The summer season each year brings wafting memories of a juicy and luscious fruit called litchi. The origins of Litchi lie in southern China where as a crop it has been cultivated uninterruptedly for close to 2500 years. Its geographical propagation has been rather slow, which is due to the short life-span of its seed and the peculiar soil and climatic requirements associated with the plant.A classical instance of this is India which is the second largest producer just behind China, but litchi farming is chronologically speaking, very recent having been introduced only sometime in the middle of the 1700's. Together China and India between themselves produce more than 90% of the world's Litchi, leaving the rest of the world far behind. In the backdrop of all this it is interesting to know the various cultivars and varieties which dot the world of Litchi farming. Most or all of them have their genesis probably in China but have been suitably bred and modified to thrive in countries of their adoption.
The terms 'cultivar' and 'variety' have often been used interchangeably but this convention often seems to ignore the obvious differences which exist between the two. A 'cultivar' is bred with the help of vegetative propagation, which could include cutting, grafting,budding and tissue culture and is a product of human effort and ingenuity. A 'variety' on the other hand is a natural phenomenon and is bred through seedlings. A 'variety' will always produce clones of the parent plant, but in a cultivar,there may be slight variation in a progeny compared to the parent particularly in the case of hybrids. The Litchi cultivars in India number about 40 out of which around 12 or 13 are commercially cultivated.The same cultivar or variety may be known by different names in various parts of the country. In China there are about 200 known cultivars although only 20 or so are in commercial farming, which means the genetic repository is much more widespread compar
"Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Wheat is Invading China
Dr. Michael Eades linked to an interesting study yesterday on his Health and Nutrition blog. It's entitled "Vegetable-Rich Food Pattern is Related to Obesity in China."
It's one of these epidemiological studies where they try to divide subjects into different categories of eating patterns and see how health problems associate with each one. They identified four patterns: the 'macho' diet high in meat and alcohol; the 'traditional' diet high in rice and vegetables; the 'sweet tooth' pattern high in cake, dairy and various drinks; and the 'vegetable rich' diet high in wheat, vegetables, fruit and tofu. The only pattern that associated with obesity was the vegetable-rich diet. The 25% of people eating closest to the vegetable-rich pattern were more than twice as likely to be obese as the 25% adhering the least.
The authors of the paper try to blame the increased obesity on a higher intake of vegetable oil from stir-frying the vegetables, but that explanation is juvenile and misleading. A cursory glance at table 3 reveals that the vegetable-eaters weren't eating any more fat than their thinner neighbors. Dr. Eades suggests that their higher carbohydrate intake (+10%) and higher calorie intake (+120 kcal/day) are responsible for the weight gain, but I wasn't satisfied with that explanation so I took a closer look.
Soy consumption reduces risk of ischemic stroke: a case-control study in southern china.
Liang W, Lee AH, Binns CW, Huang R, Hu D, Shao H.
Neuroepidemiology. 2009;33(2):111-6. Epub 2009 May 30.
PMID: 19494552
DOI: 10.1159/000222093
Conclusion: The results provided evidence of inverse association between habitual soy food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke for Chinese adults.
Litchi is sweet and a very fragrant fruit, which is usually available in the summer. This fruit originated in China but today is found in most of the South East Asian countries. It is the member of soapberry family, Sapindaceae. There are three sub-species of Litchi. It has rough skin outside while contains juicy and creamy white flesh inside. Litchi has a wonderful taste and in modern times it has found its niche in desserts, juices and ice creams.
Litchi is a small fruit packed with loads of healthy nutrients. Litchi is considered an exotic fruit and has a very short shelf life. This is why it is available for a very limited time even during its season. In ancient China, Litchi was the favored fruit in the imperial corridors finding its greatest fans amongst the Kings and queens; who would get these beautiful fruit transported to capital at a great cost to the Kingdom.
Nutritional Value of Litchi
Litchi has a high level of vitamin C in it and meets about 86% of the body's daily requirement of this vitamin. It is a little high on sugar and has reasonable amount of dietary fiber. It is a rich source of Polyphenols that make it a strong and highly recommended anti-oxidant. The composition of minerals make it a great fuel for the electrolyte balance in our body.
