Healthy vegetables

Pumpkin and Squash

Pumpkin and Squash Soup

Kudzu

Kutzu Soup

Turnip

Seaweed Turnip Soup

Ginkgo

Gingko Bean Curd Dessert

Lotus Root Soup Ingredients

Lotus Root & Rehmannia Radix Soup

Papaya

Papaya and Pork Soup

"An old-fashioned vegetable soup, without any enhancement,

is a more powerful anti carcinogen than any known medicine."

- James Duke M.D.(U.S.D.A.)

Therapeutic Cooking

Health is the cause and effect of how we nourish and look after our body. We cannot defy death because our body, like a mechanical engine, has a limited life span. But it is certainly possible to live long in good health if we care to give our body the best food/fuel for as long as possible. Health is similar to wealth which needs to be earned, accumulated and properly managed before it can last. Every day and every meal counts.

Our ancestors relied on all natural foods from the earth to live long and healthy but people today rely on supplements and drugs to live. This medicine bandage approach only works for small ailments and for a short period of time. For degenerative and chronic conditions, only natural nutritional foods can correct the underlying nutritional imbalance.

Therapeutic cooking is all about knowing thyself, knowing thy food and choosing foods knowledgeably. We need to know our body constitution and health conditions first and then knowing the nature, characteristics and functional properties of foods in order to make the correct food choices. Therapeutic food is actually "prescription" food for achieving desirable healthful outcome. The knowledge can be sophisticated but the cooking is usually simple and straight forward. Most recipes take longer to cook because the slow simmering process is necessary to extract and preserve the nutrients in foods. Many therapeutic dishes are most delicious and interesting, and can also broaden our palette and food experience.

The Basic Healthy Eating Disciplines

To eat for optimal health, firstly we must follow the following 8 principles of " do no harm” before even considering functional foods for specific health benefits. Without the basic healthy eating disciplines which are necessary to provide the body with the favourable environment, all other efforts will be wasted.  

1.      Do not eat too much or too little per meal

 Only eat 50% to 70% full. This will lessen the burden on our digestive system. This will also prevent over eating and over weight due to lack of physical activities in our modern lifestyle.  

2.     Do not eat too fast

Digestion starts in the mouth. It is important to chew well before swallowing to promote easy digestion, faster transit of food and quick absorption of nutrients.  

3.      Do not eat unhealthy foods

Do not eat over-processed foods, food substitutes, faux foods, unhygienic foods, spoiled foods, farmed foods with unnatural feed, foods with heavy contaminants and chemicals. Eat only quality, fresh and whole food prepared from scratch.

4.     Do not eat all the time or at random

Our body can perform at its best with regularity. When we eat a regular three meals per day with breakfast between 7-9 a.m., lunch between 11-1 p.m. and dinner between 5-7 p.m., it can best align with our body clock and give our digestive system a routine schedule to work and rest. This schedule will also ensure a constant supply of nutrients to fuel our body functions without putting it through either famine or feast. Besides, eating and snacking too often throughout the day can easily cause more cavities in our teeth.   

5.     Do not eat food too hot or too cold

Eating food too hot can harm the digestive tract and cause cancer. Eating food too cold can set back the digestive function because our body has to raise the temperature in the stomach to 2 degrees above normal in order to digest food. Eating food warm or at room temperature can best support easy digestion and promote healthy gut.    

6.     Do not eat food in extreme tastes

 Eat food bland with as little seasoning as possible will lesson the burden on our spleen, kidney and liver to balance out the harmful effects of too much sugar, salt and spices.

7.     Do not eat too much of the same/good thing 

Too much of the good thing can be bad. Each food is made different and has its own effects on the body. Eating food for variety and in moderation is the best way to obtain balanced nutrition. Relying on supplementation does not always work because the isolated nutrients, after all the processing, may not be digested and absorbed by the body without the other components from the real foods, such as fiber. That is why functional whole foods should be your only choice for health maintenance and cure. Healthy and older people can do well just by eating mostly fresh and healthy whole foods. Only people with imbalanced conditions should add superior herbs to regain internal balance quickly. Once the equilibrium is reached, all herbs should be discontinued before the pendulum swings too far to the other side.     

8.      Do not eat contrarily to one's health needs  

It is important to eat according to our age and health conditions. Children should eat highly nutritional, easy to digest foods and with bland taste which will not overwork their kidney and liver functions. Seniors should eat simple, bland and easy to digest food, and choose foods that are warm in nature to benefit the five vital organs. Women should choose more blood tonics to replenish frequent losses. Men should eat more protein foods to support muscle growth and strength.

This section is for helping you to choose the most appropriate foods for your health and to eat right to prevent and treat common illnesses. We have over 800 tried-and-true functional food recipes for anti-aging, repair, regeneration, sickness prevention, treatment and cure. To select the right recipes for your health, matching the symptoms of problems is most appropriate. You should also consult qualified Chinese doctors or herbalists for help.

Most of the recipes that we have selected here are for making teas and soups which are not just simple and easy home remedies which you can prepare at home, they are also for easy absorption by our body and deliver the most healthful benefits when we need them the most during sickness. 

Let us all EAT WELL for optimal health. ENJOY! BON APPETIT!