Dear,

The 3rd month is the last month of spring. Spring is leaving us, but we still live the joy that spring brings us.

Do you have this feeling that each year spring brings us lots of joy, which always more than we expected.

Sometimes if you don't expect much you'll get more than you expected.

Health is the same. If you don't expect too much(like one week lose 10 pounds or one month cure chronic disease) but just stick to the rule, sooner or later you'll find you're getting more and more healthy.

Wish you have a long term healthy life habit!

Anna

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Anna's Nature Regimen and Recipe Express

-- Keep your life close to the nature

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China's five-thousand years of culture and history reserved precious regimen. I'm digging out and would like to share with you. So this website,including this e-zine is not only about Chinese recipes, it's more about healthy life style.

Visit our website: www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com

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May 23th,2008

Issue #8

Table of Content:

1. Dao of Chinese health regimen

2. About the 3rd month and regimen

3. Anna's 3rd month recipes

• a. Small Red Bean with Crucian Soup
• b. Steamed Ground Beef with White Radish Pie
• c. Stir Fried Shrimp with Green and Red Pepper
• d. Cabbage with Konjac noodle Salad
• e. Stewed Navy Bean with Tomato

4. Prevent hypertension in spring

In spring the temperature changes frequently,.... causing blood pressure unsteady. Meanwhile our mood is unstable, easy to cause blood pressure waves, and may have the symptoms such as headach,faint,insomnia,etc.

You should take care at the following 8 points:

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1. Dao of Chinese health regimen

Dao of Chinese health regimen combines the basic thousands of years of health theories such as herb medicine, food, religion, folk customs, martial arts and other culture,etc. There are the following four aspects:

a. Let's nature takes its course:

This reflects the philosophy of the harmony of heaven and human. In our daily life regimen, we cannot breach the laws of nature,in the meantime we should also attach importance to the unity of man and social coordination.

b. Keep health for both body and spirit

Health regimen should not only focus on physical care. Mental and psychological care and adjustment are more important.

c. Movement and quietness

Modern medicine stands for that life is movement. Traditional Chinese Medicine advocates that movement produces Yang, but also think that we need both movement and quietness. There is quietness in movement while movement also exist in quietness.

d. Holistic health regimen

Health regimen is not only limited to one method, one style,but should go from many different paths such as body,spirit,movement,quietness,food,medicine,etc. Different methods should be taken according to special certain person,place,and time.

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2. About the 3rd month and regimen

The 3rd month of Chinese Calendar in 2008 is from April 6th to April 4th, 2008.

In this month, some organs status:

• The Qi(vital energy) in kidney is calm.
• The Qi in heart is becoming alive
• The Qi on wood is strong(wood is relative to liver)

Diet should

• Increase pungent food intake such as glutinous millet, chicken, peach,shallot,leek, etc.
• Reduce sweat food intake.

    This helps to nourish Jing(spirit,vigor) and supplement Qi(vital energy). Should relax, wearing casual clothes. Keep pleasure and quiet mind and be acclimation.

The 3rd month of Chinese Calendar is the 3rd month of spring. For more spring regimen, please visit :

http://www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com/spring-regimen.html

Knowlege about food: All the food we eat has its own taste attribute:

Sweet: rice, beef,Chinese date,pumpkin,etc. Function: easy up.

Sour: small red bean, plum, hawthorn,etc. Function: converge.

Pungent: glutinous millet, chicken, peach,shallot,etc. Function: dispel.

Bitter: wheat, mutton, almond, and swamp cabbage,etc. Function: dry and solidify.

Salty: soybean, pork meat,kelp,etc. Function: soften.

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3. Anna's 3rd month Recipes

a. Small Red Bean with Crucian Soup

Ingredients:

1 small crucian(400g)(if no small one,then just use a piece of fish meat)

1/2 cup small red bean

1/4 scallion

2 ginger flakes

1 teaspoon rice wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 soy sauce

Procedure:

1. Clean crucian,marinate with salt and rice wine for 15mins.

2. Clean small red bean, add 5 cups water,cook for about 40mins over low heat, or untill half cooked.

3. Add crucian,ginger flakes,cook additional 60mins, or until small red bean becomes crushed.

4. Add soy sauce and salt to taste.

5. Turn off heat, let it stay for 5mins.

Serving Method(5 servings): Serve as side dish at lunch or dinner.Drink soup, eat fish meat and small red bean.

Beneficial Function: Remove heat and dampness inside your body. Suitable for obese people and those who have pimple in your face. If you insist eating this soup for 3 months,your skin will become smooth.

Crucian helps to invigorate spleen,diuresis, detumescence, detoxification,reduce cholesterol. Crucian soup is usually used to help to cure mouth tumefaction, ascites. It's lactogenic food for lying-in woman

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b. Steamed Ground Beef with White Radish Pie

Ingredients:

250g ground beef

100g white radish

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon rice wine

1 teaspoon shallot,copped

1 tablespoon five species powder

Procedure:

1. Mix ground beef with soy sauce,salt,rice wine,shallot,five species powder, stir well. Marinate for 15mins.

2. Clean white radish,minced. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt,mix,marinate for 10mins,leak out water.