Health Benefits
It contains a healthy blend of nutrients that promote health. So, know the amazing health benefits of Litchi that can make a lot of difference t
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Shilajit is perhaps the most potent rejuvenator and anti aging block buster ever known to the mankind. Shilajit is found predominately in the Himalayan region bordering India, China, Tibet and parts of central Asia. The Indian Yogis considered ...
Shilajit is perhaps the most potent rejuvenator and anti aging block buster ever known to the mankind. Shilajit is found predominately in the Himalayan region bordering India, China, Tibet and parts of central Asia. The Indian Yogis considered ...
Shannon J, King IB, Moshofsky R, Lampe JW, Li Gao D, Ray RM, Thomas DB.
Erythrocyte fatty acids and breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Shanghai, China.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Apr;85(4):1090-7.
PMID: 17413110 [PubMed - in process]
ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2009) - Individuals who took a dietary supplement called "factor D", which included selenium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, continued to have lower gastric cancer and overall mortality 10 years after supplementation ceased compared with individuals who did not take the supplements, according to long-term follow-up data from the randomized, double-blind General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial in Linxian, China.
Prospective study of serum 25(OH)-vitamin D concentration and risk of oesophageal and gastric cancers.
Chen W, Dawsey SM, Qiao YL, Mark SD, Dong ZW, Taylor PR, Zhao P, Abnet CC.
Br J Cancer. 2007 Jul 2;97(1):123-8. Epub 2007 Jun 5.
PMID: 17551495
We prospectively examined the relation between pretrial serum vitamin D status and risk of oesophageal and gastric cancers among subjects who developed cancer over 5.25 years of follow-up, including 545 oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC), 353 gastric cardia adenocarcinomas, 81 gastric noncardia adenocarcinomas, and an age- and sex-stratified random sample of 1105 subjects.
We found no associations for gastric cardia or noncardia adenocarcinoma. Among subjects with low vitamin D status, higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with significantly increased risk of ESCC in men, but not in women. Further refinements of the analysis did not suggest any factors, which could explain this unexpected result.
In conclusion, we found a direct association between higher serum 25(OH)D concentration and increased risk of ESCC in men but not women in a large population-based prospective cohort study from rural China. We found no association with risk of gastric cardia or noncardia adenocarcinoma in either sex. Greater than 50% of our cohort had an inadequate serum 25(OH)D concentration, yet higher concentrations were associated with increased risk of ESCC compared to lower concentrations.
Being small in size apricot have plenty of fiber, low in fat and full of other essential vitamins and health benefits. Apricots are grown in the United States, California but the fruit is originated from China.
Being small in size apricot have plenty of fiber, low in fat and full of other essential vitamins and health benefits. Apricots are grown in the United States, California but the fruit is originated from China.
Chinese cuisine includes styles originating from the diverse regions of China, as well as styles... #chinese #food #delivery #takeaway #restaurants http://bit.ly/1f6PT0y
Chinese cuisine includes styles originating from the diverse regions of China, as well as styles... #chinese #food #delivery #takeaways http://bit.ly/1cyrGQz
Styles and tastes also varied by class, region, and ethnic background. This led to an unparalleled range of ingredients... http://bit.ly/1cyrGQz #chinese #food #takeaways #fooddelivery
Liu J, Yu H, Ning X.
Effect of quercetin on chronic enhancement of spatial learning and memory of mice.
Sci China C Life Sci. 2006 Dec;49(6):583-90.
PMID: 17312997 [PubMed - in process]
Stevia comes from an herb in the chrysanthemum family called Stevia rebaudiana. It is native to Paraguay, also grows in Brazil and Argentina, and is cultivated in China. The leaves have been used for centuries by native peoples to make sweet teas, or to sweeten other foods, with no evidence of harm. It is available in the United States, and the European Union as a dietary supplement and is sold here in whole-leaf form or as stevioside, the extracted sweet principle, sold as a granular white powder. The powder has very few calories but is so sweet that to use it, you must dissolve it in water, then dispense the solution by drops. A teaspoon of the liquid is equivalent in sweetness of a whole cup of sugar. Stevia is safe for diabetics and is widely used as a nonnutritive sweetener around the world.
