Who wants a cup of tea? It’s not just Britons, old ladies and laborers enjoying a cuppa any more, with the world’s most consumed drink after water getting a make-over and attracting younger, more discerning fans.

The Chinese have a saying:”‘Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea”, They are the most important things in everyone’s life. If you notice that, you will find the tea is the seventh necessities to begin a day, Yes, we still can see the importance of tea in daily life.

Chinese tea culture not only expressing on drinking, but also in tasting.Tea drinking is for refreshment and tonic effect. but Tea tasting is a higher level drinking. it is not for satisfy one’s thirst, but a enjoying course.Tea tasting has cultural meaning. Tea and tea wares should match surrounding elements such as breeze, bright moon, pines, bamboo, plums and snow. All these show the ultimate goal of Chinese culture: the harmonious unity of human beings with nature.

Tea has also gained popularity in recent years due to a heightened awareness of its health benefits, with study after study praising it for helping to ward off diseases.

According to the United Kingdom Tea Council, an independent body set up to promote tea drinking, tea can help to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease while its high levels of antioxidants are also beneficial.

One of the latest studies, which emerged at the First International Congress on Abdominal Obesity, claimed tea could help slim the waistline. A recent Japanese study also found that elderly people who drink several cups of green tea a day are less likely to suffer from depression.

Cancer has become the bigest killer of human. Every year, numerous people died of cancer all over the world. So we need take care of our health and fight with cancer. Do you know some of vegetable are good for cancer-fighting? Now, let’s learn about them.

Broccoli has been shown to be useful in preventing breast cancer by altering the type of cancer-causing estrogen that the body produces. Broccoli sprouts are the most useful form of broccoli and are believed to help prevent colon and rectal cancers. The more bitter the broccoli, the healthier it is.

Raw carrots contain beta carotene, which may help reduce a range of cancers including lung, mouth, throat, stomach, intestine, bladder, prostate and breast. Unfortunately, you lose a lot of the benefits if the carrots are cooked. Stick to raw!

Garlic is rich in allicin that has immune-enhancing compounds that actually increase the activity of immune that slow down or prevent cancer development in the stomach, breast and esophagus. The sulphur compounds that give garlic its intense flavour have been shown to protect against cancer by neutralizing carcinogens. People who consume raw or cooked garlic regularly reduce drastically the risk of stomach cancer because garlic has anti-bacterial effects against certain bacteria that cause cancer there. To achieve full anti-cancer benefits, it is recommended that garlic is peeled, minced and cooked after 15 minutes.

Cooked tomatoes are high in antioxidants. A study by the National Cancer Institute found evidence from studies that antioxidants may slow or possibly prevent the development of cancer. Lycopene, the antioxidant found in tomatoes is also found in watermelon, guavas and grapefruits.

Soy products like tofu could help prevent both breast and prostate cancer by blocking and suppressing cancerous growths. Soy appears to lower cancer risks by inhibiting the growth of cells and new blood vessels that tumors require to expand. Women who have breast cancer or are at high risk should talk to their doctors before increasing their consumption of soy products.

While the long-waited coolness accompanies it, fall also brings unpleasant weather. The atmosphere is drier, cloudy days are more frequent, and there is a greater difference in temperature between morning and evening. Because the Lungs are most sensitive during autumn, this is a time to focus on preventing or responding to colds, coughs, sore throat, and the like.

As an old Chinese saying goes, “a bowl of porridge in the morning and a bowl of soup in the evening help people through autumn days.” It’s good advice to follow.

The summer heat weakens the body’s digestive functions, and when autumn comes, the intestines become more vulnerable to bacteria. Because the Lungs are especially sensitive during the autumn months, it’s a good idea to minimize the amount of spicy food you eat, to avoid irritating them. As a result, your Lungs will be less vulnerable to pathogens.

