drink tea for health

How To Diet: Avoid Added Sugar, And You Will Lose Weight, You Will Lose All The Weight You Want To

2011-08-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

There's been a great deal of fuss about the "evils" of dietary sugar. We're told to avoid sugar, and at the same time, we're told to eat fruits...which also contain sugar. What's the difference? How can one sugar be good for you and the other be so bad?

Simple sugars (also called simple carbohydrates) are found in fruits... and in cookies, pastries, candy, soda, and all of the other food items we're told to avoid. (There are differences involving various types of sugars...sucrose, fructose, galactose...but these are of a chemical nature and not basically relevant to this discussion).

The problem with the "candy" versus fruit sugar is mostly a matter of the vehicle it arrives in.

In the case of fruit, the sugar comes to you in...fruit. It comes with fiber and vitamins and minerals as co-passengers. Further, you know exactly what you're getting...a banana is a banana; a strawberry is a strawberry (unless it's drowned in chocolate...then it's something else)!

The sugar that you get in candy, on the other hand, always arrives in a limo along with its own co-passengers...fat, additives, cholesterol, trans-fats, hydrogenated oils. There are no nutrients in sugar, which is why the calories are called "empty". Therefore, when it comes to sugar you have to choose whether you want your empty calories in a vehicle that has many assets or one which brings few benefits and many tag-alongs.

Both kinds of sugar have calories, and if you consume too many calories from any source, you will gain weight because the extra calories are stored as fat. However, it is the "bad" sugar, rather than the "good" variety, that has been most frequently implicated in the obesity epidemic. This is most likely because "candy-cookie- pastry" sugar is so readily available, the portion sizes are usually pre-packaged and excessive, and they are so good and it's so easy to eat too much. (When is the last time you've made yourself sick eating apples)?

The most practical and effective way to lose weight is by eating a portion-controlled, balanced diet, eliminating foods with added sugar, and engaging in a modest exercise program. Don't eliminate fruit from your diet. The FDA recommends a minimum of two to four servings of fruit per day.

Last time I checked they had not yet recommended a daily need for Gummy Bears or Chunky Charlie Champion Chocolate Chunks!

Added sugar is a real killer of any diet!

by Sue Bristol, R.N.

Here's the "Secret Weight Loss Diet" that virtually EVERY successful dieter uses
(Whether or not they are even aware of it!)

"Click Here" to get your Free e-book, which will give you the "Weight Loss Secret"
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Top Five Health Reason to Drink Tea

2011-06-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

There are variety of drinks that are out in the market and it is on the consumers' choice on what to buy among them. Some consider the nutrition benefits they can get from it, while others simply depends their choice on the taste of the drink. If you're looking for something to quench your thirst and make your body feel good at the same time, better drink tea. Green, black, plain or mixed with your favorite herb or lemon, however you want to enjoy your cup of tea, it would help you a lot in maintaining a healthy life style.

Tea especially combined with lemon or milk is very refreshing. It gives a nice flavor to our taste buds and therefore makes us feel refreshed and energized. Also, it promotes balance in our body since it helps us in digesting our food. It also provides refreshing feeling inside our stomach. It also hydrates our body because of its antioxidants content.

Also, tea ingredients can help our mind and body relaxes while drinking it. At the same time, it decreases the effect of certain stressful event in our mind. It contributes to eases irritability, weariness and even nervous tension.

Aside from the refreshing taste that it offers, it can also help in dieting. It contains catechins which are fat blockers and fat burner. It reduces the absorption of fats in our body. At the same time, it eliminates fats and other foods. It burns the fats that are in our body and helps in maintaining a healthy and fit body. Also, it increases metabolism in our body thus help in losing weight.

Fibers from tea can also help prevent cancer. Tea contains flavonoids which are responsible for eliminating or inhibiting cancer from growing inside our body, thus preventing us from certain kinds of cancer. Aside from cancer, it also helps in preventing heart attack, cardiovascular diseases, strengthen immune system of our body, and reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

Since tea came from natural fiber, and does not contain any artificial ingredients, it is also eco friendly. Therefore, it does not contribute to the sickening of our nature.

Teas are not just a certain kind of fluid that washes away your thirst. It does not bring any cancer causing agents or any artificial flavorings in our stomach. Thus, it has many health benefits, which gives us more reason why we should drink tea.

