Wok Fusion Flavor

1. Use White Flower Oil under the nostrils. We all know that hand washing helps to kill germs, but germs also enter through the nose. White flower oil is a mixture of lavender, eucalyptus, camphor and wintergreen oils and is used to stop the spread of germs and prevent colds and infections. White flower oil comes in small, easy-to-carry bottles and is sold at Chinese groceries. It’s also available at Oliver’s Market. In addition to dabbing a drop at each nostril, you can put some on your hands to kill germs. Use it any time you’re going to come into contact with a lot of people. Also, if you have a headache, you can apply a drop at each temple and at the back of the neck where the skull mets the top vertebra. This increases circulation and promotes healing.

2. Supplement a healthy diet with Emergen-C. This is easy to use and available at grocery stories everywhere. It comes in a variety of flavor packets and has good absorbable vitamins C and B, as well as zinc, all of which help boost the immune system during stressful times. Both children and adults can use this product. Of course, supplements work best when you’re getting proper nutrition in your diet, so remember to eat plenty of green, leafy vegetables and whole grains, and limit your sugar intake because bacteria loves sugar in the human body. Bacteria thrive on glucose.

More

1 Comment

Although it is something I really do not know a great deal about, I did some reading on soy and found the subject very interesting. I have had some people ask me about cooking with soy milk and other soy products.

I have to admit soy-based products have not always been among my favorite snacks. I do notice more soy products available today then in prior years. Stores carry everything from soy milk and soy-based drinks to even snacks made from soy. Soy really isn’t the next new craze. Reports state that use of soy milk was recorded on stone slabs as early as A.D. 25-220 in China. Now that is some really good record keeping.

Soy milk is produced by soaking dry soy beans in water and grinding them to get the milk consistency. I guess it is very easy to make at home if you have the proper equipment. Like anything else, if you can get it at the store, why not get it there? I wouldn’t buy a cow so I could get fresh milk. I do want to say that having a cow is not a bad thing. I just don’t have a place to keep a cow, and I could only imagine what it would cost me to buy cute clothes for it to wear.
More

No Comments Yet

In Chinese culture, food, and medicine are closely related. The practice of traditional Chinese medicine places great emphasis on achieving balance in one’s body for the regeneration of the body’s systems and organs.

Over 3,000 years ago, the Yellow Emperor wrote in his classic book on internal medicine, “Huangdineijing,” that if people wanted to obtain health and longevity, they should eat food with “five colors, five tastes, and five fragrances.”

White (metal) food: White-colored foods give people a clean feeling and purify the lungs.

Green (wood) food: Green is the color of life and impacts the liver. It is a fundamental link in the food chain, and green food is the food source of both people and animals.

Black (water) food: Black impacts the kidneys. The kidneys are the fatal organs among the five organs, and the origin of life.

Red (fire) food: Red impacts the heart. Eating more red-colored food can help one’s immune system and prevent colds.

Yellow (earth) food: Yellow corresponds to the spleen. The spleen transforms and transports the energy from food and drink throughout the body. Yellow foods also correspond to the stomach.
More

No Comments Yet

Unlike most farms in China, no heaps of blackened sewage sludge are piled on the fields at the Green Cow farm. No workers spray pesticides from pumps strapped to their backs. No animals are in quarantine.

An oasis in a Beijing suburb, the organic farm’s modest 6 acres boast pepper and tomato plants, fields of corn and wheat, and sunflower patches that pop up in between. Two rotund cows chomp on grasses; under a grove of fruit trees, three young pigs slurp water.

Restaurateur and environmentalist Lejen Chen started Green Cow with her husband in 2004, fearful of the pesticides, chemical fertilizers and sewage sludge used in the cultivation of most domestic produce.

In China, the organic food movement is growing steadily, led by Chen and a small, dedicated group of like-minded farmers. It’s a battle in a country of recurring food scares, loosely enforced regulations and skepticism about paying more for produce that looks the same as regular market fare. But interest in natural food is on the rise.
More

No Comments Yet

My name is Lim Lay Beng, and I am a 56-year-old female suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (Gerd) and often experience a burning sensation in my throat, gums and lips. The symptoms subsided within one week of taking medication but they have since returned.

Gerd occurs when the lower oesophageal sphincter opens or does not close properly and stomach contents rise to the oesophagus.

It is caused by a deficiency in the functions of the liver and stomach, insufficient qi, poor blood circulation and a stagnation of qi. Pathogenic factors such as phlegm, heat and dampness are also responsible.

