Posts classified under: From Founder

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

Summer is a season when fruits and vegetables are in abundance. It’s the best time to enjoy Nature’s gifts. There is plenty of sunshine during this hottest season of the year and the fruits produced, such as watermelon, sweet melon, honeydew melon, grapes, oranges and all kinds of tropical fruits, that are thirst quenching and cooling in nature become available in the market.

Sweet fruits are considered cooling and during such hot weather, would naturally be most helpful for quenching thirst and bringing down the body temperature. A remedy for heat stroke is to drink a glass of brown sugar fluid.

Local fruits are selected accordingly, depending on the living environment. Taking fruits as main course for breakfast is the most appropriate choice during summer. Fruits in the melon family is best eaten on its own and not mixed with others. Sweet and sour fruits should not be eaten together and certainly not with starch as well. Alternatively, choose one day in the week to eat only fruits, so as to allow the system to clear itself and take a break; or eat fruits for lunch frequently.

Summer is also the best time for fasting. Vegetable and fruit juice, clear soup or floral tea, green tea, etc. can be used. Fasting for two or three days; a longer fasting period is not advisable for beginners. Those who desire to fast for a longer period of time should have fast for several occasions previously and should best do it compassionately with the help and guidance of an experienced person. A preparation such as reading up and listening to tapes on the relevant material is strongly advised.

Besides fruits, salads made from a good variety of fruits and vegetables (and garnished with finely grated fresh coconut for a tropical sizzle,) should also be eaten frequently.

This season is also ideal for eating suitable amounts of fresh chilies (long type). In equatorial countries like Malaysia, people like to eat freshly cut green and red chilies, they eat it with every meal. In the tropics such as Yunan and Kuizhou, it is believed that chili helps to prevent stomach discomfort (feeling of being bloated-up due to the hot damp atmosphere) during this season. Chili helps to dissipate heat from the body, the heavy perspiration after eating chili makes one feel good. However, people living in temperate and cold places would shiver with cold sweat after eating chili.

Some variations in cooking vegetables is advised, Indian and SE-Asian flavor may be used but keep to steaming and season with a sauce.

Water intake is very important during summer. It is best to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. On top of that, some suggestions of fluid intake are given here.

Fluids

• Plain water with a dash of lemon juice or orange juice
• Fresh coconut juice served with some coconut flesh
• Fresh sugar cane juice
• Fresh orange juice served with a dash of passion fruit juice
• Hot or cold teas (floral tea, green tea and leaf tea)
• Floral teas may include those of sunflower, jasmine, rose, Rousun, peony, gold/silver, chrysanthemum, etc.
• Leaf teas may include those of mint-, papaya-, pipa-(louquat), sumach and local green teas
• These teas can be made with boiled hot water or filled a bottle with cold water and exposed it to sunlight for one whole day to make a solar brew.

Dessert

Fruit ice-cream

• Fresh fruits can be frozen to make fruit ice creams.
• Choose sweet ones such as banana (skin removed), peach, plum, grapes, durian, lychee, longan, mango, etc.
• Add a little of the fruit juice to the selected fruit, then blend until smooth and creamy in texture. Serve as fruit ice-cream.

Baked apple or banana pie

Arrange in an 8-inch baking dish:

• 4 apples or 4 bananas (skinned, sliced) mixed with juice of half a lemon

Top with:

• ¾ cup of wheat germ
• ¾ cup of desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

Bake in at 300^oF for an hour.

Sweet soup

Briefly boil sweet potato, melon (any variety), root (any variety) and Chinese boxthorn leaves together in a pot. Lower the flame to simmer for an hour. Serve only the resulting clear soup which is sweetened naturally by the sweet potato while the unwanted pulp can be added to the garden compost.

Sweet and sour sauce Stew

Add finely grated ginger to a mixture of equal quantities of Soy sauce, black vinegar, molasses and sesame oil. Stew with Tempeh (Malay fermented soybean cake), Tofu (Soybean cake), root and vegetable (of a melon variety) for at least an hour followed by steaming. Serve with thick soy gravy.