About The Author

K.J. Castro has been with Benson Rapid Integration Corporation as a website manager for over a year, and has successfully brought very good management for the improvement of the website and increasing customers. Our store is at http://www.castirontea.com and offers tea products from cast iron teapots to Japanese teas. You can find high quality, durable and stylish cast iron tea-wares. Our products are made of cast iron that is popular for being sturdy and long-lasting.

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8 Benefits of Drinking Tea

2011-06-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Many of the world's cultures have long known about the benefits of drinking tea. Some cultures though are just beginning to realize this. Are you are tea drinker? Do you know how you can be helped by drinking tea? If all you have known is just enjoying the flavor of a hot cup or cold glass on a summer day, read on to find out some of the benefits you will find from drinking tea.

Eight Important Reasons to Drink Tea

1. Tea contains the antioxidants which fight off the free radicals that cause damage in your body. All have these to a certain extent. However, white and green tea has more than black does. When free radicals are left to wreak havoc in your body they can cause many problems to happen including cancer.

2. A cup of tea has far less caffeine than coffee does. This means you can drink more in a day without over doing it than coffee. A cup of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine. Whereas the black tea has about 50mg or less of caffeine, green tea has about 30mg or less of caffeine, and oolong is 35mg or less of caffeine in a cup. You can even get decaffeinated if you want to completely eliminate caffeine.

3. Black tea can help reduce how much cortisol (a stress hormone) there is in the body. This helps you react to stressful situations more effectively.

4. Green and black teas have been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in the digestive system as well as other systems of the body. The scientists believe it is the polyphenols contained in it that are partially the reason.

5. Tea gives your immune system a boost so you can keep from getting various diseases or fight them off more easily. So if you have a sluggish immune system try some tea to see what happens.

6. Tea has anti-inflammatory qualities. You can place a cool tea bag on your eyes even to reduce puffiness that comes with a lack of sleep sometimes.

7. There have been studies done that prove that drinking tea each day lowers the risk from dying from a heart attack by a whopping 44 percent. This was by drinking 3 or more cups daily. This is because tea contains myricetin, kaempferol, and quercetin which are all flavanoids. In fact, drinking only 1 1/2 cups of tea daily has shown to lower the risk of having a heart attack by 40% compared to people that do not drink it.

8. Tea is a great digestive aid. After eating a meal, have a cup of tea to help your stomach digest your food more effectively. It can be used for relief of stomach cramps too.

These are just some of the benefits from drinking tea. It has been drunk for centuries in various parts of the world. If you are not a tea drinker right now, you should really become one so you can enjoy the advantages of consuming it.

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Rich Niccolls has been the editor for the Oolong Tea Bags website for more than a year now. One of my personal types that I like is using Oolong Tea Bags, as opposed to loose leaf tea for the ease and convenience of it.

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Drinking Tea For Health

2011-04-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

There are many reasons to choose to drink tea for its health benefits. Many scientific studies have been published in the last decade showing that there are numerous benefits to choosing to drink this popular beverage.

While science is still exploring the many benefits of tea, there are a few highlights of research studies that have been published recently. Researchers continue to try to find more benefits to drinking tea, but there are some that are known right now.

A 1999 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who drink Wu Yi tea were able to lose more weight and metabolize fat faster than those that did not. Increased ability to metabolize fat should help people to lose weight more quickly and more easily.

A 2002 study from the Chinese Journal of Integrated Medicine showed that test subjects that drank oolong tea daily were also able to better metabolize fat, which should help them with weight loss.

A study published in Phytotherapy Research in 2006 showed that people can drink chamomile tea to reduce anxiety and to help them sleep. Chamomile has been used for centuries as a sleep remedy, but its use as an anxiolytic is new.

A study done in 2009 by the School of Life Sciences at Kingston University found that white tea used in beauty products can help prevent damage to the skin. Researchers think this is due to the polyphenols contained in the tea, which helps prevent damage to DNA.

A 2003 study in Diabetes Care showed that type II diabetics that drank at least fifty ounces of oolong tea each day were better able to control their blood sugar without drugs. The research was only studied with non-insulin dependent diabetics, and not on those that required insulin to maintain their blood glucose levels at a safe range.

A 2005 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found chamomile tea helped to prevent illness. The same study also found chamomile helped with menstrual cramps. The researchers believe these benefits are due to glycine, an amino acid found in chamomile.

