In many countries, Chinese food has a reputation for being not very healthy. We only know what we get from many dining restaurants or food courts in shopping centers, which, as a rule, cook cheap meat seasoned with monosodium glutamate, multiplied by a huge amount of greasy noodles or refined white rice.
However, this food would be completely unfamiliar to most people living in China. Such Chinese fast food destroys almost all the rules of the traditional Chinese food system, which in fact is one of the healthiest in the world.
Chinese food culture
Chinese culture is based on the yin-yang philosophy and five meta-elements. It is built on the basis of balance, harmony and contrast. Part of this balance is reflected in food. Each organ is attached to a specific element and taste. For example, bitter taste refers to the heart and fire, sweet - to the spleen and earth, sour - to the liver and tree, spicy - to the lungs and metal, salty - to the kidneys and water). In a healthy diet, all five of these flavors should be. They say this maintains the balance of the body and protects it from disease.
Have you ever wondered why the Chinese weigh less and look so young? About 25 years ago, even before the advent of fast food in China, they had the lowest rates of obesity. What is the secret to maintaining a slender figure, given their obsession with food?
If you look at the lifestyle of the average Chinese, everything revolves around food. Their general traditional greeting in the translation is: “Have you eaten?” (Ni chi bao le ma?). The number of people in a family is determined by the number of mouths for feeding (kuo-mouths). They even qualify the ability to eat as a blessing.
There are several key elements that help the Chinese stay as young, vibrant, and slim as possible. Did you know that in Chinese there is not even a word for calories. Surprising? They just don’t consider their menu depending on the amount of calories they consume.
A 1990 survey showed that the actual calorie content of the Chinese is 30% higher than that of the Americans. At the same time, the lifestyle of many of them was no more active than that of residents of the United States.
How is it that the Chinese eat even more than the inhabitants of other countries, do less sports, and look amazing? This seems unfair.
The thing is that they consider food as nutrition and enjoyment, so they tend to eat more balanced foods (several types of meat, vegetables and always rice or noodles).
Western nutrition expert Patrick Holford says this: “Recent weight loss studies show that low-fat, high-calorie diets are less effective than low-glycemic diets, which is a traditional Chinese diet.”
Chinese food consists mainly of rice, vegetables and pieces of meat. The Chinese love soups, they eat them in the morning, day and night. Not a creamy, heavy version of most Western diets, but light fluid-based soups with a selection of vegetables, meat and herbs. For example, they use goji berries, ginseng, lemon grass and ginger to season soups. They usually do not contain many calories, but they saturate and cause a feeling of satiety.
Another Western nutrition expert, Jan Marber, says: “I really believe in soups before eating. Miso, for example, or something fermented are probiotics that help release nutrients from the food you are about to eat. ”
Novel with tea
In addition, the Chinese love story with oolong tea is a well-known secret. A cup of tea is always nearby, instead of soda or juice - hot oolong.
A number of studies have proven the health benefits of this tea. It removes toxins, helps digestion (therefore, it is often consumed with food), reduces the risk of cancer cells, cardiovascular diseases. The catechins that make up it are powerful antioxidants that help slow down the aging process, which is probably why the Chinese look so young.
Tea, especially oolong tea, is also great for speeding up the body’s metabolism and helps burn fat and calories naturally. Recent studies in Geneva have proven that tea catechins and its natural caffeine help reduce weight.
So even without extreme diets, just adhering to the Chinese diet, you can easily get rid of a few pounds. However, this option is not suitable for everyone and not always, especially in the eternal race for perfection.
Chasing the ideal
There is an opinion that beauty is a terrible force, and there is no doubt that one day this force will save the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that this is the subject of daily dreams of a huge number of women and girls (and what is there to hide, men too) all over the world. However, only a few are endowed with this natural beauty, which does not need to be changed and improved. Everyone else has to undergo various procedures, not always pleasant, often debilitating, to get closer to the desired standard.
A favorite tool for many girls who want to remove a couple and more extra pounds is a diet. It is clear that the most popular methods are those that allow you to lose weight and achieve the desired result in the shortest possible time. One of these quite popular diets is the Chinese diet for 14 days. Feedback on the results is impressive. A lot of users who have experienced it on themselves, claim that it helps to lose weight easily, and if you adhere to clear recommendations, then the lost weight does not return.