Sweet sauce

Mix Soybean paste with malt syrup or brown rice syrup, add a little sesame oil and water. Serve with vegetables that are steamed or stir-fried in a little oil.

Lentil cooked in Indian style

Put into a pot the following:

• 1 cup of lentil (soaked overnight)
• Water level is of one inch above lentil
• 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoon fenugreek
• 1 ½ teaspoon coriander leaves
• 2 fennels
• 1 or 2 slices of ginger
• ¼ cup raisins

Cook for half an hour. When ready, add half a teaspoon of tomato sauce and 1 teaspoon of oil and a little sea salt. Serve with some coriander leaves.

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

The May issue of the authoritative science journal Nature (volume 399, 214, 1999) reports the research of John E Losey and his associates from Cornell University. Their research reported a laboratory experiment where half of the caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly died four days after eating milkweed leaves that had been sprayed with pollen from genetically engineered B.t. corn; those that ate pollen from normal corn survived. Milkweed are weeds that grow in cornfields and is the only food source of these caterpillars. This research finding attracted much media attention, and made Americans realized the unexpected dangers of genetically engineered food. If caterpillars can die from eating pollen, what about animals and humans that eat the corn?

What is genetically engineered corn? Why are countries in Europe and Africa not welcoming this kind of food, and calling it Frankenstein food?

The process of genetic engineering involves combining the genes of different living things to obtain a superior gene. This process includes using genes of toxins or poisons to break the defense system and enter the genetic structure of living organisms. B.t. corn is formed by inserting the genes of bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) into genes of corn to create a toxin that kills insects that eat corn. From the research report discussed earlier, we now know that this not only kills corn-eating insects. This year, North America has cultivated about 22 million acres of land for such genetically engineered crop, which amounts to 27% of total production. Two-thirds of these genetically engineered agricultural products contains genes that are resistant to pesticides (so that farmers can use more of these pesticides).

From 1996, genetically engineered food has ostentatiously crept into the US market. Currently, 60% to 80% of all food has some genetically altered component. This year, 25% of corn, 45% of soybean (80% of cooking oil comes from soybean), 50% of cotton and canola oil are genetically engineered. Some beef, milk, and dairy products are derived from cows that have taken genetically engineered hormones. It is anticipated that more genetically engineered food products will come into the market next year. Nevertheless, these are currently still some agricultural products that are not genetically engineered.

Genetic engineering itself is fraught with many dangers, particularly in the area of food production. Many scientists, including Dr. George Wald, are convinced that the adverse effects of genetic engineering exceed those from exposure to radiation. This is because genetic engineering can harm nature and the food chain for countless generations.

The incident of the Monarch caterpillars discussed earlier is only the tip of the iceberg. Genetically engineered food can contain new kinds of allergens and toxins and even super toxins, spreading genes that are immune to antibiotics. These genes are not destroyed by heat or digestive juices and can lead other bacteria and toxins to be immune to antibodies. Farmers can increase the use of insecticides on these genetically engineered crops by three times. In time, the genes of humans, animals and plants will become mixed up.

The British Medical Association has openly asked for a ban on commercialized cultivation of genetically engineered agricultural products. The European Food Production Association has asked for genetically engineered food products to be classified separately from normal food products. African countries have rejected the import of genetically engineered food products. Yet, the US government has insisted that genetically engineered food is safe.

Presently, many insurance organizations in US have requested the US government to conduct tests on the safety of genetically engineered food and to separately label this kind of food. Some scientists and religious leaders in US have jointly sued the FDA for not protecting public interest by allowing food that has not undergone safety tests to enter the consumer market. Over 5 million people have responded to call for signatures by the public interest group “Mothers for Nature Law”.

What is genetic engineering? Why is it such a great threat to humankind and to nature? The words ‘genetic engineering’ provides an obvious clue to the answer. Engineering refers to the construction or modification by humans (e.g., civil engineering). Genes are blueprints of life, and to interfere with this process if analogous to changing a rose to perfume, human brains to computers, bees to honey, and cotton flowers to rubber. No matter how intelligent humans are, they cannot create life. The word ‘engineering’ belongs to the realm of mechanical theory. During this century, the natural sciences have progressively abandoned the notion of nature as mechanistic. After much research, these natural sciences have adopted a holistic perspective and realized that nature and mechanistic theories do not go together. Physics and chemistry first uncovered the theory of quantum mechanics. Biology, medicine, and genetic research subsequently adopted a holistic perspective and realized that nature is interdependent and multifaceted, not uni-dimensional.