A number of studies have found that tea can help to reduce the risk of certain kinds of cancers. A 2001 study done at Oregon State University found white tea may help reduce the risk of colon, stomach and prostate cancers. A study published by Case Western University in 2007 found similar benefits in chamomile tea. Other studies are currently being done on different types of tea to see if only certain types of tea help with cancer prevention or if this is a benefit of all types of teas.

Research continues to be done on teas to find more health benefits. You can find out about the benefits of white tea and chamomile tea benefits at GiftofTea.com

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Dandelion Root Tea Benefits

2011-01-17T05:25:00.000-08:00

Just as the name implies, dandelion root tea is made from the roots of dandelions. Dandelions have been used over the years to treat a host of ailments such as bloating, breast illnesses, fever, gastrointestinal system disorders, joint aches and skin conditions among many other afflictions. Dandelion leaves contain a number of minerals including boron, calcium, choline, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc potassium along with vitamins such as A, B-complexes, C and D.

There are other dandelion root benefits, particularly for elderly, menopausal and pregnant women, since the plant is so nutrient rich. It has also been used as a gentle diuretic and has been shown to decrease serum cholesterol in some. Others have used it to ease digestive disorders and as an appetite stimulant. In fact, dandelion root tea is seen as a substance that can help improve one's overall general health and a healthier alternative to coffee when one needs a boost.

Although there are many benefits to using a dandelion supplement, there are also possible side effects such as stomach pain due to hyperacidity. In rare cases, some may experience allergic reactions when they first begin drinking the tea. Those who have allergies to chamomile, echinacea or ragweed, as well as any other member of the aster family, must consult a health care specialist before using the tea or supplement.

Dandelion supplements are also available as capsules instead of tea. However, those who decide to drink dandelion root tea need to know how to prepare it and take the proper dosage. For loose tea, use about one to two teaspoons per cup of hot water and let it steep from five to ten minutes in a tea ball or other filter. Otherwise, it is often available already bagged. One should only start off with one cup per day until he or she observes how it reacts to the body. Then he or she can gradually increase the dosage to three cups a day if it is found to be beneficial.

Lilly Verden is a natural health writer for Herbal Supplements Today. Lilly enjoys writing about a variety of health topics and supplements including dandelion root tea.

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Tea Tasting For Health - A Fresh Perspective on How to Taste Tea

2010-03-28T07:32:00.001-07:00

Tea tasting is often viewed as a specialized art. People pay steeply for tea tasting workshops. Large tea companies such as Lipton employ professional tea tasters in order to maintain the consistency of their blends, which combine different teas whose characteristics vary seasonally. Connoisseurs of rare and specialty teas may taste dozens of teas in one day. Michael Harney of Harney and Sons boasts tasting an average of 80 teas a day.

But there is also a different way to approach tea tasting--one that is accessible to anyone, requires no training, and has health benefits that are often missed by other approaches to tea tasting. To understand this approach we must understand the purpose of our senses of taste and smell.

Humans have a sense of taste and smell to ensure that we eat foods that are healthy and avoid substances that are poisonous or harmful to our health. On a basic level, things that are edible and nutritious taste good and things that are toxic or harmful taste bad. However, anyone living in our modern society knows that there is more to taste than this oversimplification. Some foods initially taste good but are not good for us, and on the other hand, a great deal of healthful foods and drinks, including many teas, are described as having an acquired taste. Something with an acquired taste often tastes unappealing when you first try it, but begins to taste better over time as you consume more of it.

The phenomenon of acquired tastes serves to reduce the risk of poisoning by ensuring that when we encounter something unfamiliar, we only try it in small quantities. The human body and mind employ complex feedback mechanisms linking our digestive tract and other biological systems to our memories of taste and smell. If something gives us a feeling of well-being and nourishment after eating or drinking it, we gradually become more comfortable with its flavor and aroma and develop a liking for it. If it makes us sick or unwell, we become averse to its flavor and aroma.

These issues are relevant to tea tasting both because many teas have an acquired taste, and also because tea has both positive and negative health effects. Tea, especially green tea, is often touted for its health benefits, including antioxidant activity, cancer prevention, stress reduction, antimicrobial activity, and promotion of a healthy immune system and healthy intestinal flora, among a myriad of other benefits. But these benefits vary greatly from one variety of tea to the next, and tea can also have negative effects on health.

Darker teas contain tannins, which can interfere with the absorption of iron and other nutrients. Tea contains caffeine, which in excess can cause or contribute to sleep disruption, addiction, anxiety, and other negative effects. Some teas are acidic, which can be rough on the stomach, especially for those suffering from acid reflux. Flavored and herbal teas are even more diverse in terms of both their positive and negative health impacts. Furthermore, different people vary widely in their susceptibility to these health effects.

