Why Chinese People Only Drink Hot Water
By Jasmine Chan
If you have ever been to a restaurant in China you have probably noticed that they always serve either hot water or hot tea. In all the 18 years that I have lived there, I never once remember being served cold water unless I specifically asked for it. Why is that? Chinese people strongly believe that cold water is not good for the body.
Ill be honest, there isnt much scientific research that actually backs this up. I know this because the stubborn 14-year-old me always tried telling my mom that this wasnt a real thing. My classic response was always, Water is water, how can it be bad for you?
However, even though research doesnt do much to back this up, we do have to admit that the Chinese are one of the healthiest populations out there. They pay a lot of attention to daily health practices that over time result in a very healthy lifestyle.
Since growing older and becoming more aware of my own health, I have realized how beneficial a lot of Chinese health practices are. Ive noticed how young my mom and grandma look for their age, and how physically healthy my grandpa is for being in his mid-eighties.
The explanation for this comes from the practices of traditional Chinese medicine, which states that drinking cold water disrupts the normal body temperature. Its said that if the regular body temperature is messed with, it causes discomfort to the body. This can take the form of indigestion, menstrual pains, or even lack of blood flow.
So even if you are like 14-year-old me and simply cant see how or why drinking cold water is potentially harmful to the body, at least give it a try. I now feel a huge difference in my digestion if I gulp down a glass of cold water instead of hot water, or sometimes even room temperature water.
Ive learned to stop questioning the practices of traditional Chinese medicine and just listening to them because after all, the results are clearly visible and beneficial. China has a ton of health remedies, some of which are a little too bizarre for me to get behind, but not drinking cold water is simple enough to turn into an everyday habit that could end up benefiting your life very favourably.
Source: msn.com