Genetic engineering has its foundation in dated theories of mechanics and genetic research and is not based on the new genetic theories developed after the 1970’s. it is therefore doomed to fail and will lead to the demise of nature.

New genetic research has discovered that genes are not the primary driver of everything around us. Genes adapt according to signals received from the surroundings and are constantly changing. This is particularly true for lower life forms such as plants, bacteria, toxins, and insects. For example, antibiotics lead to bacteria that are immune to these antibiotics; insecticides lead to insects that are immune to these insecticides; cancer cells develop resistance against chemotherapy; and weeds have genes that are immune to herbicides. In the past ten to fifteen years, infection by the Staphylococcus bacteria has increased nearly 20 times. In 1990, it was discovered that the Staphylococcus bacteria, which is resistant to antibiotics, was the cause of the common cold. It is generally believed that these strong bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics arose from the common use of antibiotics in animal farming and in medicines. The dangers in the reckless use of antibiotics lie not only in the propagation of bacteria that are immune to antibiotics, but also in the increase in gene migration (by about ten- to fifteen- fold) across different animals. Some experts believe that the use of antibiotics may have led to sudden mutations of genes that are immune to antibiotics, which are in turn transferred to the those of the harmful bacteria. In addition, as genetic engineering becomes commercialized, the objective of these operations is to increase the rate of horizontal gene transfer across different living organisms. This leads to an inter-transfer between the genes of different toxins, creating strains of super toxins.

Because of the complexity of modern scientific technology, some people are unaware of its perils and put their lives at risk. Nuclear energy is one example. Originally, it was thought that nuclear energy was an invaluable and limitless source of energy. Later, it was discovered that its radiation could lead to changes in genetic structures that cause cancer, deformed infants and death. If the nuclear specialists do not develop a way of disposing the highly toxic nuclear waste, the earth and the living beings living on it will be harmed for millions of years. This was not a scenario that the layman was aware of when nuclear energy first developed.

Modern science has now moved into the arena of tampering with the core foundation of life – changing the structure of genes and merging the genes of plants and humans. The few scientists working in this area are changing the blueprint of life and threatening the very existence of living beings. These scientists have the backing of multinational corporations, which have profit maximization and market share as their sole objectives. The imminent perils this will bring are beyond imagination.

If we want our descendants to continue coexisting with nature, we have to wake up and assert our consumer rights by refusing to buy food that has been genetically engineered or subjected to pesticides and chemicals. Encourage farmers to employ organic farming and not fall into the trap of using chemicals. Do not buy meat as a large proportion of genetically engineered food goes into animal feed. Inquire if your stocks you invest in support these corporations involved with genetic engineering (please see the article “Who is changing the genetic structure of our food?”). If your excuses for not doing so are attributable to the need to conserve your time, effort and money, you should be prepared to continue ingesting poison and to have the notoriety of not helping our future generations. For the sake of our future generations, we need to take up this arduous responsibility. Let us strive together for the survival of everyone. Thank you.

 

 

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

Cancer is a common ailment plaguing people living towards the end of the 20^th century. Every industrialized country is experiencing an increase in the incidence of cancer. This is particularly true of newly industrialized countries.

There are many causes of cancer, and cancer strikes when the body’s immune system is ineffective. Some of the causes include destruction of nature and soil, rapid destruction of forests (a source of oxygen), pollution of water, air and food due to chemical and radioactive release from industrial plants, disharmony in social and family relations, work stress, and irregular working and resting hours. To thoroughly cure cancer and reduce its incidence, it is necessary that mankind adopts a culture of environmental protection. A particular individual can only do so much, and it is sometimes necessary to completely avoid the contaminated environment to recover from cancer.

