🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Drinking morning tea is a traditional Cantonese dining culture. Retired seniors, now with free time, can leisurely spend hours in teahouses; afternoon tea is a favorite among white-collar workers—without a snack or drink after 4 PM, they often feel hungry and lack energy.
Morning and afternoon teas always involve dim sum, yet many lack nutritional knowledge. What kind of dim sum to choose and how to eat healthily—nutrition experts will guide you on proper nutrient pairing.
Morning Tea: Focus on Nutritional Balance
Going to a teahouse for morning tea is a long-standing tradition in Guangdong. Gathering with friends to “enjoy tea,” ordering “one pot, two dishes,” chatting, reading newspapers, or conducting business—social interaction often outweighs eating. This relaxed lifestyle has rapidly spread to Chengdu and Chongqing. However, recent surveys show some middle-aged and elderly people drinking morning tea pay little attention to nutritional balance, falling into two extremes: one, insufficient protein and excessive carbohydrates; two, excessive fat and calories, lacking vitamins.
Professor Jiang Zhuoqin, Director of the Department of Nutrition at Sun Yat-sen University School of Public Health, said breakfast accounts for 30% of daily nutrition. Cantonese people, especially elderly tea drinkers, spend just a few dollars to enjoy various dim sum—popular choices include char siu bao, horse hoof cake, red bean bao, cheung fun, and congee—all high in carbohydrates. While providing energy, they lack protein. Others favor steamed pig’s stomach, steamed spare ribs, and steamed fermented chicken feet—high-fat, high-calorie foods. Daily consumption of such items can lead to excessive fat intake, harming cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health.
Professor Jiang pointed out that slightly adjusting the typical morning tea structure can meet the body’s nutritional needs in the morning. Avoid eating only carbohydrates or only meat. Instead, opt for one dish of meat, one bowl of congee or a few buns, plus one side of greens. This combination provides protein from meat, energy from congee or buns, and vitamins from greens—achieving balanced nutrition. A good breakfast should include four components: animal protein (meat); eggs; grain foods; and vitamins (vegetables and fruits).
If you feel unable to eat much, Director Yu Wei of the Nutrition Department at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital suggests a simple way to supplement nutrition: eat a boiled egg white and drink a glass of milk before going to a teahouse. For those who experience diarrhea after drinking milk, simply substitute soy milk. This ensures intake of high-quality protein, so even after enjoying “one pot, two dishes” at a teahouse, you won’t lack essential nutrients.
Notably, don’t linger too long at morning tea sessions. Some elderly people habitually arrive early and chat while eating, losing track of time and returning home only at 11 AM. Having just had breakfast, they feel no hunger, thus lose appetite for lunch—often just eating noodles or reheating leftovers. Dinner is then prepared generously. Since dinner is close to bedtime, it burdens the digestive system and harms health.
Afternoon Tea: Less but Better
Most office workers find the biggest drawback of boxed lunches is hunger. Around 4 PM, the stomach starts growling. Without a quick energy boost, by evening one feels extremely hungry and may overeat. Smart snacking can keep hunger at bay.
After lunch at around 12 PM, blood glucose drops after four hours, likely triggering hunger. Thus, between 3–5 PM, snacks, treats, or drinks can satisfy hunger. Interestingly, afternoon tea is also part of the “small meals throughout the day” strategy for weight management. Moreover, after a full day of work, physical or mental fatigue is common—afternoon tea helps relax and maintain energy until dusk.
Classic British afternoon tea consists of tea and pastries. Pastries are served on a three-tier silver tray, arranged from bottom to top: sandwiches, English scones, cheese cakes, and fruit tarts. The order of eating typically goes from bottom to top, from savory to sweet.
In offices or nearby cafes, choose 2–3 complementary foods to ensure balanced nutrition—such as a grain-based item (cookies, bread) paired with yogurt, a cup of coffee, herbal tea, or lemon water. If no time to go out, keep cookies, cakes, and fruits at your desk, paired with coffee or green tea—excellent options.
Afternoon tea is only meant to temporarily replenish energy—just one or two cookies or a small cake is enough. Don’t indulge recklessly because a cake looks tempting, or become addicted to coffee just because it tastes good. Overeating or overdrinking may suppress appetite for dinner.