Tea tasting, and in particular, developing acquired tastes for teas over time, gives us a tool to solve this problem. By tasting teas over time, we allow our taste to adapt based on how the tea makes us feel. Teas that make us feel balanced and healthy will come to taste better to us, and we will come to dislike (and thus avoid) those that make us feel unwell.

Here are some recommendations on how to taste teas so as to develop your tastes to reflect the health effects of the tea:

* Taste only one tea at a time and leave some time between the tasting of different teas.
* Focus on how you feel after drinking the tea.
* Taste each new tea several times, and on several different days.
* Pay attention to how your impression of the tea changes over time.
* Reflect on the time of day at which you enjoy the tea most, and what foods or moods the tea complements.
* Experiment with brewing the tea in different ways, varying the temperature of the water, quantity of leaf used, and steeping time, to find which way of brewing leads to the most enjoyable cup.

The recommendation to taste only one tea at a time runs contrary to most approaches to tea tasting, which emphasize comparing many teas at once. Yet this approach is critical if you are to allow your taste to adapt to reflect the health effects of each tea. If you drink two cups of tea at once, and one makes you feel unwell some time later, your mind and body will not be able to determine which one was the culprit, and you may come away with an aversion to a healthful tea.

Tasting each tea several times is crucial if you are to allow yourself to develop an acquired taste for new teas, especially those with unfamiliar aromas. Many of my favorite teas are ones that I did not love upon the first sip but only came to appreciate over time. If you buy samples of loose teas, make sure to order enough to make several cups. If you reject every tea that you dislike upon the first sip, you may cut yourself off from some of the teas that you would most appreciate in the long-run.

If you follow these recommendations, you may never become a connoisseur of tea, and indeed, your approach may be frowned upon by some "experts". But you will find your taste develops in such a way that it helps guide you towards teas that enhance your well-being and overall health. Since each person has a unique diet, lifestyle, and genetic makeup, we all have different needs that cannot be summed up in broad generalizations about one type of tea being universally healthier than another. While science can guide us to understand which teas are healthy for most people, only taste can guide each person to understand which teas are best for them. Tea tasting can thus be an integral part of promoting good health through the drinking of teas that are best suited for you an an individual. Enjoy!

Alex Zorach has an M.A. in statistics from Yale University, and is an avid tea drinker and the creator of http://RateTea.net/, a website for rating and reviewing teas and learning about tea. Rate and review tea.

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Superior Green Tea EGCG Health Benefit in Heart Disease Prevention

2010-01-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

As our community is becoming richer, people are more health conscious today. In term of beverage, green tea is considered as the healthiest drink as it is not only has the rehydrate function, but it is also flavonoid rich that able to defend our body from cardiovascular disease.

Research on tea drinkers show that they are significantly less vulnerable to a lot of disease, from virus infection to chronic degenerative condition like stroke, cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Research shows that green tea has substantially high level of flavonoids (antioxidant) which consist of catechins and their derivatives. Antioxidant is the biological event that prevents the oxidation which will yield highly reactive free radicals. Flavonoids substance comprises of larger than 30% of the tea dry weight. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the largest prolific catechin in all tea. It has the greatest antioxidant activity of all tea's catechins and therefore is thought to play the most important role in the tea's anticancer and antioxidant effect. Green tea EGCG is so abundant that a cup of tea might have 20-35mg of it.

In our arteries, there is a one cell thick lining that acts as the interface between the bloodstream and the wall of the artery where blood plaques could form, this is known as arterial endothelium. When heart disease happens, a type of enzyme will speed up the production of free radicals in the artery endothelium, thus increases the level of free radicals in arteries quickly. Green tea EGCG will inhibit the enzymes needed in the production of the free radicals and thus shields the endothelium from damaged by free radical. Therefore green tea is playing a vital role in preventing cardiovascular disease.

EGCG also acts in curbing the death of heart muscle cells following ischemia/reperfusion injury, by preventing the stimulation of inflammation compounds (STAT-1) that will cause oxidative injury which kills heart cell in reperfusion injury.

Beside that, cancer cells require enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) to fabricate DNA and grow. EGCG will inhibit the DHFR and is effectively obstructing the spread of cancer cells.

