Dear,

I would like to share this folk proverb which is very popular in China:

(Eating) fish produces heat,(eating) meat produces phlegm, Chinese cabbage(vegetables) and tofu keep (your health) safety.

Here, it's not telling us that we shoudn't eat fish and meat,but it's not good to our health if we eat too much fish and meat. On the contrary, it's safe even if we eat a little much tofu and vegetables.

Hot summer arrived now. We should eat less fish and meat, and eat more vegetables.

Enjoy your healthy life!

Anna

P.s. When cooking vegetables, don't forget waterless cookware which will preserve 98% nutrient of your vegetables after cooking. Check this webpage: http://www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com/worldsfinest-waterless-cookware.html

>>========================

Anna's Nature Regimen and Recipe Express

-- Keep your life close to the nature

>>========================

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

>>========================

May 28th,2008

Issue #9

Table of Content:

1. Methods of Chinese health regimen

2. About the 4th month and regimen

3. Anna's 4th month recipes

• a. Steamed Chicken Wrapped in Lotus Leaf
• b. Cordate houttuynia Salad
• c. Job's Tears and Small Red Bean Porridge
• d. Celery with Tofu Salad
• e. Stir Fried Duck with Green Bell Pepper

4. My Story-- Prevent measles in summer

So to prevent measles in summer, the important is to remove heat and dampness. I said "prevention" but not wait it comes and cure. We can prevent by eating right foods.

>>========================

1. Methods of Chinese health regimen

Health regimen methods:

Regimen methods should be carried out under the guide of Dao of regimen. The following is the content:

a. Spirit nourishment

Rest to attain mental tranguility,including mental psychological care and adjustment, hobby cultivation, and moral character cultivatin, which involves in the content of Traditional Chinese Medicine culture, religion culture, culture and folk culture.

b. Behaviour nourishment

Including daily life behaviour such as clothing, food, housing, travel , sexual acts etc.

c. Qi(vital energy) nourishment

Primarily for the medical fitness qigong (inner nourish Gong). It involves in the contents of Traditional Chinese medicine culture, religion culture and martial arts cultural.

d. Body(shape) nourishment

Including body shape exercise and other physical training. It involves in content of medicine culture and martial art culture.

e. Food nourishment: 

One of the main content of Traditional Chinese Medicine for health regimen. The content includes health food choice,compound,concoct and application. The  Food nourish(food healing) is widely applicated and adapt to the most crowd. This method involves in, medicine,pharmacy, food, tea, wine, folk customs, and other culture.

f. Medicine nourishment:

The choice,compounding and concocting of medicine. Most drugs are pure nature edible herbs. Most concocting methods are rough and primary. Many formulas are integrated with food. Therefore,there is "Medicinal Diet," in Traditinal Chinese Medicine.

g. Other nourishment

Besides the above,non-food and non-drug health regimen,including massage, acupuncture, bathing, Ironing, magnetism-attracting and utensil-stimulating,etc. It involves in medicine culture.

In short, the health regimen is based on the Dao of health regimen and Methods of health regimen, emphasizing the application on different people.

>>======================

2. About the 4th month and regimen

The 4th month of Chinese Calendar in 2008 is from May 5th to June 6th, 2008.

In this month, some organs status:

• The Qi(vital energy) in liver is sick.
• The Qi in heart is becoming strong

Diet should

• Increase sour food intake such as small red bean, plum, hawthorn,etc.(just increase,don't eat too much)
• Reduce bitter food intake such as wheat, mutton, almond, and swamp cabbage,etc.

    This helps to nourish kidney,tonify liver, adjust Qi in stomach.

The 4th month of Chinese Calendar is the 1st month of summer. For more summer regimen, please visit :

http://www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com/health-tip-summer-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.

>>======================

3. Anna's 4th month Recipes

a. Steamed Chicken Wrapped in Lotus Leaf

Ingredients:

250g boneless chicken breast

2 lotus leaf,large

1 bag ham,small

1/2 cup mushroom, chopped

1 scallion

1 ginger block

1 teaspoon rice wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Procedure:

1. Cut chicken breast into bite-size pieces.

   Clean lotus leaf,cut into same size 10 pieces.

   Cut ham into 10 flakes,each size about 1inch x 1/3 inch.

   Cut ginger into 10 small flakes.

   Cut scallion into 10 small sections.

2. Mix chicken blocks,rice wine, soy sauce, salt, cornstarch, mushroom, sesame oil and scallion sections, stir well. Marinate for 10mins.