People with preliminary stages of cancer generally are not aware of its symptoms. There is little pain or ache, just some small problems such as hard lumps on the body, excretion of blood, constipation, fatigue, or weight reduction. However, once people have been diagnosed with cancer, they panic and despair. Their family and friends may also become anxious, and the cancer patients then undergo operations and chemotherapy. Under such circumstances, the cancer patients’ body and mind undergo dramatic shock and pain in short period of time. As a result, many people are terrified of cancer.

In recent years, many people have been exposed to the principles of holistic health care. Once they are diagnosed with cancer, they will seek a holistic cure, altering their diet and lifestyle, look into their emotion and perform animal liberation. Many people have regained their health and avoided a painful nightmare using this approach. On the other hand, some people do not have the confidence, and abandon this approach after facing pressure from friends and relatives, or when experiencing detoxification.

During one of my public lectures, a patient suffering from cancer of the lymph asked me for advice on its treatment. A year ago, she had adopted a natural vegetarian diet and her condition improved. However, her family members were worried about her loss in weight and inadequate nutrition. To please them, she took a lot of fatty meat and pork trotters. Her weight increased, but the lymphatic cancer also re-emerged on the other side of her neck. She asked me what she was to do now? People who initially change their diet will experience symptoms of detoxification – running nose, lots of phlegm discharge, fatigue, weight loss, lack of strength, giddiness, headaches, and loose bowels. If one’s diet is balanced (fruits, grains, seeds, eaten raw and cooked), these are detoxification symptom. During this time, one should frequently rest in order to let one’s energy focus on recovering and detoxification. The feeling of lack of strength may persist for three months, depending on the amount of toxins in the body. Visit places with fresh air, go for walks in forests and take deep breaths. Cancer is a disease arising from the lack of oxygen; hence, deep breathing is important. Engage in qigong, such as Waidangong and GuoLin qigong. Take walks among nature, and one’s mood will naturally improve. If one is stuck at home, there is a tendency to think too much.

There was a cancer patient from Los Angeles at a recent workshop in Santa Barbara. Her son had brought her here in a wheelchair. She had been lying in bed for three months and had no appetite. However, after experiencing a day of fresh air amidst natural surroundings, her appetite improved and she was able to interact merrily with other students at the workshop, and console other patients. During a break, I saw her climb up a large rock to sunbathe; she had no need for the wheelchair anymore. In such a conducive environment, she was able to recover her immune system within a week. When she returned to Los Angeles, her health continued to improve. Whenever I go to Los Angeles for talks, I see her happily waving to me.

The pollution in Los Angeles is well known. In actual fact, every city has serious air pollution; sometimes, there are other types of more horrifying pollution.

People living in heavily polluted cities should move. If they cannot, they should exercise and observe their diet and mood.

It is important to supplement our diet with friendly bacteria. The Bifidobacterium bifidum bacteria are beneficial to the large intestines and help to regulate our bowel movements and discharge toxins in our liver. The Bulgaricum bacteria aid the oesophagus and eliminate cancer cells. The Lactobacillus acidophilus bacteria benefit the small intestines, and help the body absorb nutrients, build blood, and halt the growth of harmful bacteria.

Sleep is particularly important in the recovery of cancer patients. Noise, pollution, unhappiness, lack of oxygen will interfere with sleep. Those with liver problems tend to wake up at 3 a.m. Avoid over-eating or greasy food at dinner time or having late dinners. It is best to go to bed on an empty stomach. An hour before sleep, engage in activities that are relaxed or happy, light exercise, slow walks, qigong, or meditation.

In the prevention and cure of cancer, it is particularly important to observe spiritual purification. Use various methods to cleanse our moods – use sea salt, do eye-rotation exercises, and visualize blue light. Employ spiritual methods (e.g., repentance, upholding the five or eight precepts) to generate loving kindness and strengthen our ability to self-reflect. These activities will raise our ability to recover our health. Reflect on our life, do something to benefit others every day, and let happiness to be our lives’ objectives. When we do things that make us unhappy, or that harm the lives of others (e.g., manufacturing weapons or poisons, slaughtering animals, operating a non-vegetarian restaurant, or cheating others), our lives will be adversely affected. If you harm others or engage in meaningless activities to maintain our lives, this is the time to make a choice. Whether we choose life and death lies in our momentary thoughts.