Have you ever seen fat Chinese women? Unlikely. Everyone knows what tiny and slender Chinese women are. It is clear that no one has yet canceled genetics and heredity. But the traditions of national nutrition are also of great importance. Proper metabolism, vitamins and minerals that enter the body with food, a healthy lifestyle positively affect the general condition of the body. Chinese diet really helps to become slim. The duration of this diet is 14 days, weight loss - from 5 to 10 kg.
You need to eat three times a day, but be sure to adhere to the Chinese diet menu for 14 days. It was calculated so that the products could not be replaced, and their quantity and order of days did not change.
The Chinese diet completely eliminates sugar, salt, alcoholic beverages and flour products. The diet menu consists of fresh vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, cabbage), fruits, fish and meat (beef and chicken). During the Chinese diet, vegetable oil should be replaced with olive oil, it is recommended to steam meat, grill or boil. It is allowed to drink black coffee, mineral water without gas, filtered water.
The Chinese diet is not the same as the Chinese language: it is easier to learn in a short time. Since ancient times, for the Chinese people, food has been not only a source of energy necessary for life, but also a way to create dialogue with the world and balance the human essence. Of course, it is impossible to completely embrace the centuries-old philosophy of the Chinese sages, but you can try to use the most understandable of the recommendations.
Useful Tips
Only fruits can be raw, other products must undergo non-aggressive processing (fermentation, slow steaming or quick frying in a wok).
Eat all food in a state close to natural (refined foods and complex mixtures should be avoided).
There are many vegetables with complex carbohydrates - rice or noodles.
Eat foods high in water (such as soups).
Eating dairy and meat should be limited.
Tea as part of a meal culture
Tea is an important part of food culture. For the Chinese people, tea is not the final part of the meal, it is an independent ceremony, a game, a way to communicate or a pause, an opportunity to understand ourselves.
Green tea (the leaf of which can be poured with boiling water at least four times if it is of high quality) is well known for its beneficial properties in losing weight and healing wounds. Green tea contains catechins, vitamin C, zinc, activates brain cells and stimulates metabolism.
The Chinese diet for weight loss for two weeks is almost identical to the Japanese diet. The menu is also scheduled for 7 days, after 7 days it should be repeated.
What is a 14-day Chinese diet?
What is the essence and what is good in this diet? Everyone knows about the impeccable restraint and rigor of Chinese girls. This way of presenting oneself and such behavior is completely in tune with national cuisine and the food system. Unquestioningly following the rules is its basic law. During the diet, in no case should you deviate from this path and allow yourself to at least relax a bit. Any, even a small step to the side, can turn into a failure.
The essence of the diet is the absolute reorganization of metabolic processes. The diet is low in calories and very tough. During the period of its action, the body is restored, trying to get used to the food offered by the body, and the previous metabolism is disrupted. If you break down and allow yourself at least some food that is not included in the allowed menu of the Chinese diet for weight loss, a malfunction will occur that will destroy the whole process of losing weight.
Therefore, the first and most important rule, which in no case can be violated, is strict adherence to the diet, the use of only authorized products and the complete rejection of alcoholic beverages.
Allowed Products
- Chicken eggs.
- Fresh vegetables: salad, cabbage, carrots, parsley root and parsnip, tomatoes.
- Fruits: green apples. Other fruits are rarely allowed.
- Fish (necessarily marine).
- Meat: lean beef, chicken, veal.
- Drinks: coffee, tea, mineral water without gas, distilled or melt water.
Completely prohibited: salt, sugar, fats, alcoholic beverages. If you believe the reviews about the Chinese diet for 14 days, the number of kilograms that can be reset is from 6 to 10. The diet lasts 14 days, and the next seven days are designed to exit it correctly.
14 day diet result
With strict observance of strict rules and the absence of violations of the restrictions, it is possible to lose up to ten kilograms in two weeks. This is an amazing result, you can not argue with that. Two weeks of little suffering - and the result is obvious.
This is also indicated by numerous admired reviews about the results of the Chinese diet for 14 days. If you get out of it correctly: don’t attack your favorite delicacies, revise your menu, you can ensure that the kilograms you’ve left do not return.