3. Divide the above chicken mixture into 10 same size. Arrange in the lotus leaves, each add a piece of ham. Wrap well.

4. Arrange the 10 packages in the drawer of a steamer, steam for 2 hours.

5. Turn off heat, open the leaves, serve.

Serving Method(5 servings): Serve as main dish at lunch or dinner.

Beneficial Function: Taste fresh,fragrance,nourish heart,smooth Qi in spleen. Supplement deficiency.

-----------------

b. Cordate houttuynia Salad

Ingredients:

250g cordate houttuynia

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic,copped

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Procedure:

1. Clean cordate houttuynia, cook in boiling water for 5 mins. Cool, drain well.

2. Cut cordate houttuynia into small sections, mix soy sauce, salt, garlic,vinegar,sesame oil. Stir well. Let it stay 10mins, serve.

Note: Cordate houttuynia is always used as herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine, curing cough. It helps to clear heat,detoxification,relieve phlegm.

Cordate houttuynia has fishy smell. Somebody may not used to it.

------------

c. Job's Tears and Small Red Bean Porridge

Ingredients:

1/2 cup job's tears

1/2 cup small red bean

10 cup water

1 tablespoon crystal sugar

Procedure:

1. Clean small red bean and job's tears,soak in water for 2 hours or over night.

2. Add water,small red bean and job's tears in a cooker, cook for 2 hours over low heat.

3. Add crystal sugar, serve after cool.

Serving Method: Drink soup in the morning or in the after noon.

Beneficial Function: Clear heat, diuresis, prevent cancer,beautify skin. Help to lose weight.

-----------------

d. Celery with Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

150g celery

1 package tofu

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Procedure:

1. Clean celery,quick boil in water,take out, drain well. Add salt, marinate for 20mins.

2. Cut celery into small sections, add tofu,soy sauce,lemon juice, sesame oil, stir while cut tofu into small pieces by using chopstick or fork.

3. Let stay 5mins before serve.

Serving Method:(4 servings)

Serve as side dish at lunch,or dinner.

Beneficial Function: Ease liver, clear heat, detoxification.

-------------------

e. Stir Fried Duck with Green Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

200g duck breast meat

1 green bell pepper,large

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon rice wine

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 ginger flakes

1 teaspoon shallot

1 teaspoon salt

1 teapoon five species powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Procedure:

1. Clean duck breast meat, cut into bite-size flakes. Add 1/2 teapoon salt,cornstarch,marinate for 15mins.

2. Clean green bell pepper, cut into small pieces.

3. Heat oil in a wok, add duck meat,stir fry several times.

   Add shallot,five species powder,ginger flakes,soy sauce,rice wine, stir fry 2mins.

   Add 1 table spoon water,simmer 5mins over low heat,or until duck meat thoroughly cooked.

4. Add green bell pepper, the rest salt, stir fry 2mins. Turn off heat,serve.

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

Beneficial Function: Nourish yin,invigorate spleen,detumescence.

>>=====================

4. My story: Prevent measles in summer

Shanghai is hot and damp in summer. I always got some itch goose pimples on legs or arms these few years in Shanghai. They made me feel very uncomfortable. But now I understand that it's becomes of heat and dampness in summer.

From this month, I began to eat mung bean congee, small red bean and job's tears soup each day. It really works. So far I haven't been disturbed by any those small pimples. Doctors call them measles. Below is measles causes and symptoms:

-- Heat and dampness infringe our body. The tetter on skin is very red color(caused by wind), light red or white color (caused by heat). The symptom will become aggravated when there is wind or heat.

-- Accumulated heat in stomach and intestines. The tetter is very red color, stomac pains, constipation or diarrhoea.

-- Some people are sensitive to seafood,plus it's hot and wet in summer.

So to prevent measles in summer, the important is to remove heat and dampness. I said "prevention" but not wait it comes and cure. We can prevent by eating right foods.

These foods are mung bean, job's tear, small red bean, white gourd, towl gourd, cucumber, celery, chufa, black fungus, lotus root, carrot, tomato, watermelon, yam, crucian, duck,etc.

If you have such skin problem in summer, you'd better to take action now.

Diet should avoid fat,thick flavor,baked,deep fried,hot and spicy foods such as raw shallot,raw garlic,mustard,pepper,shrimp,crab,mutton,etc.

>>=====================

>>================