Sun Tea is Hazardous to Our Health

For the life of me I can not understand how I survived life as a child and managed to grow up into an adult and eventually into my senior years. It appears that everything that was accomplished during my youth was simply unhealthy for us. Now they claim that sun tea is a hazard to our health.

Several sources including the CDC is stating that the usual way that we made sun tea isn't even considered safe now days. If you are like me you are now sitting in from of your monitor in a semi-state of shock and disbelief. The claim is that our familiar sun tea which is usually brewed by simply being left in the bright sun to steep can possibly harbor deadly bacteria. This is in fact the same sun tea that we usually brew outside as the summer temperatures start to sour higher and higher.

Years ago we could not wait until the arrival of summer to take out our gallon container and start the brewing process. The sun tea rally beat the usual sodas that we had grown accustomed to during the winter months. In addition, the tasty tea always saved us money so we could purchase additional hot dogs and hamburgers to roast on the grill. I had always considered sun tea to be a healthy alternative while at the same time it could save valuable energy by using the power of the sun. However, the truth of the matter is that the tea made in this manner by merely placing bagged tea in a gallon glass jar of water can make us ill.

According to the CDC or the Centers for Disease Control the use of the suns rays tends to generate enough heat to activate bacteria within the tea water. The reasoning behind this is that the water being used to brew the tea will not get any hotter then a mere 130 degrees. These temperatures are the equivalent of a hot bath and not nearly hot enough to kill of any germs or bacteria that would be present in either the tea bags or the water itself. The CDC claims that the water would need to be boiled to at least 195 degrees for a period of five minutes in order to properly deal with any bacteria growth.

Alcaligenes viscolactis which is a bacterium that is found in water has appeared in the tea when it is made in this manner. It seems that the caffeine found in the tea itself may fend off the bacteria for a short period of time but it is not enough to ward it off completely. In addition the flavored or herbal teas that do not contain caffeine are considered to be even worse in this respect.

Positive recommendations are that you would be better off if you brew your tea the usual way with very hot and boiling water rather than risk getting a tea related illness. If you are insistent upon brewing sun tea the set of rules listed below are recommended.

* Cleanliness of the container is of first importance. It should be scrubbed with hot, soapy water or you could dip the container in a bleach solution (1.5 teaspoons to 1 gallon of water).
* Most sun tea containers have a small spigot attached and this should be carefully cleaned after each use.
* Do not leave your tea in the sun for longer then four hours maximum.
* Make only as much tea as you will be drinking.
* Place the completed tea in the refrigerator and keep it in there until it is used up.
* Throw the tea away if it looks the least bit syrupy or thick.

A much safer alternative would be to make refrigerator tea. To make this tea fill a clean pitcher with one quart of very cold water. Next add six tea bags to the water and refrigerate the pitcher for six hours. Squeeze out and remove the tea bags when done and serve your tea over ice.

Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish

For more information relating to survival visit us at http://www.survival-training.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Parish

Read More

You Can Take Green Tea Tablets and Still Get Health Benefits

Today you can actually take green tea tablets and get all those health benefits that have been appearing on television and on the internet. If you are worried about taking the tablet form, then worry no more.

This tea has been around for thousands of years and now you do not have to worry about or commit to drinking the recommended daily dosage. Scientists have been able to create an extract form with or without the caffeine that naturally is present in the tea.

This is really great for people who may have a caffeine allergy or for people who want to avoid caffeine in any form. And you are also still able to get the powerful antioxidants that occur in the green tea.

I am sure you have read about all the health benefits that come from green tea like weight loss, controlling blood sugar, various cancers, diabetes, lowering your overall cholesterol, and raising your good cholesterol HDL. But how many people know that it can also come in a tablet form?

I know when I first began researching this subject for my family, I thought drinking that many cups of tea a day can be a challenge. The tablet form was a great idea and then I found out that this is being added to multi vitamins.

