Soup Is Not For Everyone

By Xia Meng

B ack in the day, the Northern Chinese traditionally ate meat and the Southern Chinese ate soup.

Southerners are super particular about soup-making methods, the ingredients and the time it is to be eaten, all of which has made it a culturally significant fashion statement that has spread throughout the whole country.People living in cold regions of the North, who once only eat meat not soup, have learned to warm up their stomach by having some hot soup before meals.

In recent years, it is said that soup is healthy and nourishing.TV talk show gurus talk about it and even cook it for their guests.Truth be told, it makes me anxious every time I see this kind of program. We Southerners like soup for geographical reasons.But if you make Northerners eat soup like Cantonese, it will actually be harmful.

When the meat from animals, birds and fish are mixed with other ingredients,such as vegetables and spices,certain nutrients such as free amino acids, fatty acids, fatsoluble vitamins, salts and micronutrients will dissolve into the soup after a long period of simmering.

Because of the high temperature and high humidity in the South, people need to consume some fat, and the salt they take in is sweated out through work or exercise. In a word, soup is good for the body.However, because of the cold weather in the North, people do little outdoor activities and don’t sweat nearly as much. If they eat a lot of soup, the salt and purine can only be excreted through the kidneys, thereby putting an increased workload on them,and making the eaters prone to hypertension and gout.

Actually having soup in the South is not even a necessity anymore. In the past, people were completely in the natural environment. Today, the environment hasn’t changed,the south is still hot and humid,but the micro-environments in the area have changed. Cars and offices are air-conditioned,keeping the indoor temperature constant. People used to fight against heat stroke, but now they fight against air conditioning diseases.

Of course, if Southerners ate a lot of meat and drink a lot of alcohol like Northerners,they would suffer from chronic discomfort, such as excessive internal heat, acid reflux and indigestion. In the South, it is better to eat fish and duck than beef and mutton. The precepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine state that fish and duck are classified as “cold” meat, meaning that they have a cooling effect on the body, which is suitable for hot and humid weather. On the other hand, mutton and beef have a warming effect. It is often bitterly cold in the North, especially in winter, so it is necessary to eat mutton and beef to keep out the cold.

What’s more, diets differ according to area. People in mountainous areas are short of iodine and vulnerable to disease of the goiter. They should take in more iodized seafood and iodized salt. Kelp is often present in regional cuisine such as Sichuan hot pot or spicy hot pot, but with its dry, arid climate, people living on the plains of Northwest China should eat more fruits and vegetables and steer clear of hot peppers.

When taking all factors into consideration, whether people should eat more meat, more soup, more vegetables or more spicy food or mild food or drink more milk, depends on the environment. The area you come from, its local climate, the season and the overall environment are factors that must be taken into consideration. Whether you stay outdoors or indoors for long periods, whether there is central heating or air conditioning,whether you drive a car every day or take a bus occasionally,your level of physical activity, the microenvironment and individual difference all deserve attention.The good way to keep everything in balance is to make sure your deposits don’t exceed your withdrawals, so to speak.

北吃肉，南喝汤，这是中国人过去的传统习俗。

南方人把煲汤做法、食材种类、喝汤时间等细节，演绎到了极致，成为一种文化、时尚饮食，传播到大江南北.生活在寒冷地区的北方人，从过去只吃肉不喝汤，现在也学会了饭前喝汤暖胃。

近几年来，总有人说喝汤对人体多么有好处，多么滋补，电视里很多大师侃侃而谈，甚至现场熬给大家喝。我每次看到这种节目就非常着急，南方人喜欢喝汤，有其独特的地域因素，让北方人都像广东人那样喝，是会出问题的。

将畜、禽、鱼肉，加上配料，经长时间煲制后，会有一些营养素溶入汤中，比如游离氨基酸、脂肪酸、脂溶性维生素、盐及微量元素。

南方温度高，湿度大，人们在生产劳动或体育运动后，不仅会消耗脂肪，盐分也会经汗液排出，所以，喝汤对身体有好处。而北方天气寒冷，人们在户外活动很少，出汗也少，喝了很多汤，汤里的盐、嘌呤，只能从肾脏排泄，不但增加了肾脏的压力，还容易患高血压和痛风。

其实，现在即便是南方，也不一定要像以前那样天天喝汤。过去，人们完全处于自然环境之中。如今，大环境没变，南方依然湿热，可人们所处的小环境变了。比如汽车里、办公室里，大多有空调，可以一直保持恒温，不冷也不热。人们以前防中暑，现在防空调病。

当然，如果让南方人像北方人一样，大块吃肉、大口喝酒，也会出现许多不适，比如上火、消化不良等。在南方，吃鱼、鸭比吃牛羊肉好。鱼和鸭属于肉类中偏寒的食物，适合天气湿热的地方。北方天气冷，尤其是冬天，要吃羊肉、牛肉，才会有御寒的能力。

还有，生活区域不同，饮食调理的方法也应该有所区别。如山区人缺碘，容易患“大脖子”病，应该适当多摄取含碘的海产品，可以吃加碘盐。像四川的火锅或者麻辣烫中，经常出现海带的身影；气候干燥的西北平原，则应多吃温润的食物，少吃辣椒。

总之，到底应该多吃肉还是多喝汤，多吃疏菜还是多喝牛奶，吃辛辣还是吃温润食物，考虑这些问题时，要看环境。不仅看大环境是南方还是北方，是夏天还是冬天，还要看小环境和个人差异，长期在室外还是在室内，有暖气没有，有空调没有，是天天开车还是偶然坐车，运动量大不大。量出为入，才是保持平衡的好办法。