foods can be extremely healthy, you will have difficulty digesting them if you are a cold Yin type, and everything that cannot be digested by the body becomes a poison. All food has to be heated by the body to a specific temperature in order to be properly digested, and the colder the food the more heat the body has to provide. To help your body with this task, warm your food (only a short time is enough): Stir-frying your vegetables at a high temperature for only 2 minutes (the vegetables should still be crunchy) will heat them up sufficiently but still preserve the vegetables' valuable enzymes. During summer, also Yin types can eat raw foods. However, both Yin and Yang types should never consume ice-cold drinks! * Regularly drink hot soups and beverages. Taking your drinks hot will both warm your body and stimulate circulation, helping your body to expel excess water from your tissues. * Predominantly (but not exclusively) eat food classified as warm or hot. Rebalancing the Yang type: * Eat a lot of raw foods. * Always have fresh salads with your meal, especially if you eat a meat dish. * Be careful with meat, most of which is classified as a Yang food. Only eat small-cut pieces in a meal of vegetables rather than a big steak. Try substituting fish for meat. * Eat foods that naturally contain a lot of moisture. * Avoid spicy-hot and greasy or deep-fried foods. * Predominantly eat Yin foods. * Alcohol and coffee are Yang foods. If you must drink alcohol or coffee be careful to also drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and to rebalance your Yin. The next issue will list Wood foods classified into cold, cool, warm and hot, and provide a sample Wood recipe. *********************Ad 1******************************* Astronomy Digest is a Free Monthly On-Line Astronomy Magazine with Current Astronomy News, Product Reviews, and much more. http://astronomydigest.com *********************Ad 2******************************* How well do you know movie plots? See if you can take the challenge. Subscribe today to the FREE newsletter namethatmovie. Simply send an email, with in the body of the message to namethatmovie You can also visit our archives at http://namethatmovie.freeservers.com *********************End Ad***************************** ______ BEIJING MEMOIRS OF MY CANADIAN FRIEND ROBIN [i had the opportunity, over the past year, to visit China. My husband is a refrigeration mechanic who was sent to Beijing to build an ice rink in a shopping plaza so that you can skate and shop. Since I love to travel, I quit my job to follow him. This is the story as it unfolds.] On Thursday night we were going out to dinner with Jim, from Vancouver. He has been in Beijing for some time now and he was the fellow who greeted us on the night we arrived. We had been trying to arrange for this dinner for the last 4 weeks and what with Hong Kong and various meetings had been unable to manage it until now. Off we went and met Jim on the west side of Beijing where we had not been yet. This area is not as cosmopolitan as where we had been going. After successfully meeting (we had managed to find our way) we all jumped into a taxi which drove us to a small back street full of hustle and bustle. This was a street of restaurants with young men outside who beckoned us into their establishment. As we walked down the road, there was much laughter and good-humoured gesturing to entice us to go in. They were a Muslim people and looked very different to the local Chinese - more Arabic in features. On each side of the road were metal drums fashioned into barbecues with coals under the grills, where spits of meat were cooking. In between these " fast food " places were stalls with the freshest vegetables and the greatest variety of fruits that I had seen so far, some of which I had never seen before. Also intermingled in this array of foods were stalls with freshly baked breads of all shapes and sizes. After we had walked the length of the road, to get the general flavour of where we were eating, we turned back to the restaurant that Jim favoured. Again we were urged, every few feet, to go into different places. However, Jim knew where we were going and they all seemed to know it. We arrived at a fairly large place, which was quite full of people. This seemed good advertisement for the food served. Inside we were greeted by the owner and seated at a basic wooden table in the middle of people from all walks of life. The atmosphere was smoky and full of the noise of people's laughter and talking. Small dishes and bowls were put in front of us along with a pile of napkins and sets of chopsticks. As I looked at the different tables, I noticed plates piled high with bite sized pieces of meats and vegetables and a dinner plate sized round bread which looked very much like a thick pizza shell. They were tearing off pieces of bread and all eating from the big plates of food, using the small dishes to catch anything that fell. Jim placed our order and we sat there waiting for it to arrive. First came one of the round breads and 2 large bottles of local Beijing beer with plastic cups. The method used was that one bottle was shared among the people at the table as a friendly gesture of togetherness. As I don't drink beer a bottle of water was brought to me, along with a pot of steaming tea. We couldn't wait to get the food; we had to taste the hot bread. It was wonderful, spiced with oregano and other flavours that I couldn't identify. We were advised to be careful of the amount of bread we ate since there was much more to come. Next came a plate of spicy barbecued beef and one with green peppers, onions and bite sized pieces of lamb. After that was a platter of big noodles and more meat. Apparently meat is the favoured food of these people. Everything was absolutely delicious and there was silence at the table broken with sighs of enjoyment. Finally, kabobs of seasoned beef and lamb were brought, still on the spits. When we started to slow down on the eating I was able to realise that the meat had been cooked outside on the fire and when we ordered another bread I saw that the waiter went outside and across the street to the stand which specialized in baking the bread. This again was brought to us hot from the oven. Eating the noodles was an interesting feat. You had to scoop (using the chopsticks) a bunch of noodles into the small bowl that had been given to us at the beginning of the meal. The problem with this was that each noodle seemed to be 2 feet long and it took much dexterity to cut them off at the side of your little bowl with the chopsticks. Nobody seemed to mind that noodles fell everywhere so I soon forgot the embarrassment of my ineptitude and enjoyed the experience. Finally we were sated and we sat around drinking the beer and tea and enjoying the atmosphere in this wonderful place. We were the only foreigners in the room and everyone seemed to like the fact that we were enjoying the cuisine. The smiles were broad and the faces were proud. Much too soon it was time to go as Michael had to work the next morning. We again went outside and although we were full, as we walked down the road to catch a taxi, the smells were making our mouths water again. By the way the whole meal, including the many bottles of beer came to $12.00 CDN for 3 people. A bargain for sure! We will definitely try to go back again. It was a wonderful night of new experiences. ______ DISCLAIMER The material in this newsletter is intended for informational purposes only. I do not prescribe and I do not diagnose. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of a health professional, you prescribe for yourself, which remains your constitutional right, but the author assumes no responsibility. _______ SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE The Letter from China is published every two weeks on Fridays. New rs will be forwarded the current issue. by sending a BLANK email to: Letter-from-China- by sending a BLANK email to: Letter-from-China- submit your own personal stories gesund2000 and write " article submission " in the subject line. comments, suggestions or criticism gesund2000 and write " comment " in the subject line. for back issues gesund2000 and write " back issues " in the subject line or visit http://www.topica.com/lists/Letter-from-China _______ 2000 by Dagmar Riley. All rights reserved worldwide. ******************************************* Dagmar's free CHINESE MEDICINE NEWSLETTER! Subscribe by sending a BLANK email to: Letter-from-China- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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