The Chinese method of weight loss is much easier to tolerate than the Japanese diet, which is also strict. It is allowed to use lemon juice as a sauce, which significantly improves the taste of fresh dishes and helps burn fat faster. Another important advantage of this diet is the detoxification of the body. Harmful substances and toxins go away, and the general condition of the body improves, the skin acquires a beautiful even tone.
Disadvantages of the Chinese diet
Proponents of rapid weight loss should be aware of the risks that may arise from such diets. Leaving a lot of pounds in combination with an extremely meager list of allowed foods can cause health problems. This is especially true for people who have chronic diseases. Therefore, deciding to try the Chinese diet, it is better to undergo a medical examination and consult with a specialist.
A diet without salt can lead to dehydration, so drinking water is also allowed during the diet without limiting its amount. The main contraindications to the use of the Chinese salt-free diet are:
- heart diseases;
- diseases of the liver and kidneys, pancreas;
- pregnancy;
- lactation period;
- diseases and problems in the work of the gastrointestinal tract (ulcers, gastritis).
Diet menu
The Chinese diet is designed for 14 days, the daily menu consists of three meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. No snacks or snacks. The only acceptable substance is water. If you feel a strong thirst, you can drink as much water as the body requires, but not less than two liters per day.
The daily breakfast, which is allowed in the Chinese diet for 14 days, is monotonous: black coffee. On the second day, coffee is supplemented with toast, breadcrumbs, in general, a small piece of dry bread. On the fifth day, you can allow yourself to arrange a real “belly holiday” - a salad of chopped carrots with lemon juice or half a spoon of honey.
Introducing the right 14-day Chinese diet menu:
Day 1. Start.
Lunch: quite tasty and at the same time low-calorie. A set of products - two boiled eggs, a cabbage salad seasoned with olive oil, a glass of tomato juice or tomato.
Dinner: boiled or steamed fish with a side dish of the same cabbage salad as for lunch.
Day 2. Continued.
Lunch: repeats the dinner of the previous day. Coleslaw and fish. To make the menu of the Chinese diet diverse for 14 days, you can alternate between different types of fish (but certainly marine) and change the way they are cooked.
Dinner: boiled beef and a glass of 1% kefir (fermented baked milk).
Day 3. Can I quit?
Lunch: an egg. This time not a boiled, but a raw salad consisting of three boiled carrots and olive oil.
Dinner: apples, they can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
Day 4. And why do I need all this!
Lunch: parsnip or parsley root (fried in a small amount of olive oil), can be chopped in a blender and cook cream soup, apples.
Dinner: at least, it looks like ordinary food: boiled beef and a couple of eggs (boiled). The side dish is already familiar coleslaw.
Day 5. You can relax a bit.
Breakfast: grated carrot salad.
Lunch: you can eat fish (sea) in a fairly large amount - 500 grams, washed down with a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: again fish and freshly prepared coleslaw.
Day 6. The body is almost used.
Lunch: a pound of boiled chicken, a salad of raw vegetables (optional: cabbage or carrots).
Dinner: a pair of boiled eggs. Carrot Salad with Butter.
Day 7. This is half the time.
Lunch: beef, but a little, about two hundred grams, any fruit.
Dinner: Any favorite dish from the weekly diet is allowed, with the exception of the third day from the list. The amount of food should be moderate.
This is the end of the first week of the Chinese diet for weight loss. The body is already accustomed to the scarcity of the daily diet, hardly recalls food. Last spurt: seven days left. The menu for this closing week is exactly the same as on previous days.
With all the rules and regulations, the diet gives quite tangible results. But since the menu of the Chinese diet for every day does not differ in particular variety, the diet is low-calorie, sometimes you can feel some weakness. You should not be afraid, however, you need to limit excessive physical activity.
The number of products allowed by the Chinese diet without salt is very limited, it is unacceptable to replace them with others, so the absence of an allergy to diet components is perhaps one of the main requirements for successful completion, apart from the psychological mood and the mood without which nothing will work. Therefore, patience, endurance, perseverance and a strong desire to rush forward to the goal will be required.