Chinese food - Can it boost your brainpower?

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Chinese food - Can it boost your brainpower?

" To the ruler, the people are heaven; to the people, food is heaven. "

(ancient Chinese proverb)

 

It is probably not surprising that Mensa, the high IQ society, has a special

interest group (SIG) for members who love Oriental cooking. The link between a

healthy diet and optimum brain performance is well established. (It is no

accident that in the film Little Man Tate, the director of a school for geniuses

provides parents with a specific diet to help improve their children's

performance on the school's challenging admissions tests).

 

Chinese cuisine, with its emphasis on vegetables and grains and small quantities

of meat, is very healthy. Furthermore, Chinese cooking methods such as steaming

and stir-frying preserve the vitamins in foods.

 

Besides the general advantages accruing from a healthy diet, there are a few

Chinese foods specifically linked to improved brain functioning. First and

foremost is the ginkgo nut.

 

A greenish-yellow fruit about the size of a cherry, the ginkgo has been known to

Chinese herbalists since ancient times. Written accounts of herbalists using

ginkgo as a treatment for senility date back to 2800 BC.

 

Today, scientists believe that ginkgo increases the ability of brain cells to

make use of glucose, thereby improving the transmission between the brain's

nerve cells.

 

The FDA has approved the use of ginkgo in treating various forms of dementia,

including Alzheimer's. Health food stores sell ginkgo tablets as a memory aid.

(It is also used in Chinese herbal medicines to treat lung problems and urinary

tract infections).

 

The Ginkgo biloba tree is also of interest to anthropologists and biologists.

Often called " a living fossil " it is possibly the world's oldest living seed

plant, dating back to pre-Jurassic times. In China it is considered to be a

sacred plant.

 

Ginkgo nuts are frequently used in Chinese sweet and savory dishes, including

soup and porridge. In addition, roasted ginkgo nuts are often served as a

digestive aid at formal banquets. You will also see them being given away at

Chinese weddings, as they are thought to bring good luck.

 

We've all heard the phrase 'fish is brain food " and it's true.

 

Fish contains choline, which the brain uses to make acetycholine, needed for the

communication between the neurons involved in memory and cognitive reasoning.

Dramatic drops in acetycholine often go hand in hand with memory loss and other

signs of Alzheimer's disease.

 

With its miles of coastline, fish features prominently in Chinese cuisine. In

Chinese cooking it is important that the fish be as fresh as possible.

 

Steaming is a popular method of cooking fish, as is clear-simmering, a process

whereby the fish is cooked directly in boiling water (instead of a steamer). Two

other cooking methods are braising and deep-frying.

 

Cooking Tip: Be sure not to overcook fish. When in doubt, it is better to

undercook rather than overcook fish (this does not hold true for shelled

seafood).

 

One sight that often disturbs western sensibilities is the sight of a fish being

served whole, including the head. Cookbook author Ken Hom points out that the

Chinese believe cooking the fish whole helps it retain its shape and flavor.

 

Furthermore, serving a fish whole is a symbol of prosperity.

 

Here are two fish recipes - the first comes courtesy of GourMAsia, Mensa's

Oriental cooking SIG.

 

Steamed Whole Fish with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

 

Serves 4 - to 6 with other dishes

 

1 whole sea bass or carp weighing about 1 1/2 pounds, gutted and cleaned

2 tablespoons cane sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons free range chicken broth or water

1 tablespoon organic soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons organic cornstarch

1 small red bell pepper, cut in long, thin shreds

2 scallions, shredded into long, thin strips

2 slices ginger, shredded

few drops sesame oil

 

Directions: Place fish in a heatproof rimmed dish (a glass piepan is ideal) at

least 1 inch smaller than the diameter of your steamer (If the fish is too large

for the dish, you can let the tail overhang the edge.) Combine sugar, vinegar,

broth or water, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Pour evenly over the fish. Scatter

pepper, scallion, and ginger shreds on top.

 

Heat water in the bottom of the steamer to a rolling boil. Place dish in the

steamer and cover tightly. Steam over high heat 15 - 20 minutes. Drizzle with

sesame oil just before serving. (To improvise a steamer using a wok, balance

dish on an upside-down cup or mug set on bottom of the wok).

 

(Reprinted with permission from GourMAsia).

http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa082799.htm?pid=2757 & cob=home

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes

 

 

 

 

AIM Barleygreen

" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

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