Eat daikon radish, lotus root, and miso soup. Eat fewer summer vegetables, and switch to autumn vegetables like squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. Eat more root vegetables like carrots, onions, potatoes, and beets. Avoid spicy foods, and as always, too many refined sweets. Autumn is also seafood season. Crabs, shrimp and lobsters are all irresistible. Containing an abundance in protein and low fat, seafood is good for people’s health. Just make sure the seafood is fresh.

Balance is Key
Strive to balance your diet so that it includes some vegetables, some fruit, some grain, and a handful of moderately spicy foods.

What is a calorie? A calorie is a unit of measurement for energy. A food calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree centigrade. The more calories that the food contains the more energy it will be released when it is burned. In this respect, fats provide the highest amount of calories, followed by carbohydrates and sugars and finally proteins.

At present, people are puzzled by the fat problem because of the long time to stay without doing sports. So we need eat more low calorie food.As part of a sensible weight-control program – including diet, exercise and lifestyle changes – low-calorie foods and beverages do help dieters control calories and therefore lose weight. Dietitians and health professionals agree that calorie-control is the key to losing weight. The low calorie food list shows some great everyday foods which are low in calories and ideal for weight loss diets. The calorie content is shown in the foods average portion. The low calorie food list also gives calorie content in 100 grams so it can be compared with other foods you may normally eat.

Low Calorie Fruits. When eaten fresh, apricots, apples, melon, currants and grapefruits provide the least calories and plenty of vitamins and fiber.

Low Calorie Vegetables. While most vegetables are low in calories, it is useful to know that brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, celery mushroom, tomatoes, watercress, swede, red peppers are some of the vegetables that contain the least calories.

Meat and animal products low in calorie. Lean ham,  Lower fat hot-dogs, Beef,  Canadian bacon,  Ground turkey,White eggs,Low fat cheese.

When it comes to drinks water is the only thing you need. Water doesn’t contain any calories at all. A few cups of coffee a day is ok too but don’t add sugar to it.

Xi’an  is not only famous for its ancient culture and scenic spots, it is also well-known for its prosperous food and beverage industry. The wheated food is the typical xi’an’s food. There are so many kind of food made of wheat that tasted very delicious. If  you are fond of wheated food, you must come to Xi’an to try.

dumpling banquet

Xi’an Dumpling Banquet
Xi’an Dumpling Banquet was originated from the dumplings of Tang Dynasty and traditional dumplings in folk community.The dumplings made are impressive and characterized for their shapes. Xi’an Dumpling Banquet is famous for its multiple diversity and variety of dumplings on the table.

Liang Pi
Liang Pi is made from wheat flour (or other starch). It looks translucent and tastes cold, and known for its white color, thin shape, smooth surface, pliable texture, tender and savory taste.

liangpi

It is eaten along with garlic, ginger, pepper, sauce, vinegar, bean sprouts, capsicum flour, salt, sliced cucumber, caraway, chicken essence, sesame oil etc. All of the girl in Xi’an like to eat laingpi, but the men seems not very interested in it.
Roujiamo (Chinese-style Hamburger)
You may not know Xi’an has it’s own hamburger that are very different form hambuiger of KFC or Mcdonald’s. It is called Roujiamo.Roujiamo is made of mincemeat wrapped by griddle steamed bread.

roujiamo

 Meat used in Roujiamo is a kind of cured meat stewed with assorted sauces in a kettle. This makes the meat soft, eay to chew and taste with a lasting flavor. HIgh culinary skill is required to produce this kind of meat.

Beef and Mutton Sups with Shredded Cake
The last one I want to introduce to you is Beef and Mutton Sups with Shredded Cake.

mutton sups

There is a piece of hearsay like this: the first emperor of Song Dynasty was in trouble when he was in Chang’an before his enthronement as the emperor of Song Dynasty. He led a belly-pinched life in Chang’an all the time. One day, he came to the front of a shop. The shopkeeper found he was so poor that he cooked a bowl of beef and mutton soup for him. He devoured the food ravenously and felt it was the best delicious one in the world. After he became the first emperor of Song Dynasty, and one day he went by Chang’an but could not forget the food he ate in hard time. He found out that shop with many officials and ate Beef and Mutton Sups with Shredded Cake once again. He still felt it was much too tasty, so he awarded this kind-hearted shopkeeper too much.