I decided to check out the multi vitamin that I was taking at the time and it had no green tea extract in it. It was time for a change and I found a great product from an established company and decided to try them out.

I like the product that I am using and like the peace of mind that I have knowing that I am using a superior product than I was using before I learned about the extract. And in these economic times, the cost is not any more than what I was paying before I gained this knowledge.

Now that you have some knowledge of green tea tablets, I encourage you to take a look at my website to see the kind of tablets that my family is using each day.

Carolyn is a passionate researcher and long time user of skin and health care products to achieve a better quality of life. Visit her websites, http://www.absolutely-healthy-skin.info or http://www.abc-supplement-tips.info to learn more about the products she uses.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Peterson

Read More

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Historical evidence suggests that tea leaves boiled in water were consumed as far back as 5,000 years ago in India and China. These two countries were the earliest users of tea. Tea also plays a very important part in social rituals of Japan. In Asian countries tea has long played an important cultural role.

Tea is derived from leaves of a plant called Camellia sinensis. The plant is grown in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

There are three types of tea - Green, black and oolong. All of these are derived from Camellia sinensis, the difference lying in the way the leaves are processed. Green tea is prepared from leaves that are not fermented; oolong tea is prepared from partially fermented leaves, while black tea leaves are fully fermented. Green and oolong tea are mostly consumed in Asian countries like China, Japan, India and Thailand, while black tea is preferred in United States.

In recent periods green tea has attracted a lost of attention due to many health benefits attributed to it. Many studies have been conducted which explore the link between consumption of green tea and incidence of certain diseases in the population. It has been observed that green tea is helpful in:

- preventing cancer,

- improving the ratio of 'good' (HDL) cholesterol to 'bad' cholesterol,

- cognition,

- treating flatulence,

- regulating blood sugar,

- regulating body temperature,

- improving digestion.

In some studies it was suggested that the lower incidence of heart related diseases in the French population in spite of the consumption of a fat rich diet is related to the drinking of large quantities of green tea by them. This may be compared to the lower incidence of heart diseases in Japanese population, 75% of which are heavy smokers.

The medicinal properties of green tea are attributed to the presence of polyphenols, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent the damage caused by free radicals present in body. Free radicals occur naturally, but they grow in numbers due to some environmental conditions like pollution, ultra-violet light, cigarette smoke etc. Green tea contains 30% to 40% polyphenols, while black tea contains up to 10% polyphenols.

3 to 4 cups of green tea is recommended for an adult.

Green tea has been found to be beneficial in following conditions :

(1) People who drink green tea are found to have lower LDL cholesterol levels and higher HDL cholesterol levels. One study conducted in animals suggests that polyphenols may help inhibit the absorption of cholesterol by intestines thus helping in the excretion of cholesterol from body.

(2) Though it has not yet been conclusively proved that drinking of green tea is related to the lower incidence of caner in Japan, yet some studies conducted in animals indicate that polyphenols that act as antioxidants may be responsible for killing the cancer cells.

(3) It was found in certain studies that polyphenols help control Type 1 diabetes. The body stops producing insulin in Type 1 diabetes. Green tea can be helpful in regulating levels of glucose in the blood in such cases.

(4) Green tea has also been found to be beneficial for the liver. It helps control the damaging effect of alcohol on it. People who drink green tea are found to have lower incidence of liver diseases.

(5) Green tea may also be helpful in reducing weight in obese people. Though not conclusively proved, weight reducing properties of polyphenols have been noted in some studies.

In some cases, however, certain precautions need to be taken while taking green tea.

People with stomach ulcers, heart problems, hyperthyroidism and psychological disorders should not take green tea. Pregnant women should also avoid it. Green tea should also be avoided if one is taking any of the following medications: anti-biotics, Benzodiazepines, Beta blockers, blood thinning medicines, chemotherapy, oral contraceptives and lithium.

Michael Russell Your Independent Herbal guide.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Michael Russell - EzineArticles Expert Author

Read More