Chinese cuisine (烹饪) is widely known and enjoyed all around the world. Who doesn’t _________ a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting _________ concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard-of in the West, and _________ ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of “tonic (滋补) food”.

Tonic food is food consumed to improve one’s well-being or _________ sickness. _________, it was once the _________ for new mother to eat a sesame-oil(麻油) hotpot every day for the first month after giving _________. It was believed that this dish would _________ the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulations, stimulate sweating and _________ the body.

Some food are __________ as “hot”, such as goat meat and coriander (香菜), while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radish (小萝卜) are “cold”. One should be __________ not to eat too much “hot” or“cold”food. __________, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat __________ the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared __________, and the individual’s __________.

The custom of employing tonic food for a healthier life also __________ the catering (餐饮) industry. Some Chinese herbal medicines can often be found on many a restaurant __________. Whether you need to __________ yourself to boost your energy with a large helping of chicken soup or increase your __________ power with a serving of pig’s brain soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be __________ the tonic you are looking for.

With the development of society and the continuous improvement of China’s economic strength, people’s lifestyle has gradually changed.

Many Chinese people used to_________ each other with “Have you had your meal?” to show their friendliness. Recently, a new greeting has become_________ in many Chinese cities, namely “Have you_________ weight?” 

Chen Xin, a manager of a media company in Hangzhou, has_________ his friends after successfully getting _________. “Following instructions from my nutritionist, I went on a _________ and lost 10 kg,” Chen said with a(n) _________ smile.  

In recent years, food delivery services have been growing fast and have entered almost every corner of Chinese cities. Also, Chinese people can _________ buy food from all over the world. Meanwhile, people are paying more and more attention to their _________. More people are becoming ____________ with various terms, such as “low-calorie”, “sugar-free” and so on.  

“I used to eat a lot of unhealthy food, which brought me much____________,”Chen said. “Now my health indicators (指标) are becoming ____________, and I can feel that my body is in good ____________ again.” 

Chen is not alone. Many Chinese are troubled with “diseases of affluence(富裕)”, including obesity and high blood pressure, as the quality of life has been greatly ____________ over the past decades. Most people need to worry about if they have a healthy diet, ____________ if they have enough food.

Once I failed my comprehensive exam at university. Suddenly, I felt I was a_________. For the first time, I felt completely out of control. I started to go on a(n)_________to deal with my stress and anxiety that_________my desire for perfection.

What began as a seemingly_________“lifestyle change” turned into an eating disorder. I spent more time_________rice, cakes and other foods than studying. To eat “_________” meals at home, I often turned down social gatherings.

Over 9 months, as my stress and anxiety_________, I ate smaller and smaller dishes and denied (拒绝给予) my_________the food it needed. Sometimes I would almost_________upon standing and I became a walking skeleton (骨瘦如柴的人).

My family and adviser asked whether I was OK and__________time away from my lab, but my brain made excuses for how I was feeling and behaving. I__________believed I was making myself better.

I didn’t put a name to the__________until I came across an article about disordered eating. I finally sought the help of a(n)__________. He told me that my eating disorder had__________to do with food, exercise, or weight.__________, it was about my desire to be exceptional. Through weekly sessions, I unpacked 25 years of needing to be__________. I learned tools to acknowledge and process my feelings, not by means of__________calories.

Now, having been on the road to__________for one year and a half, I enter my final year of graduate school with a completely__________mindset about the person I want — rather than need — to be. Yes, I still want to__________. But I don’t want to seek perfection.