3. Add minced radish in the beef, mix well.

4. Divide ground beef mixture into 10 pieces,one by one, press into thin pie by hands. Arrange in a plate. Put the plate on the drawer of a steamer.Steam for 10mins, or until beef thoroughly cooked.

5. Take out the plate, serve with rice or bread.

Note: Steam is the healthiest cooking method. You can add the ground beef mixture on the black mushroom(take out the pedicel),or fill in two pieces of eggplant,then steam,puring on some juice. It's tasty and healthy.

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c. Stir Fried Shrimp with Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

10 shrimp,medium

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

2 ginger flakes

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1. Clean shrimp, shell, add in boiling water,cook 2mins. Take out,drain well.

2. Clean bell peppers,seed,cut into small pieces.

3. Heat oil in a wok, add ginger,shrimp,soy sauce,stir fry 2 times. Add bell pepper pieces,salt,stir fry 3mins.

4. Pour in a dish,serve.

Beneficial Function: Shrimp contains high protein,low fat. Easy to be digested,suitable for children,old people and those who are weak, or after serious sick.Traditinal Chinese Medicine thinks that shrimp helps to nourish kidney,strengthen Yang, helping to cure kidney deficiency,Yang deficiency,lumbago,tired,etc.

Note: Some people are sensitive to shrimp,they should be careful. Those who are deficiency in Yin and too much internal heat should not eat.

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d. Cabbage with Konjac Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

1/4 cabbage,medium

1 bag konjac(250g)

2 teaspoon sesame oil(the best is sesame paste)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 lemond

Procedure:

1. Clean cabbage,put on the drawer of a steamer,steam for 10mins.Take out,cut into thin strips.

2. Open the bag, clean konjac,cook 5mins in boiling water. Cool,drain well.

3. Place cabbage strips and konjac in a big bowl,add salt,sesame oil,sprinkle lemond juice,stire well.

4. Cool 10mins in frige, serve.

Serving Method:(2 servings)

Serve as side dish at lunch,or dinner.

Beneficial Function: Redudce cholesterol,remove fat,especially good to obese people.

In spring our stomach is easy to get problem. Cabbage helps to cure gastric ulcer and duodenum ulcer.

About konjac, pls see the webpage: http://www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com/obesity-diet-food-konjac.html

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e. Stewed Navy Bean with Tomato

Ingredients:

1/2 cup navy bean

1 tomato, large

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

1/2 onion

1 star anise

1 teaspoon salt(if you have soy paste, then only need 1/2 teaspoon salt)

1 teaspoon soy paste(option)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure:

1. Clean navy bean,soak in water for one night. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, star anise, 4 times water ,cook for 60mins over low heat, or steam 40mins(or until thoroughly cooked). Add water if it becomes dry during cooking.

2. Clean tomato, cut into small pieces. Cut onions into small pieces.

3. Heat oil in a wok,add onions,soy paste,tamoto sauce,stir fry several times. Add tomato,stir fry 1mins. Add navy bean, simmer 10mins over low heat.

4. Add the rest salt,stir fry additional 5mins. Turn off heat,serve.

Note: You can buy a tin of navy bean,that'll save your time.

Serving Method: Serve as side dish at lunch, or dinner.

Beneficial Function: Clear heat and dampness inside your body,helps to defecation and diuresis. Suitable for hypertension,edema,obesity,etc.

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4. Prevent hypertension in spring

In spring the temperature changes frequently, so the small blood vessel all over our body shrinks and expands unsteadily, causing blood pressure unsteady. Meanwhile our mood is unstable, easy to cause blood pressure waves, and may have the symptoms such as headach,faint,insomnia,etc.

Thus you should be careful if you or your families are suffering from hypertension. You should take care at the following 8 points:

• Get up and lie down slowly. When wake up in the morning, on your back in the bed,move your limb,head and neck, then sit up slowly. Move the upper limb several times,then get off the bed to do other things. This will prevent blood pressure from big wave.

• Wash,shower, and brush teeth with warm water. Too hot or too cold will stimulate your skin, causing peripheral blood vessel to shrink and expand, thus effecting blood pressure. Wash feet with warm water before going to sleep. Then massage your feet and lower limbs to promote blood circulation.

• Excercise slowly. It's not suitable to do furious activity in the morning. Walking or Taiji is the better choices,which helps to improve the vascular shrinking/expanding ability,ease the tension of systemic small and medium-sized artery. This will help to reduce blood pressure.

• Defecate slowly. Don't go for bowel movement excessive forcibly. Stand up and do other movement slowly after bowel movement. Eat more vegetable,fruit and other food containing high edible fibers.

• Don't indulge in entertainment too much. Control your mood. Don't watch stimulative TV program.  Don't watch TV for more than 2 hours before going to sleep.

• Drink water frequently. Drink a cup of plain water after gargle in the morning. This helps to wash stomach and bowels, Lower blood viscosity,smooth blood circulation, promote metabolism, and reduce blood pressure. Eat digestible food

• Abstain from smoke and alcohol

• Eating insipidity,or low fat,low salt,low sugar food. Fresh vegetables and fruits such as  Orange, carrot, celery, bitter melon and other green leaf vegetables and fruit juice help to prevent cardiovascular disease.
  

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