Chinese medicine, acupuncture, cupping therapy and ‘tui-na’ massage can improve your condition by strengthening your organs and dispelling the pathogenic factors.

Chinese herbs such as Golden Thread (huanglian) and Chinese Dandelion (pugongying) are usually prescribed to reduce the burning sensation and stomach heat.

Arca Shell (walengzi) and Cuttlebone (haipiaoxiao) can reduce stomach acid and produce a layer of tissue in the stomach and oesophagus to prevent inflammation. Common Vladimiriae Root (muxiang), Nutgrass Galingale Rhizome (xiangfu) and Turmeric Root- tuber (yujin) are effective in improving the circulation of qi to reduce pain.

Inula Flower (xuanfuhua) and Hematite (zheshi) help to reduce vomiting, while Chinese Eaglewood Wood (chenxiang) and Fresh Ginger (shengjiang) help to reduce burping.
More

No Comments Yet

Despite the rainy start, summer is officially here and that means prime time for grilling! Depending on your choices, grilling can be an artery clogging, blood pressure raising event, or in contrast, can be a delicious way to boost your health.

Instead of protein foods high in saturated fat and/or sodium, think of leaner protein options. This might include chicken breasts, ground turkey breast, fish, shrimp, scallops, firm tofu, veggie burgers, or lean cuts of beef.

There are a lot of healthy ways to add flavor to grilled items. Marinades have the added advantage of tenderizing proteins as well. A simple marinade might be olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and minced fresh rosemary. Another could be olive oil, a little red or white wine, minced garlic, ground cumin, and chili powder. How about combining olive oil, lemon juice, basil and minced garlic for marinating chicken. You can make a delicious Tandoori-style marinade using plain yogurt and Tandoori seasonings.

Experiment to create your own marinades — choose an oil (olive, canola, peanut), a form of acid (the many types of vinegar, wine, lemon or lime juice, plain yogurt, etc.), and seasonings (herbs, spices, hot sauces, wasabi, etc.).

Another way to add flavor is to use a “rub.” This is a dry mixture of seasonings used to coat the protein item. You can buy these mixtures at the store or create your own. Try combining a minced herb like rosemary or sage, dry mustard, black pepper, and minced garlic or garlic powder. Another might be cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cloves and a dash of cayenne pepper for use on chicken or lamb.

You can also use a sauce or paste to coat the protein item. Try stirring a little curry powder into apricot or peach jam and spread on top of grilled salmon (grill on a piece of foil and do not turn the salmon — just cook until the fish is opaque all the way through). Another paste could be minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, Chinese five spice, peanut oil, a dash of sherry vinegar and a dash of low sodium soy sauce.
More

1 Comment

Two foods commonly eaten as part of the traditional Chinese diet can reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer by as much as 90 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Western Australia in Perth, and published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Researchers compared consumption of mushrooms and green tea between two groups of Chinese women, one with breast cancer and one without. They found that women who ate at least 10 grams (0.35 ounces) of fresh mushrooms per day had a 64 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who did not eat as much. Those who also regularly drank green tea reduced their risk by a total of 90 percent. Dried mushrooms also reduced breast cancer risk, although they were not as effective as fresh ones.

The protective benefit of mushrooms and green tea remained significant even after researchers adjusted for other breast cancer risk factors, including weight, exercise, smoking and education level.

Breast cancer rates are four to five times lower in China than in most Western countries, a fact widely attributed to a different lifestyle.

“Breast cancer incidence rates do vary in different countries, and China has lower rates than the United Kingdom,” said Sarah Cant of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. “This is likely to be due to cultural and lifestyle differences such as having children earlier or exercising more [as well as diet].”
More

2 Comments

We always want to stress eating the right foods and being healthy as well.   If you ever go out to eat to popular fast-food chain restaurant, you should be aware of the calories and the food ingredients of these places.  You need to take a look at PeerTrainer nutrition facts on Chinese food, fat, fiber and points.

No Comments Yet

In 1907, a Japanese biochemistry professor became curious about some of the flavors in his wife’s cooking. He noticed that some foods had a much more satisfying flavor and yet didn’t fall into the categories of the four known tastes, and after some investigating he found that foods made with asparagus, cheeses, kelp, meats, mushrooms and tomatoes had something that he couldn’t match up with sweet, sour, salty or bitter.