When we discover the mission of our lives, we will experience bountiful joy that cannot be bought by money. We should not ignore the power of visualization, which can help us recover our health. Visualization of golden light can help raise our immune system. Select and practice one or two methods among the many methods designed to heal our minds. Ask ourselves how we can make our lives more meaningful, and how we can harness our interests and abilities towards activities that will benefit more people. In the process of helping others, we will benefit ourselves. Cancer is not merely a localized hard lump in the body – only by balancing our body and mind will we thoroughly prevent and heal cancer.

 

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

Every concerned person when faced with the ecological and environmental changes taking place on the earth will try to protect it from further contamination. These challenges to the earth’s ecology and environment are directly related to consumerism. Because we are all consumers, we should try our best to adopt a spending lifestyle that best protects the earth and that will encourage the development of ‘green’ business aimed at rejuvenating the earth. How do consumers effectively improve the environment? The Union of Concerned Scientists has some suggestions. These suggestions are based on information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California research reports and focus on damage to human health and the ecology.

Problems attributable to human activities include air pollution, global warming, habitat alteration, and water pollution.

Air Pollution
The major sources of outdoor pollutants include ozone and micro-particles that come from combustion of petrochemicals such as fuel and gas from power stations. Research reports from California estimate that 3000 people die annually from these causes, 60,000 to 200,000 children have lung infection, and 2 million children suffer from asthma. In the U.S.A, 64,000 of the deaths are caused by pollutant particles that are smaller than 10 micrometres.

Other toxic pollutants come from evaporation of chemicals used in farms, and waste from chemical and metallurgic processes, sewage treatment plants etc. Although the direct impact of these pollutants is not clear, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 2000 of cancer cases every year are attributable to about 20 kinds of uncontrolled pollutants. Air pollution leads to acid rain that destroys forests and wildlife. In the U.S.A, about 1200 (4%) lakes have become totally acidic and cannot support any life forms.

Global Warming
The earth’s temperature has been increasing by about 0.5^oC to 1^oC every 100 years. Melting glaciers and rising sea levels are indications of the extent of global warming. Man-made factors are primary reasons for this phenomenon. If the discharge of carbon dioxide continues, experts predict that the temperature in the 21^st century will increase by a few degrees Celsius. On the surface, it may seem that there is little harm in having the temperature rise by a few degrees. However, there are serious consequences – the distribution of rainfall may be adversely affected, sea levels may rise, and coastlines may be changed. In addition, the ecological balance may be affected: man’s health can be harmed by more air pollutants (which increase when temperature rises), and both water and food can also be polluted. In this aspect, the U.S.A. has the greatest reponsibility – although it only has 5% of the world’s population, it generates 20% of all greenhouse gases that lead to global warming.

Habitat Alteration
Damage to the natural ecology of wildlife comes from reckless destruction of forests, use of agricultural chemicals, and marine fishing. Water usage by the farm industry and urbanization are also contributory factors. Wild animals and plants play a critical role in cleaning our water and air, preventing floods, cleaning pollutants, and pollinating seeds. Needless to say, they provide the emotional and spiritual benefits to humans.

Pollution of Water Supplies
Some industries continue to dump toxic chemicals into our water supplies, poisoning the water and the fish living inside, and killing the plants there. Some of these toxic chemicals include mercury, cadmium, heavy metals, petrochemical waste, and pesticides from farms and homes. In Florida this year, a chemical-contaminated lake led to the death of about 1,200 water birds. In addition, soil eroding to the sea and lakes from farms, logging areas, and construction sites block out sunlight, and lead to the destruction of waterborne plants. Discharge from chemical fertilizers and animal waste from livestock also result in water contamination.

