Have you wondered why most Chinese people aren’t fat? Do you have trouble with weight loss? When I was first married into my lovely Aussie husband’s family, I was often embarrassed to eat with them because I always ate more than everyone else. I would bring extra food and ate it after dinner secretly. I would always give my mother-in-law a shock how much I ate at a buffet. Yet I don’t put on weight.
That’s not just me. Most Chinese people eat a much larger quantity at mealtime than their Aussie counterparts, but most aren’t fat, except for those who eat a typical Western diet. Why? Here are five reasons why Chinese aren’t fat:
Tip #1 Stir Fry Green Leafy Vegetables
Chinese people eat LOADS of these. There is plenty of fibre that fills you up. They cleanse your intestines. They have bountiful minerals and vitamins. They are great for your metabolism, blood and immune system. My mum used to stir fry green vegetables twice a day. Stirred fried with ginger and garlic is the most balanced (Yin/Yang) way to eat a large amount of green leafy veggies.
Chinese people eat LOADS of these. There is plenty of fibre that fills you up. They cleanse your intestines. They have bountiful minerals and vitamins. They are great for your metabolism, blood and immune system. My mum used to stir fry green vegetables twice a day. Stirred fried with ginger and garlic is the most balanced (Yin/Yang) way to eat a large amount of green leafy veggies.
With raw green leaves in salad, it’s hard to gulp down a whole bunch of spinach. But if you stir fry them, they shrink to a much more edible size. Plus raw veggies are cooling for the tummy and can lower your digestive strength. Yes, there are more nutrients in uncooked veggies but the nutrients in the raw are less easily digested by the stomach.
Tip #2 Ditch that Sweet Tooth
This is a KILLER for your weight. Chinese people eat big meals but only eat a small amount of sweets. And the traditional Chinese sweets are mostly super-nutritious because they contain nuts, dates, seeds, soy, legumes and just a small amount of sugar. Cream, butter and excessive sugars are BAD NEWS. They stay stagnant in your body, turn into fat, upset your metabolism and hormones. It’s not an absolute No No. Just go EASY on cakes, ice cream, sweet biscuits, bun and sweet drinks.
When I came to Australia alone as an overseas student at age 17, I developed the sweet tooth and became hooked on short bread, ice cream, sugary drinks and chocolate, especially when I was bored or depressed. My weight went through the roof. I tried every diet on the planet for 6 years without any success.
The turning point was that one day I woke up and decided that I would go COLD TURKEY on anything sweet for 6 weeks. You bet it was HARD at the beginning but by the end of it, I had trained my brain to detest the taste of sugar. From then on, my weight started to drop. And BOY, IT FELT GOOD to be able to regain control of my life and did not have to be a slave to sweet junk again. I gradually started to have a little bit of sweet things in my diet. Now I eat everything in moderation and LOVE MY FOOD. What a feeling!
By the way, research says it takes 21 days to reprogram your brain to change a habit. It’s worked for me. It’s definitely worth trying.
Tip #3 Dairy
There are many different theories why you should or shouldn’t eat dairy. American women eat loads of dairy and Chinese women don’t eat nearly as much. YET the China Study shows that osteoporosis happens in America a lot more than in China. But that’s another big topic. Yes, milk is a good source of calcium but some research has shown that the animal proteins in the milk cause the body to become acidic and as a result calcium is pulled out from the blood stream to neutralise the acid. So does milk help prevent bone loss? There are both sides of the argument. The bottom line is – a moderate amount is OK and good source of calcium. But milk, cheese, cream and butter are what we call “phlegmy” in traditional Chinese medicine and tend to give you digestive and respiratory problems and make you fat. So moderation is the key.
What are good non-dairy sources of calcium?
Green leafy vegetables, tofu, broccoli, kale, edamame, figs, oranges, sardines, salmon, white beans, almonds, bones
How to prevent osteoporosis?
Apart from calcium, you also need vitamin D, magnesium & weight-bearing exercises. Also limit the amount of caffeine, smoking & alcohol.
Tip #4 Wheat
Have you ever met any overweight women who eat all the right things and yet their weight is still out of control? I’ve seen a LOT in my clinic. Some of these women have polycystic ovarian syndrome, some have insulin resistance, some have just given birth and some are pre or post menopausal. What do these women have in common? They all have HORMONAL IMBALANCE! While there are many factors that cause unexplained obesity, the problem of wheat does not help. And why not?
The modern bread is not quite the same as the ancient “daily bread” in the bible. Wheat has changed an awful lot over the decades. The Australian and American wheat have been engineered to be high yielding and it physically looks a lot fatter than the ancient wheat. The Australian scientist who developed this technique won the Nobel Prize because it enabled mass production of wheat to feed the impoverished countries. This is all fine but it wasn’t until decades later that we find out that this wheat is highly inflammatory and causes chronic inflammation in the human body. Inflammation causes a myriad of problems including upsetting your hormonal balance and weight gain.
Chinese people do eat wheat but the predominant grain is rice. And the genetics of rice haven’t been tampered as much as wheat. BUT if you have insulin resistance or are a diabetic, stay away from all carbs as much as possible.
Tip #5 Exercise
You don’t have to go to the gym smelling everyone’s sweat and paying lots of money to lose weight and gain strength. Look at the parks and watch the Chinese people doing Tai Chi, Qigong, and dancing every morning. They increase your agility, stamina, stability and strength without the injuries. If you’re extremely time poor like me, you can learn the tricks from a teacher or a DVD and do it in your own backyard or office room whenever you like. The important thing is, DON’T SIT STILL for a long period. Get up and get active for a couple of minutes every 20 minutes. Research shows that this way is better for your heart, circulation, back and hormonal health than going to the gym 3 times a week! Of course, if gym works for you, go for it.
Happy eating and enjoy some weight loss!
See our Weight Loss Program if you need extra help.