Professor Kikunae Ikeda took these thoughts from home to work with him at the Tokyo Imperial University. After a considerable amount of investigating he discovered that the common denominator was the glutamates which were found in all of these items. He believed that he had discovered “The Fifth Taste.” He named it “Umami” and assumed that it along with sweet were the only tastes associated with pleasure. Bitter, salty and sour may be enjoyed by many people but they are not actually pleasure inducing.

He isolated the exact chemical, C5H9NO4, called L-glutamate, and was able to turn it into a product now known as MSG.

Although Professor Ikeda is nowadays considered one of Japan’s 10 greatest inventors, his contemporaries said there was no section of the tongue that detected MSG and so his theory was initially discounted.
More

No Comments Yet

Ginger, a favored herb in Indian kitchens, can help with nausea and vomitting caused by chemotherapy.

There is a saying — with shades of black humour in it — that if the cancer doesn’t kill you, chemotherapy will. Many cancer survivors have spoken of the struggle that undergoing chemotherapy puts them through. There is the hair loss, weakened immunity and trips to the hospital that need to be taken for the chemo to be administered. But the most unpalatable part is the nausea and gut wrenching vomitting, an unfortunate side-effect of chemotherapy. Now, new research is showing that ginger, a herb that is used in numerous everyday dishes in India, can help in getting rid of both the nausea and vomitting. A study published in Lancet Oncology this week shows that those given ginger after chemotherapy did benefit.

Ginger, which is native to Asia, has been in used in cooking for over 4,000 years. It has been used commonly in India and China to treat diarrhea as well to help the digestive tract to process food better. Ginger has also been used for several thousands of years in Indian, Chinese and Arabic traditional healing methods. However, allopathy has for a long time remained aloof of the curative possibilities of several herbs including ginger. The root (actually an underground stem) is said to be composed of phenol compounds and volatile oils.
More

No Comments Yet

The A(H1N1) virus is spreading faster than anticipated, Chinese experts said yesterday after about 200 pigs were found infected with the virus in Canada on Saturday.

“The virus could be stronger than we expected,” said Yang Hanchun, a professor at China Agricultural University.

“The case tells us we need to enhance vigilance at pig farms, too,” he said.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said a traveler carried the virus from Mexico to Canada, infecting his family and a herd of swine.

The herd in the western province of Alberta apparently caught the virus from a carpenter who traveled recently to Mexico, the epicenter of a swine flu outbreak that has spread to 18 countries and regions.

It was the first time that a human-to-pig transmission has been reported.

The case has intensified fears, prompting global organizations to reassure people that pork products are safe.
More

No Comments Yet

Experts are warning the people from Scotland not to turn to a traditional Chinese spice to treat swine flu. Star anise – a key ingredient in Chinese cuisine’s five-spice powder is used to make the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, which is the world’s front-line defense against H1N1 strain of the virus.

It has been used by traditional healers to treat respiratory conditions and digestion.

But as the World Health Organization warns that “all of humanity is under threat” from swine flu, Chinese medicine practitioners warned Scots that star anise could make fevers worse.

Wei Xiong Chen, who runs the Hui Chun Clinic in Glasgow, said too much star anise could do more harm than good and raise the body’s temperature.

He said: “We would use cooling herbs to cool the head. Star anise would not cool the body – it would make it worse and might increase your temperature.

“Some of the Chinese community come here to get medicine for prevention, and my family members take star anise as well for precaution. It works well for the normal flu.

“But you need to see patients individually because each person is different. I use a different formula of 10 to 15 different herbs for each person to cover different parts of the body.

“There’s no harm in using star anise but it’s not a miracle cure. Western medicine and herbalists use one formula for everything. Our approach is to treat the individual.”

Mr Chen added that the price from suppliers for star anise increased hugely after the SARS outbreak in 2003 or bird flu in 2005, as did the price of honeysuckle flower, which is now two or three times higher.

The government announced it would be buying extra doses of Tamiflu to take the total from 33 million to more than 50 million to cover a likely pandemic.
More

2 Comments

These days many of us are out of our home for over ten hours in a day.  There is little time to prepare a good and rather healthy meal.  I’m going to review some tips that will save you time in preparation your Chinese meals.  Here are some great quick ways to cook your Chinese food fast:

1. Use common ingredients as substitute for hard-to-find ingredients.  Some Asian foods may not be available in your local grocery store.  You may substitute other foods when cooking your meals.  If you need Asparagus in your dish, you can substitute broccoli, string beans, and other green vegetables.  Another example would be substitution for black mushrooms.  You can use fresh American mushrooms.