These problems arise from seven activities of the consumer:

• Use of automobiles and light truck
• Production of meat and poultry
• Production of fruits, vegetables and grains
• Use of air conditioners, heaters, and hot water in the home
• Use of home appliances and lighting
• Construction of houses
• Use of water in the home, and sewerage

The first of these activities cause the greatest damage to the environment; the last of these activities cause the least harm. In terms of global warming due to the discharge of exhaust fumes, 32% come from transportation, 35% from homes, and 12% from food production. In terms of production of toxic fumes, 51% come from traffic, 20% from homes, and 9% from food production. In terms of water pollution, 23% come from traffic, 14% from homes, and 22% from food production. In terms of ecological damage due to water usage, 2% come from traffic, 11% from homes, and 73% from food production. In terms of ecological damage due to land usage, 15% come from traffic, 4% from homes, and 45% from food production.

Effective environmental protection must, therefore, target at transportation, food production, and household operation.

Transportation

• Choose to live in a place that reduces the need to drive.
• Consider carefully before buying an automobile. If one does not need to buy an automobile, don’t buy it.
• Use automobiles that are fuel-efficient and low polluting.
• Plan to have fewer vacations.
• To the extent possible, walk, ride bicycles, or use public transportation.

Food Production

• Consume less meat
• Use organic products

Home

• Carefully choose your home – the smaller the better. The home need not be big and should be designed to save on heating and air conditioning.
• Minimize expenses on heating and hot water.
• Use energy-saving lights and electrical appliances.
• Choose energy sources derived from the sun and the wind.

In our daily lives, we should reduce spending on activities that damage the environment. We should also encourage ‘green’ business and use products that protect the environment. Here is an illustration.

Effective Micro-organisms (EM) comes from the combination of 80 beneficial microorganisms, including bacteria that are either aerobic (oxygen-loving) or anaerobic (oxygen-hating). Many of these organisms are derived from making of soy sauce, sauerkraut, and the process is similar to making wine and yoghurt. EM was accidentally discovered by Professor TeruoHiga in 1982, and is now used in natural farming, health maintenance, cancer cures, raising animals, treatment of garbage and sewerage systems, cleaning of ponds, rivers, and lakes, and neutralization of damage caused by acid rain. Thailand and Brazil’s farms are the largest users of EM. EM can decompose man-made chemical pollutants. For example, it can rapidly restore land that has been poisoned by chemicals and improve production quantity and quality. EM can remove the odour in the home compost, and rapidly decompose kitchen waste. If every family converts their kitchen waste to compost, problems associated with garbage disposal will be eliminated. Every family can then grow their own vegetables and beautify their surroundings with the plants and flowers they grow. EM can also clean sewage ponds and reduce pollution to the rivers and seas.

Other ‘green’ examples abound, and await the discovery, introduction, and discovery by all of us. This is the time for us to find a means to save the earth and take practical actions.

 

Chiu-Nan Lai, Ph.D.

Grains rely on natural bacteria to ferment. Fermented wheat products are easy to digest, and the minerals within are easily absorbed. Commercially available baking powder and yeast do not have this advantage.

Below is a description of how ‘Starter’ is made and used:

1. Foster of bacteria:

• Add half a pound of organic raisins to three cups of water. Squeeze the raisins to release their fructose. The water will turn dark. Leave in room temperature for two to three days.
• Add a cup of wheat berries to three cups of water and leave in room temperature for two to three days. Remove any mold that appears; mold and yeast grow under the same environment.

Both raisins and wheat grains possess natural yeast.

2. Three days later, measure two cups of raisin or wheat water, and add six cups of flour (1.5 pounds of wheat flour or mixture of wheat and barley flour). Put this mixture into a container (having a capacity three times the volume of the mixture) and put in room temperature for 24 hours. Thereafter, put into a refrigerator for 24 hours. The ‘starter’ has been formed.
3. Mix two cups of starter with two cups of water and six cups of flour. Place in room temperature for 24 hours and then in a refrigerator for another 3 days (discard the remainder and use as a compose). This starter can be used to make various kinds of wheat products. Its shelf life (when kept in the refrigerator) is up to three weeks, after which a new mixture should be prepared. The proportion is always two cups of starter to two cups of water and six cups of flour. Ideally, a new starter should be used each time. The longer the starter is kept, the better the flavor, and a one-year-old starter is particularly good. For example, sourdough bread (common in the western countries) is made using this method. Traditionally, people share starters among each other.

