When you think of insects (昆虫), the first word that comes to mind probably won’t be “edible (可食用的)”. Surprisingly, what you may consider an insect may sound like a great meal to another. In Africa and the Middle East, insects such as grasshoppers and mealworms are a common dish. Many Asians also like eating insect dishes.

The idea of replacing (代替) pork, chicken, or beef with insects might sound unpleasant, but eating these small insects can be beneficial to both yourself and the environment.

There are over 2,100 types of edible insects in the world. Many of the insects that are eaten by humans are quite nutritious (有营养的). And they can be eaten in different ways: roasted over an open fire, freeze-dried, or cooked. In fact, insects can be added to various foods, and we likely won’t even notice the difference.

The biggest advantage is that the cost of raising insects is very small. Compared to cows, insects produce eight times fewer carbon emissions (碳排放物) and need six times less water to keep.

To add to that, insects can be fed with waste products. Insect waste can also be repurposed into soil fertilizer (土肥). And unlike traditional farms which take up about 80% of all farming land, insect farms are relatively small and can save space for other uses.

All this makes insect farms more profitable, with little wastage of money and resources.

As our world’s population increases towards 9 billion by 2050, traditional farming will not be enough to meet its growing food needs.

Some companies have already begun experimenting with insects in their food products. Mealworm burger patties, protein powder, and gummy sweets are just a few of the new food creations. And a few months ago, the European Union (EU) said yes to insects for human consumption (食用)!

Tea originated in China over two thousand years ago. Today, the country owns over 2,000 varieties of tea, differing in taste, sweet and purpose. Some teas, such as Huang Shan, refresh the sense of taste with their special flavor, while others, such as spicy chai, are added with spices (香料) .

China first started exporting tea during the Ming dynasty (1368—1644), and the drink has since come to lead humanity’s drinking habits far beyond Asia. It is the most widely consumed drink on Earth today, aside from water and coffee.

In Chinese mythology, tea was first discovered by Chinese Emperor Shennong (“Divine Farmer”) in 737BC， when a soft wind carried some leaves into a pot of boiling water. However, the oldest dependable evidence comes from ancient plant remains found in 2016 in Xi’an and western Tibet, showing that tea was grown at least 2,100 years ago during the Western Handy nasty when it was most likely used as medicine.

Generation after generation of tea makers experimented with different brewing (冲泡) techniques, leaves, and ceremonies, resulting in today’s tea culture full of life. There’s no doubt that China’s tea culture has become one of the most popular, diverse, and unique traditions in the world.

China is already the world’s largest tea exporter. The inclusion of the country’s traditional tea-making process on the UNESCO list will obviously generate practical benefits for tea makers in the country and across the world as more resources are given to protect and preserve such millennia-old tea culture and technical practices. As additional attention is brought to this traditional technique, the Chinese tea sector will further tap its potential and improve its growth.

As one of China’s oldest cultural practices, traditional tea processing techniques show the spirit of modesty (谦逊), peace, and comity (礼让). No matter your preference for green or dark tea, with milk or without, Chinese tea isn’t just brews. Instead, it is a bridge connecting different cultures and peoples.

Part of a research study, by scientists at McMaster University, which is ongoing into the influence of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting, has observed that milk helps exercisers burn more fat.

The scientists took three groups of young men 18 to 30 years of age, 56 in total, and put them through a strict, five day per week weightlifting program over a 12-week period. Following their workouts, study participants drank either two cups of skim milk, or a soy beverage with equal amounts of protein and energy, or a carbohydrate beverage with an equal amount of energy.

Upon the study's conclusion, scientists observed that: the milk drinking group had lost nearly twice as much fat—two pounds—as those in the carbohydrate beverage group, who lost one pound of fat. Those drinking soy beverages lost no fat. At the same time, the gain in muscle was much greater among the milk drinkers than either the soy or carbohydrate beverage participants.

As published in the first stage of the study, the milk drinking group came out on top in terms of muscle gain with an estimated 40 percent or 2.5 pounds more muscle mass than the soy beverage drinkers. In addition, this group gained 63 percent or 3.3 pounds more muscle mass than the carbohydrate beverage drinkers.

"I think the evidence is beginning to increase," says Stuart Phillips—the leader of the study. "Milk may be best known for its calcium content in supporting bone health, but our research, and later others', can continually support milk's ability to aid in muscle growth and also promote body fat loss. Milk is the ideal post workout drink for recreational exercisers and athletes alike."