"Also known as Lycium barbarum fruit, goji berry grows on a bush and is native to northwestern China. The oblong-shaped berries are bright red and contain 20-40 tiny seeds, and can be eaten raw, or made into a juice or wine, brewed for tea, or prepared as a tincture. But it's the extracted phytochemicals used in nutritional supplements that provide the most potent health benefits.
Goji berry has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years as a health tonic to promote overall health and healthy eyesight, strengthen the immune system, protect the liver, improve circulation and sperm production, and to enhance sexual performance. It has also been used as a remedy for diabetes, anemia, tinnitus, and lung diseases."
"Is there a whole food more effective than:
* Coenzyme Q10 for supporting heart function?
* Echinacea in enhancing immunity?
* Oat bran in lowering cholesterol?
* St. John's Wort for treating depression?
* Lutien for preserving vision?
* Milk Thistle in regenerating the liver?
* Insulin for controlling diabetes?
* Is there a food that has been shown to combat cancer in multiple clinical studies?
Hundreds of studies conclude that a little known fruit from Northern China may, in fact do all of the above.
The Goji Berry has been found to be the most nutritionally dense food on earth!"
"Tempeh, or tempe in Indonesian, is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. Tempeh is unique among major traditional soyfoods in that it is the only one that did not originate in China or Japan. It originated in today's Indonesia, and especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer texture and stronger flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue.
The soy protein in tempeh becomes more digestible as a result of the fermentation process. In particular, the oligosaccharides that are associated with gas and indigestion are greatly reduced by the Rhizopus culture. In traditional tempeh making shops, the starter culture often contains beneficial bacteria that produce vitamins such as B12[1][2] (though it is uncertain whether this B12 is always present and bioavailable[3]). In western countries, it is more common to use a pure culture containing only Rhizopus oligosporus which makes very little B12 and could be missing Klebsiella pneumoniae which has been shown to produce significant levels of B12 analogs in tempeh when present. Whether these analogs are true, bioavailable B12, hasn't been thoroughly studied yet.
On December 15, 2006, this editor received an email from Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of the 'China Study' which read as follows: "Recently, I was invited to debate Professor Loren Cordain, author of the Paleo Diet, on the question of the optimum recommendation for dietary protein. We each wrote an opening piece, then we wrote a rebuttal. From my perspective it is an unfinished debate (if ever it is finished?).
"In the pages that follow, two scientists at the top of their respective fields--Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, author of The China Study and Dr. Loren Cordain Professor, Department of Health & Exercise Science, Colorado State University, author of The Paleo Diet-make their competing cases for the role of dietary protein in health and disease.
Download Article as PDF"
The summer season each year brings wafting memories of a juicy and luscious fruit called litchi. The origins of Litchi lie in southern China where as a crop it has been cultivated uninterruptedly for close to 2500 years. Its geographical propagation has been rather slow, which is due to the short life-span of its seed and the peculiar soil and climatic requirements associated with the plant.A classical instance of this is India which is the second largest producer just behind China, but litchi farming is chronologically speaking, very recent having been introduced only sometime in the middle of the 1700's. Together China and India between themselves produce more than 90% of the world's Litchi, leaving the rest of the world far behind. In the backdrop of all this it is interesting to know the various cultivars and varieties which dot the world of Litchi farming. Most or all of them have their genesis probably in China but have been suitably bred and modified to thrive in countries of their adoption.
The terms 'cultivar' and 'variety' have often been used interchangeably but this convention often seems to ignore the obvious differences which exist between the two. A 'cultivar' is bred with the help of vegetative propagation, which could include cutting, grafting,budding and tissue culture and is a product of human effort and ingenuity. A 'variety' on the other hand is a natural phenomenon and is bred through seedlings. A 'variety' will always produce clones of the parent plant, but in a cultivar,there may be slight variation in a progeny compared to the parent particularly in the case of hybrids. The Litchi cultivars in India number about 40 out of which around 12 or 13 are commercially cultivated.The same cultivar or variety may be known by different names in various parts of the country. In China there are about 200 known cultivars although only 20 or so are in commercial farming, which means the genetic repository is much more widespread compar