Foods that heal

I am fortunate to always learn something from friends who know much about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and also about traditional Chinese food. On a recent trip to Hong Kong, our good friend Andrew brought a pack of sesame crackers that he said would help keep our hair dark. Wow! We almost finished the whole bag and asked him where we could get more.

Over lunch he ordered Chinese tea that’s good for the skin. He also mentioned having chicken feet dimsum for collagen (the better to grease creaky joints). For dessert he suggested walnut soup and almond soup, both believed to have health benefits. I know walnut is good for insomniacs and is a sleep inducer. Think about how it is shaped like the brain. Another shape give away is tomato – do you not think it is shaped like the heart? That is a good clue that these red fruits (yes, they are considered fruits) have lycopene which is heart-friendly. I just checked what almond does to our body and it contains Vitamin E which helps heal wounds faster and reduce appearance of scars. And definitely all these nuts are sources of energy and protein.

We also tried two teas: shou mei and ti kuan yin. Both teas are refreshing and worth trying than the usual jasmine tea we all know. I also had lessons in identifying green tea. The more expensive ones have one bud, one leaf; the next less expensive has two leaves to a bud and then the number of leaves increase per bud in terms of ratio. Make sure you get more buds as the flavor comes from these tiny bits of fragrant tea. More buds, less leaves. This is why my friend Andrew scoffs at using tea bags; he says tea must always be steeped as loose leaves.

At the next lunch we rediscovered pu-erh tea which is a good digestive, perfect after our indulgent roast goose meal. I also was partial to pu-erh for many years, as a digestion aid, and would order this from friends who went to Taiwan or China. Pu-erh is also called the “old man’s tea” because one could still sleep even after drinking it at dinner. It is fermented black tea that just gets better with time, like fine wine. Pu-erh “cakes” are also more expensive the older they get. I do not mind storing them for years, unlike green or regular black tea, which have expiry dates.

Besides making one’s skin smooth and flawless, or keeping one’s hair dark, the Chinese make sure they are eating vegetables when they are in season – tau miao is a winter vegetable, I found out and kailan is a perennial vegetable. It is a very Slow Food (www.slowfood.com) philosophy – eat what is in season.

On this same trip I was in search of green tea and matcha for these are healing teas. While coffee is an anti-oxidant and has several medical benefits, green tea is known to have many health benefits. So the next time you want to learn about tea, be ready to try different stages of the tea leaves’ journey – from green to black to pu-erh.

While we can talk about green tea forever, do not forget that we can grow our own herbal teas or tisanes in our garden. These are tarragon, mint and basil which make good tisanes, an infusion of leaves in hot water. They also help digestion and general health. Our local leaves like lagundi are good for coughs and asthma, banaba and tawa-tawa also are good as local tisanes for relief from diabetes and dengue, respectively.

What other foods heal? Organic green vegetables have the ability to make your body recuperate from illness. When we detox, we are advised to eat only vegetables for its fiber and for its nutrients.

Next time we feel a little off or unwell, try changing your diet to healing foods. It is true that nutrition plays a very big role in maintaining our good health. But what every book will tell you is to avoid simple carbohydrates and processed food. No book or medical source has ever recommended eating sugar-rich processed food or a diet heavy in processed meats. It is best to eat fresh food, or food that has not undergone any handling in a plant or facility.

While I was on holiday with friends, I observed how each one of us ate. I do not preach what I believe in, although talks tend to gravitate towards health and food. And that is where the difference lies in how we function and how we nourish ourselves. Busy bodies tend to choose easily available food – that means processed or reheated food. Those who have time and prowess to cook can fix a fresh meal, while others have to resort to store-bought food.

The Chinese can teach us a thing or two – they always eat fresh food, generally. They scoff at reheating old food or even taking home leftovers. A Chinese friend call those “dead food,” her way of saying “not fresh.” As a very old civilization, the Chinese have a  lot of food practices passed on from one generation to the next, which we still enjoy today with our good friends, Andrew Foo and Anita Chan. They shared with us what good food the Chinese eat, depending on season, and making sure it is freshly prepared. And this is why we visit Hong Kong or Taiwan (visa-free places) – to eat and nourish our bodies with freshly-cooked specialties. The best fruits and vegetables in season, the freshest dimsum and the best teas that accompany the meals.

The next time you travel, think about taking back food memories. You can learn a lot about foods that can heal and foods that are good for maintaining your good health.

Now that we are back home, it is time to check out our local choices for fresh food and seasonal treats. And remember, we can heal ourselves through food.