Furthermore, EGCG can also facilitate the recovery of injured heart cells, and as a result allowing fast recovery of tissues and alleviating organs damage.

In conclusion, green tea EGCG has excellent benefit in helping heart disease prevention as well as in heart disease damage recovery. So for those who are suffering from heart disease and those who are health sensitive, tea is the best choice of beverage for them. Having few cups of tea, specifically decaf green tea a day rather than decaffeinated coffee will definitely ensure our long term health.

Visit e-HealthCare Center for more reading on Decaf Green Tea And Heart Disease and other health information.

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Sun Tea is Hazardous to Our Health

2009-04-28T09:52:00.002-07:00

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

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You Can Take Green Tea Tablets and Still Get Health Benefits

2009-04-28T09:52:00.001-07:00

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.

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Health Benefits of Green Tea

2009-04-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

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.

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Michael Russell - EzineArticles Expert Author

Drink Tea for Health

2008-12-20T06:31:00.000-08:00

If you like drink three or more cups of tea a day you might be doing your health more good than drinking plain water, say researchers from King's College, London, UK. This new study found, among other things, that the urban myth that tea dehydrates could not be further from the truth - tea hydrates as well as water does, say the researchers.

You can read about this new study in the The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition etc.

Not only will tea rehydrate you, it may also protect you from developing heart disease, and even cancer. Apparently, three or more cups a day may also protect your teeth and strengthen your bones. The researchers say they are not sure why, but believe that flavonoids, polyphenol antioxidants, which are found in abundance in tea, may play a major role. Flavonoids help prevent cell damage.

Habit of drinking tea

2008-11-23T05:41:00.000-08:00

Habit of drinking tea in the morning is very good. in addition to removing the opposition can also increase health care for the body. AWE and even younger, more energetic

Special of Green Tea

2008-05-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

The abstruse of blooming tea lies in the actuality it is affluent in catechin polyphenols, decidedly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a able anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the advance of blight cells, it kills blight beef after harming advantageous tissue. It has aswell been able in blurred LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the aberrant accumulation of claret clots. The closing takes on added accent if you accede that occlusion (the accumulation of aberrant claret clots) is the arch could cause of affection attacks and stroke.

Links are getting fabricated amid the furnishings of bubbler blooming tea and the "French Paradox." For years, advisers were puzzled by the actuality that, admitting arresting a diet affluent in fat, the French accept a lower accident of affection ache than Americans. The acknowledgment was begin to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that banned the abrogating furnishings of smoker and a blubbery diet. In a 1997 study, advisers from the University of Kansas bent that EGCG is alert as able as resveratrol, which may explain why the amount of affection ache a part of Japanese men is absolutely low, even admitting about seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't added Chinese teas accept agnate abating properties? Green, oolong, and atramentous teas all appear from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets blooming tea afar is the way it is processed. Blooming tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG admixture from getting oxidized. By contrast, atramentous and oolong tea leaves are fabricated from brewed leaves, which after-effects in the EGCG getting adapted into added compounds that are not about as able in preventing and angry assorted diseases.

The Miracle of Green Tea

2008-05-11T08:53:00.000-07:00

Is any added aliment or alcohol appear to accept as abounding bloom allowances as blooming tea? The Chinese accept accepted about the alleviative allowances of blooming tea back age-old times, application it to amusement aggregate from headaches to depression. In her book Blooming Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that blooming tea has been acclimated as a anesthetic in China for at atomic 4,000 years.

Today, accurate analysis in both Asia and the west is accouterment harder affirmation for the bloom allowances continued associated with bubbler blooming tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Blight Institute appear the after-effects of an epidemiological abstraction advertence that bubbler blooming tea bargain the accident of esophageal blight in Chinese men and women by about sixty percent. University of Purdue advisers afresh assured that a admixture in blooming tea inhibits the advance of blight cells. There is aswell analysis advertence that bubbler blooming tea lowers absolute cholesterol levels, as able-bodied as convalescent the arrangement of acceptable (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

To sum up, actuality are just a few medical altitude in which bubbler blooming tea is accounted to be helpful:

* cancer

* rheumatoid arthritis

* top cholesterol levels

* cariovascular disease

* infection

*broken allowed function

Serves guest by drinking tea

2008-02-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

Serving greenish or dark tea is an issue of preference and both are superior. However, if you believe distinct guests have distinct preferences, so it would be easiest to do tea using private tea bags. It would be humor to get a broad kind of teas such as greenish, dark, herbal, Oolong, caffeinated and decaffeinated, and let the guests select which tea they favor.
However, if you plan to brew tea using a teapot, then here are five easy steps to brewing the best tea:

1. Water: If you have good drinking water from your faucet, then use it. Otherwise, use bottled water or filtered water.

2. Temperature: in a kettle, bring the cold water to boiling and turn off the heat. Let it sit a few minutes before pouring into the teapot. In the meantime, condition the teapot by putting a small amount of hot water in it, swish it around, and pour it out. This will help prevent the teapot from cracking when the hot water is poured in, and also helps keep the teapot warm.

