Is Chinese Food Good For Your HEART?

If you can eat the way a typical Chinese villager does, the answer is yes! There was a study conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong of 116 adults in a small town called Pan Yu about 100 miles outside Hong Kong.  The diet of the villagers consisted mainly of rice, vegetables and green tea. These residents of this village have one of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world. Shall I go on?

This study was repeated on Westernized Chinese adults living in Hong Kong, Sydney and San Francisco. Results show that their hearts showed much more thickening of the arteries in ultrasound examinations than the villager’s hearts had revealed.

The diet of the Pan Wu villagers in more detail consists of congee (rice porridge), steamed buns with a small amount of meat inside and tea for breakfast. Lunch or dinner was a combination of steamed or stir-fried vegetables and a small amount of fish, meat or tofu. None of these items were super-sized.

If you’d like to eat like the people of Pan Wu, here is a simple and healthy congee recipe that includes eggs and vegetables. You can vary it by adding other ingredients to the cooked rice, like Chinese pickled vegetables (radish, turnip or bamboo shoots - you can find these in most Asian grocery stores), Seitan (wheat gluten), bits of cooked beef, chicken or fish, even a few chopped nuts and a spoonful of honey for a more Western breakfast flavor.

Congee with Vegetables, (serves 6) Ingredients: 1 cup long grain rice (wash if not enriched American variety) 6 cups chicken or beef stock, or water   ½ lb. spinach   1 egg   1 tbs. ginger, finely shredded   1 scallion, thinly sliced   1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped   salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Combine rice and stock or water in a large soup pot and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours or until rice becomes a thick, creamy soup.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, adding boiling water if necessary.   While rice is cooking, wash spinach, trim away tough stems, and pat dry.  Lightly beat egg in small bowl.  When the congee is cooked, stir in the egg, ginger, scallion, spinach and tomato.   Cook for 3-4 minutes until the spinach is wilted and tomato is heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Serve immediately.

In my favorite Healing with Whole Foods (Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition) by Paul Pitchford (ISBN 1-55643-220-8), Paul on pages 438-9 lists 33 common congees. (Think of congee as a thin porridge or gruel. Cook the rice & water in a covered pot 4 to 6 hours on warm or use the lowest flame possible; a crock pot works very well for congees. It is better to use too much water than too little & it is said that the longer congee cooks -- the more powerful it becomes.)

                    Dr. Al