When a new starter mixture is needed, simply put the starter overnight in room temperature or in a refrigerator for three days.

Natural Fermented Flat Bread

• Half a cup of starter
• 1 cup of warm water
• 3 to 3.5 cups of flour (choose one to three of the following: wheat, buckwheat or barley)
• Half a tablespoon of sea salt

Mix starter and water and add flour and sea salt. Knead for ten minutes and then leave it in a covered pot (capacity at least three times that of the mixture) overnight. The next day, separate the dough into two or three portions. Roll the portions into same size as a flat pan, with thickness varying according to your liking (¼ to ½ inch thick). Add some sesame seeds if desired. Then, put the dough onto a plate coated with a layer of oil, and cover with cloth or a plate. Place in room temperature for two to three hours. Warm the flat pan to medium heat, add some oil if necessary. Place the dough on the pan and cover it. Five minutes later, turn the dough over after observing that the bottom surface has turned to a golden hew.

Buns
The method for preparing buns is similar to that described above. Leave the dough overnight and then knead into long strips and cut into pieces. Ingredients may be inserted into the bun if desired. Place the dough into a steamer for two to three hours. Then steam it for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Ensure that the steamer has a coat of oil or a piece of moist cloth before placing the dough. Remove the buns immediately after steaming and place them onto a plate to allow the heat to dissipate.

To make steam bread, just steam the long strip dough.

Pizza
As before, the preparation method for pizza is similar to that for making flat bread. After left overnight for fermentation, flatten the dough into strips 1/8 inch thick, and place onto a baking pan coated with oil for two to three hours. Thereafter, heat the oven till it is about 500^oF, and bake the dough for about eight minutes. After this, add some toppings before resuming the baking for another five minutes. Below are some suggestions for toppings:

• Put some strips of tomato, mushrooms, green or red pepper, Italian gourd, olive on the surface of the pizza. Sprinkle some organic cheese (e.g., cheddar, mozzarella etc) and cold-pressed olive oil.
• Add some 5-minute boiled or steamed spinach. Shreds of parsley and Chinese herb Zisu, as well as some crushed pieces of pine nuts. Sprinkle some organic cheese.
• Soak some dried bean curd strips and then steam them (may use fresh bean curd strips). Cut into small strips. Soak some mushrooms, cut them into small strips, and then fry them. Mix the mushroom and the bean curd strips with sesame oil, soy sauce, small pieces of water chestnut, and boiled napa cabbage strips. Spread this topping on the pizza.

Waffle and Pancake

• 2 cups of flour (two-third buckwheat flour, one-third other kinds)
• 3 cups of water
• 1/3 cup of starter
• A little sea salt

Mix all the ingredients and leave in room temperature for eight hours or more. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil on the waffle iron or a flat pan, pour the mixture into it and bake until golden brown. A layer of maple syrup or some sweet fruits can also be placed on top of the waffle or pancake.

Sourdough Bread

• 1 cup of starter
• 2 cups of warm water
• 6 cups of flour (wheat, buckwheat or barley as desired; the combination of wheat and barley is most common)
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt

Add water to the starter, and then add two cups of flour and salt. Mix well, and then add another two cups of flour. Again, mix well and then add the final two cups of flour. Knead the dough until soft and leave overnight. The next day, separate the dough into two portions, and knead them into long strips. Place these strips onto an oiled plate and leave in room temperature for two to three hours. Pre-heat the oven to 450^oF. Put a dish of water in the oven (to bring the oven temperature down to about 400^oF) and bake the dough for 30 to 40 minutes. Take out the bread and leave it on an airy rack. If the bread is kept frozen in a paper bag, it can retain its freshness for a long time. If the bread becomes dry and hard, steam it for a while before eating. In Europe, dried bread can be kept up to a year. To eat the bread, soak it in water and then bake it in an oven.

Among all the items described above, the baking time of the flat bread is shortest and therefore least susceptible to damage to its nutrients. The steamed bun or bread also has good nutrition. Baked bread is prone to more damage to its nutrients, but because it is naturally fermented, its nutrition is still higher than that from commercially available bread. Its energy level is also higher.