Generally for green tea, the hot water temperature should be low, about 180 degree water. For black Tea, the water temperature is higher at about 200 degrees.

3. Loose Tea Leaves: use loose tea leaves because they are larger and more flavorful than leaves in tea bags. Scoop the loose leaves into the teapot - about 1 teaspoon per cup of water.

4. Steep: Pour the hot water over the leavers and steep 2-5 minutes covered: generally for green tea let sit 2-3 minutes; for black tea let sit 3-5.

5. Strain: if the teapot does not have a built-in strainer, then use a strainer when pouring the tea into the cup.

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Booming tea

2008-01-25T15:47:00.000-08:00

The tea deal is booming. Both the kind and amount of character teas in North America are expanding — still distant appliance stores normally have a small choice of bottled teas on offering. According to the Tea Association of the USA, tea sales of all kinds have almost quadrupled since 1990. Tea is the almost favorite drink in the reality and has ever been a favourite in Asia, where it originated some 5000 years ago. Its popularity in Europe dates to the earlier 17th century. Britain in specific has long had a passion matter with tea. In the U. S. , tea is now encroaching upon soil formerly dominated by chocolate and tender drinks.

Tea and Health

This burgeoning interest in tea is due to a new realization of its health benefits. Recent studies have confirmed what tea drinkers in Asia have known for centuries: that tea is good for you. Many consider true tea to be the ultimate health beverage. Now that medical science is validating tea's health claims, Americans are embracing it wholeheartedly.

More than just a beverage, true tea of all kinds — from white to black — is an elixir brim full of antioxidants that are beneficial to the body. Antioxidants reduce oxidation reactions in the body that are associated with aging and other disease processes. Specifically, tea has been shown to help promote healthy cholesterol levels, increase metabolism and improve mental performance. Green tea may also inhibit plaque buildup on teeth and may help the body deal with stress.

Benefits can be realized by consuming three cups a day, which is the historical average for most Asian tea drinkers and the base line for many recent studies. Because the antioxidants in tea are water-soluble and therefore short-lived, tea should be drunk at intervals throughout the day. The best time to drink tea is on an empty stomach between meals. Antioxidants are best absorbed in the absence of food and tea can interfere with the absorption of some nutrients, particularly iron.

If you enjoy milk with your tea, you may want to consider recent research published in the European Heart Journal reporting that adding milk to tea negates its health benefits. Caseins, a group of proteins found in milk, react with the flavonoids in tea to cancel out their beneficial effects.

Types of Tea

All true teas come from the leaves of the tea bush or tea tree (Camellia sinensis), which is native to Asia. Just as there are many varietals of wine from grapes, so too are there many varietals of tea from this remarkable plant. Most quality teas produced today come from five countries in that part of the world: India, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. Each country has its own unique growing conditions (terroir) and culturally influenced production methods that combine to give you the distinctive taste of the tea in your cup. Though deeply integrated, one with the other, each contributes special characteristics to every style of tea.

Tea Terroir

Terroir is a term usually associated with wine but is also appropriate for tea. It is the sum of sun, soil, precipitation, temperature and elevation in a specific area that conspires to produce particular qualities in tea leaves (or grapes) peculiar to that area or region. Here are the categories of tea from the five major tea-producing nations:

India — known for its black teas, especially Darjeeling and Assam, India is the largest producer with close to two billion pounds of annual production, much of which is consumed domestically. Most of India's tea is produced on several thousand large estates in the south and northeast part of the country.

China — home of all tea types, China is the 2nd largest producer. It produces the largest variety of leaf styles and more specialty types than any other country. China sets the standard for pan-fired green teas with varietals like Dragon Well and also exports exceptional white teas, black teas such as Keemun, and pu'erh teas. Most of China's tea is produced on small family lots in south and east China.

Sri Lanka — the classic black teas of this island nation are well-known as Ceylon teas.