Besides these delicious food, there are too many others. You can come to Xi’an and taste yourself.

There are many varieties to choose from. Mushrooms are also easy to grow, You can buy mushroom kits with spores and everything you need to grow them in your home.

Home gardeners in China have been growing mushrooms for more than 1,000 years, and it’s finally catching on among North Americans.

Mushroom growing at home requires a cool, dark, damp place. Typically, this will be in a basement, but an unused cabinet or closet will also work. Anywhere you can create near darkness and control temperature and humidity.

Place the growing medium in a pan and raise the temperature of the area to about 70F (a heating pad works well for this). Place the spawn on the growing medium. In about 3 weeks, the spawn will have “rooted”, meaning the filaments will have spread into the growing medium.

Once this occurs, drop the temperature to between 55F and 60F. This is the best temperature for growing mushrooms. Then, cover the spawn with an inch or so of potting soil. Cover the soil and pan with a damp cloth and spray the cloth with water as it dries. Also, spritz the soil with water when it is dry to the touch.

In 3-4 weeks, you should see small mushrooms appear. Mushrooms will be ready for harvesting when their cap has fully opened and has separated from the stem.

Now, Have a try!

Look at your skin, hair, and nails and you can very often tell if you’re eating right. Is your skin soft and moist or it is dry and rough?What’s more, most of the foods that keep your skin looking good and also much easier on the planet.

Vitamin A and C
Vitamin A is often what’s to blame for dry, scaly skin or breakouts for those with acne. Foods rich in vitamin A include sweet potatoes, organic carrots, spinach, local milk, and local egg yolks.Vitamin C is another potent antioxidant important to fighting the free radicals that cause your skin to age. Get it in citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts bought locally to ensure that the antioxidant power is still fully intact.

Water
Drinking plenty of water every day helps the skin look soft, supple and more youthful. By keeping the body hydrated, your overall appearance will benefit, from improved skin texture, hair and nails.

Soy
Soy proteins are rich in amino acids, vitamin E and many anti-oxidants. These components help the skin retain moisture, smooths out skin’s appearance and improves elasticity.

Green Vegetables
Vegetables such as spinach, collard greens and kale are rich in Vitamin A, C, E, iron and fiber. We’ve already discussed the benefits of vitamin C, but equally important to looking great is your intake of vitamin A and E.

Yogurt
Since yogurt is a dairy product, all the benefits of milk also hold true for yogurt. Yogurt also contains friendly bacteria, which aids in digestion, improves the immune system and (when used as a mask) can help hydrate and cleanse the skin.

When working for a long time, we need to do some simple active without using our brain. Why not to be a farmer somtimes? Though it is very hard to be a farmer, you may feel very pleasure when harvest. If you have a garden, it is the best that would be great.

Choose a weekend, dress an old clothes to grow strawberries.It is the best loved of all summer fruits, their sweet red berries are irresistible to almost everyone. Very quick to produce their fruits, strawberry plants are an excellent crop for the amateur. 

When to Plant

Plant strawberries as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. This is usually in March or April allowing the plants to become well established before the hot weather arrives. Do not work the soil if it is wet. Wait a few days until it dries.

Planting Depth

Try to plant strawberries on a cloudy day or during the late afternoon. Set the strawberry plant in the soil so that the soil is just covering the tops of the roots. Do not cover the crown. After four or five weeks, the plants will produce runners and new daughter plants.

Strawberries are among the most widely grown fruit in the home garden. Strawberries prefer a well drained soil, high in organic matter. They need full sun for the highest yields, at least 6 hours per day.

During the first growing season, remove flowers of June-bearing strawberries as soon as they appear. Removing the flowers promotes root and runner development thereby insuring a large crop the following year.

After the first harvest in the second season strawberries should be fertilized after renovation in July.