2. Buy food ingredients in larger quantity.  A) Buy a whole chicken.  Remove the bones or debone the chicken and use the bones for soup stock.  Use the chicken meat for your Chinese dishes to be stir fried with vegetables for your refrigerator.  B) Another technique is to buy a fresh fish like walleye or tilapia.  Remove the bones from the fish known as filleting the fish.  Save the bones for soup stock and use the fillet part of the fish for stir frying.  As you can see there are numerous ways, use food when buying in bulk.

More

No Comments Yet

If you crave a particular food (like sweets), then you can substitute your foods with something else.  I found a list of food substitutes that you can use on a daily basis.  Click on More to see the entire chart.

More

No Comments Yet

The common cold isn’t just an annoyance. It’s a crippling illness that can seriously disrupt personal and professional lives. According to scientists from the Mayo Clinic, most adults will have the common cold two to three times a year. The result of this is hundreds of missed work days and millions of dollars spent on cold medicines.

Unfortunately, there is no complete cure for a cold. But, while there is no way to completely cure a cold, there are several steps that can help overcome the discomfort of many of the symptoms. It’s important that people alleviate problems as quickly as possible so that they can focus on getting over their cold and on with their lives. Follow this guide to help relieve the symptoms of the common cold:

More

No Comments Yet

Why is ginkgo used?
The ginkgo is the oldest surviving species of tree, traceable back to 300 million years. Although it died out in Europe during the Ice Age, ginkgo continued to flourish throughout other parts of the world, most notable throughout Asia. It has been used throughout history for medicinal purposes – supposedly with the ability to cure an astonishing array of illnesses. This has lead to the idea that ginkgo is some kind of “miracle drug.” Unfortunately, many studies have disproved many of these initial ideas of ginkgo – it seems as though that ginkgo, while beneficial for a small number of ailments, is probably best used in tea flavoring.

The oldest use of ginkgo dates back to the Chinese. In traditional Chinese herbology, tea made from ginkgo was used to cure a variety of ailments such as sexual dysfunction, asthma, joint problems, and others. In making these cures, the Chinese used only the ginkgo’s seeds, choosing to discard or cook the actual leaf. Beginning in the 1950s, however, German researchers began to investigate the medicinal properties of ginkgo leaf extracts rather than the actual seeds. These researchers formed the basics of many ideas about ginkgo.
More

No Comments Yet

Wouldn’t be right of me to talk about the virtues of herbal tea drinking without looking at what the possible side effects are, especially in the amounts the experts are telling us we should drink it in order to maximize the benefits (3-6 cups a day).

Side effect of Green Tea:

• Although rare, allergic reactions to green tea may occur. Stop taking green tea and seek emergency medical attention if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction including difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives.

• Heavy and prolonged consumption of green tea may be associated with esophageal cancer.
More

No Comments Yet

There are 12 foods that, if eaten on a regular basis, do wonders for your health. Do you know what they are?
If you’re reading this than you already have some knowledge of how important good nutrition is. I’m a big advocate of “you are what you eat.” Meaning, what you put in your body largely determines what you look like on the outside.

And if you make a serious effort to improve your eating habits, you will notice a positive change in how you look and feel. It’s not about perfection though. Thrive to make small changes to your diet over time and you’ll eventually be amazed at the will power you develop.

More

No Comments Yet

There is a growing public perception that companies are ignoring health and environmental concerns in their quest to maximise profit and in doing so they ignore other equally important issues such as environmental concerns and local communities.

Businesses such as www.GuideMeGreen.com and the co-op offer a real alternative for people concerned with these issues and with businesses that combine a strong ethical dimension in tandem with making profits.

More

No Comments Yet

It has already been proven that fish and nuts are good for a complete diet. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings every week to help lower the risk of heart disease. The omega-6 and omega-3 acids found in fish and nuts were discovered to part of the healthiness of these foods. Even better, research dating as far back as the year 2003, has also found another benefit for fish and nuts – stopping Alzheimer’s disease and reducing memory loss in old age. In addition, pregnant mothers that had eaten a healthy dose of fish and nuts had babies who scored higher in cognitive abilities. Simply put, fish and nuts are brain foods that can prevent a variety of mental ailments.

More

No Comments Yet