Taiwan — produces the world's finest oolong teas such as Tung Ting and Ali Shan.

Japan — exports fine green teas such as Matcha and Sencha.

The Colors of Tea

In each of these countries, various production methods have evolved over time, giving us four basic categories of tea that, when combined with terroir, give us a tremendously rich selection of quality tea:

White
Enjoyed for nearly two centuries by the Chinese, white tea has just recently come to the attention of Westerners. Its delicate, translucent color — from pale straw to light amber hues — comes from a high percentage of immature leaves or buds. Its flavor is subtle and smooth, a delicate infusion of citrus and floral notes that is never astringent.

Actually a minimally processed form of green tea, white tea is the least processed of all teas. The leaves and buds are merely dried (withered), sorted and packaged. Though researchers are still not certain, this minimal handling may be the reason for the relatively high antioxidant and low caffeine content of white tea. Harvested only in the spring, white tea is generally more expensive than other types.

Green
Green tea is leading the tea revolution in North America, sparked by reports of its health benefits. It's available in a bewildering array of infusions and styles that can be traced to two general regions: China and Japan. Chinese-style green tea is described as light, with a soft natural sweetness and hint of smokiness, whereas tea produced in Japan is fresh, with grassy notes and a hint of the ocean. These subtle differences are due to the variant production methods used in each country.

Green tea undergoes only slightly more processing than white tea and has a little more caffeine. Its high antioxidant levels are the basis for the health claims that have made it so popular.

Oolong
Oolong tea occupies that middle territory between green tea and black tea. Its unique flavor is due to a modest level of oxidation — a process that exposes the bruised leaf to oxygen in the air — that, like green tea, varies by region of origin. The two main regions in this case are China and Taiwan. Taiwan's oolong tea, regarded by many as the best, is characterized by light, floral and fragrant liquors, and highly complex fruit, spice and floral aromas. Its color often has a green cast. In contrast, Chinese oolong is darker, due to longer oxidation, and exhibits roasted "toasty" flavors.

Oolong tea (known as red tea in Asia) is valued in China for its purported digestive properties. Its antioxidant levels are high and the caffeine content is somewhat higher than green tea.

Black
The most widely consumed tea in the world, black tea is so called because the relatively lengthy oxidation period (several hours) darkens the leaves. This color is transferred to the cup in pale sienna and red-orange tones. Black tea flavors can be differentiated by region more so than other teas:
India
Darjeeling — The Champagne of teas with light, complex muscatel flavors and flowery aromas Assam — Strong and malty, the ultimate breakfast tea with or without milk and sugar.

Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
Straightforward flavor, good straight — up or with additions.

China
Wine-like, with a sweet finish and subtle smokiness, the Burgundy of teas.

Black tea also has the high antioxidant levels desired by so many health conscious tea drinkers as well as higher levels of caffeine, but still only about half as much as a similar serving of coffee.
Other Teas
Tea terminology beyond the main categories discussed above can be confusing, with many overlapping definitions. Here are some additional terms to assist you in deciphering tea classifications.

Specialty Teas — narrowly defined, a term used to describe unadulterated teas of exceptional quality and flavor, including such attributes as hand harvesting. Now used more broadly in the public domain to include virtually any tea that exhibits attributes above the ordinary.

Estate Teas — named after specific tea gardens in India, Sri Lanka and other prime producing regions, thereby representing and branding the best these gardens have to offer.

Blended Teas — describes various combinations of tea leaves from more than one region or crop to obtain a desired flavor, aroma or character. This term is sometimes abused — used in reference to flavored or scented teas from a single region or crop.

Flavored Teas And Scented Teas — true teas to which flavors — from almond to wild cherry — and/or aromatic oils have been added for flavor and aroma. Examples include Lemon-flavored green tea; Earl Grey, a blended black tea with oil of bergamot; and Jasmine tea (scented with the fragrance of jasmine flowers). The best teas of this sort use natural flavors or essential oils derived from natural or organic sources. Avoid teas with artificial flavors or those that do not declare whether or not their flavorings are natural or artificial.

Chai Tea — a derivative of cha, the Chinese word for tea, chai means "tea with spices;" usually of the more assertive sort, such as ginger or cinnamon.

Russian Tea — can refer to tea produced in Russia or drunk in the Russian style — in a glass with lemon.

Souchong and Lapsang Souchong — a Chinese-style black tea made from the third, fourth and fifth leaves from the tip of the branch. These leaves are older and larger than the young leaves at the tip and have less flavor. Leaves used for lapsang souchong are dried over a fire, giving it a distinctive smoky taste and aroma.

Pu'erh — a black tea made in the Chinese-style that is then moistened and selectively aged (fermented), sometimes for decades, giving it a rich, complex character with earthy, clove-like flavors. A good tea for coffee drinkers.

Gyokura and Kabesucha — Japanese green tea for which the leaves have been shaded from the sun in bamboo boxes prior to harvest, raising their carotenoid content and giving the finished tea a unique flavor with subtly sweet, vegetal notes.

Hoji-cha — standard Japanese green tea that is roasted at high temperatures (360°F), elevating the volatile oil content and intensifying the flavor.

Iced Tea and Sweet Tea

Initially, iced tea was simply tea that was chilled after brewing and served over ice, usually in a glass with a slice of lemon. The term "iced tea" now includes bottled tea that is drunk chilled without ice. Sweet tea is merely iced tea sweetened with sugar. More than sixty percent of the tea consumed in the United States is in the form of iced tea, a significant portion of which is sold in restaurants or bottled. Most iced teas are brewed from black tea though any type of tea may be used.

Iced tea is traditionally brewed with about 50% more dried tea per cup to compensate for flavor loss due to melting ice. Adding ice to hot-brewed tea can make it cloudy. One way to prevent this from happening is to brew the tea at room temperature for several hours instead of the normal hot water method. This reduces the amount of caffeine compounds responsible for clouding on contact with ice.

Tea Substitutes

Herbal teas, called Tisanes in Europe, are not true teas and therefore do not supply the same health benefits as real tea. They do provide an abundance of flavor alternatives and other healthy attributes depending on the herb used. Chamomile tea, for example, is used as a relaxant, while peppermint is considered a digestive aid. Many herbal teas are blends of various botanicals and spices. Except for Yerba Mate, they are caffeine free and usually need to be infused longer than regular tea to release their full flavor. It's always a good idea to ask a qualified medical professional before taking any unfamiliar herbs.

Other tea substitutes include Red tea, sometimes called Red Bush, a mild, nutty-flavored infusion from a South African flowering shrub called rooibos, and Yerba Mate, a South American botanical that contains traces of caffeine and has a full-bodied, woody flavor. Often other ingredients, such as cinnamon or vanilla, are added to these non-tea brews for aroma and flavor.

Which tea is right for me?

Selecting tea is a highly subjective exercise, much like deciding which wine to drink, and vulnerable to such ephemeral things like mood and time of day.

However, some general guidelines can be attempted. If you want to gain maximum health benefits (i.e., antioxidants) from drinking tea, try white or green tea. If you want maximum caffeine content along with antioxidants, go for black. Beyond that it boils down to personal taste.

For example, if you like milk in your tea, choose a robust black tea from Sri Lanka or Assam, India, or perhaps a good English blend like English Breakfast. All of them tolerate milk and sweeteners very well.

If you want to curl up with a cup in a window seat on a rainy day and ponder life's big questions, then a delicately fragrant white or green tea is a good choice; but if you're bolstering your nerve for that showdown with the boss after lunch, then a more intrepid tea like Earl Grey or perhaps a seductive oolong is just the ticket.

So you see, tea is what you want it to be. At its best, tea encourages reflection and personal serenity but it can also be energizing and uplifting. The novelist Alice Walker wrote: "Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors." But to a Zen Buddhist priest in Japan, tea exists on a whole other plane. Consult with one of our tea specialists at any Whole Foods Market store to narrow down your choices and come away with a tea that's just right for you.

This Information from here

T E A

2008-01-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

Tea is a beverage made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for a few minutes. The processing can include oxidation, heating, drying, and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices, and fruits. The four basic types of true tea are (in order from most to least processed): black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and white tea. The term "herbal tea" usually refers to infusions of fruit or of herbs (such as rosehip, chamomile, or jiaogulan) that contain no Camellia sinensis .[2] (Alternative terms for herbal tea that avoid the word "tea" are tisane and herbal infusion.) This article is concerned exclusively with preparations and uses of the tea plant C. sinensis.

Tea is a natural source of the amino acid theanine, methylxanthines such as caffeine and theobromine,[3] and polyphenolic antioxidant catechins.[4] It has almost no carbohydrates, fat, or protein. It has a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavor.[4]