Tag Archives: Drink

21 Jan

Green Tea – Top 5 Health Benefits And Tea Quality Guide For Dummies

Traditional cups for drinking green tea

Green tea has become quite popular these days. In some countries there is a long tradition of drinking it  but in others the tea drinking trend has only surfaced in the recent years. With gaining popularity green tea has made its way into supermarkets and health food stores around the world not only simply as tea but also as an ingredient in other foods and products. Everyone is looking for a way to look younger and to counteract some of their less healthy habits and green tea promises just that. How can it do that? Here you will find top 5 benefits of using it, how to tell the top notch green tea from a low quality one and a few preparation ideas. But first – a little history.

Where Does Green Tea Come From?

Green tea was originally grown and cultivated in ancient China. Neighboring Asian countries picked up this habit and today also use different varieties of green tea on a regular basis. The tea plant itself is known as Camellia Sinensis. The trick to making green tea is the amount of oxidization. Leaves can be dried differently to produce many different types of tea but when the least oxidization is used we get green tea. You could say that green tea is the most natural tea of them all (check this article if you want to learn more about this).

The effects of it have been noticed and studies a long time ago. For instance – Zen priest Eisai wrote The Kissa Yojoki which can be translated as as Book of tea in 1191. This book discusses the positive impact that green tea has the bodies’ organs. Asians used it for easing the after effects of liquor, better brain function, and to prevent urinary problems.

Picking green tea

Ancient Asians relied on green tea for easing the after effects of liquor, better brain function, and to prevent urinary problems.

Why Is It A Super Food?

Green tea is considered a super food because it is packed with antioxidants and polyphenols. These give it life extending capabilities. A study done in May 2006 by the Yale University studied people that drink a liter and half of green tea each day. Now we all know that smoking is bad for your health. A funny thing that this study discovered is that people in Asian countries who smoke and consume several cups of green tea a day at the same time have minimal rates of cancer and heart disease. People that smoke back here in the west have much higher rates of these diseases.

So, what are the top 5 benefits of green tea:

  1. Green tea drinkers can benefit from a decreased risk of heart disease,
  2. better artery function,
  3. blockage of bad cholesterol,
  4. and improved good cholesterol levels.
  5. Switching from sodas or highly sweetened drinks to green tea is good way to lose weight. The tea has the ability to increase metabolism and block the absorption of sugar which makes the process even easier.

 

Traditional cups for drinking green tea

Green tea drinkers can benefit from a decreased risk from problems caused by heart disease, better artery function, blockage of bad cholesterol, and improved good cholesterol levels.

Other Uses

It’s not only good when you drink it, there are other uses for green tea – you can also use it externally. For instance you can use tea bags to remove puffiness around the eyes and to exfoliate dead skin off the face. Several salons and spas have entire product lines that are made with green tea as the primary ingredient.

A Few Tips For Green Tea Drinkers

Many companies have concentrated formulas of green tea sold in capsule or liquid form for those that are looking to burn fat as part of a weight loss regimen. But I cant really see the point in that. You can just drink tea everyday and you will be fine. Here are a few tips for all the enthusiastic new green tea drinkers:

  • If you are trying to lose weight and can not drop the sweet taste completely (I drink unsweetened tea all the time and its all good) try using stevia instead of regular sugar. Stevia is an example of a sweetener that is natural and does not have negative side effects that are associated with chemical based sweeteners. Or use honey. And try to use less and less of it, you will get used to the less sweet taste.
  • Make a gallon of green tea and drink it all the time. If you want to improve the taste of the tea, place cut lemons or other fruit into the tea while it cools down. This way you can add flavor to it.
  • Since green tea bags are tiny you can have them with you all the time and use them to make a quick hot beverage. There are many places to get a cup of hot water for free. Drop the tea bag in it and you are set.
  • On the other hand, almost every place you go now serves green tea. Just remember to order it.

Making green is not exactly rocket science, but still here is a nice video that explains how to prepare it. Things to remember:

  • don’t use boiling hot water, water should be around 180F/80C
  • use the best tea possible (video mentions 1st, 2nd and 3rd cut, a bit more on that and tea quality later)
  • wait 3-5minutes.

 

The Tea Quality – What Makes The Best Green Tea Out There?

First cut tea, second cut tea, third cut tea

Tea grows in places that allow the tea leaves to be picked many times during the season. But the ones that are picked during the first harvest are always the best. And are therefore called 1st cut. One picked next are called 2nd cut and so on. The first cut tea leaves are the tenderest and have the highest levels of theanine, caffeine, antioxidants and aromatics oils.

Number of leaves harvested

How many leaves are plucked from the top? Less leaves make tea more expensive but the leaves at the end are the tenderest. You can pluck just the bud, bud and one leaf, bud + 2 leaves, bud + 3 leaves etc…with each additional leaf the concentration levels of theanine and antioxidants decreases.

Tea leaves state

The less destroyed and crumbled the leaves are the better.

How fresh are the leaves

Fresh, this years tea is of course better than one that is a few years old.

As you see the can be quite a difference between green teas. On one hand you can have freshly picked first cut top leaves and on the other hand you can have 3rd cut leaves, crumbled and mixed with black tea that are 2 years old, sitting on the shelves of supermarkets worldwide. They will all do you good but there is quite a difference between the first and the second option. This explains different prices when it comes to green tea.

Sooo…now what? Start drinking green tea! Try replacing coffee with green tea for starters. By drinking it daily we are constantly providing our bodies with antioxidants so try to make it a habit!

30 Nov

Health Benefits of Cherry Juice: The Top 4 Benefits You’ll Receive By Drinking Cherry Juice

Are the health benefits of cherry juice as strong as of some other juices that you can get on the marker? I am sure you’ve heard of the numerous benefits of drinking “magical” juices that are all the rage nowadays.  Many companies start up every month trying to create the latest and greatest juice gimmick taking hard earned cash from their potential customers.  It seems as if everyone is discovering a new fruit in the jungles of South America that may hold the key to everlasting life.

In reality, you don’t have to spend $40 on a bottle of juice to get the benefits.  You can start with the regular juices you can find at your local grocery story.  Today we’re going to talk about one of the most common juices to drink and why it’s beneficial.  Cherry juice is a great juice to start with.  It’s full of nutrients that provide all sorts of benefits to your body.  Let’s go ahead and take a look at some of those and you’ll be able to see why you want to add this to your daily diet.  You’ll quickly realize the health benefits of cherry juice and why everyone that cares about their healthy and body should be drinking at least 1 glass per day.

Health Benefits Of Cherry Juice

1. Cherry Juice Contains Perillyl Alcohol, Limonene and Ellagic Acid

Cherry juice is loaded with 3 disease fighting substances which are perillyl alcohol, limonene and ellagic acid.  Each of these are powerful in fighting cancer, especially when it comes to breast or lung cancer.  They help stop cell transformation which is one of the quickest ways that cancer will develop and spread through the body.

2. Antioxidants Are One Of The Main Health Benefits of Cherry Juice

The next benefit is the vast amount of antioxidants that are found in the juice.  It has been said that there are a grand total of 17 powerful antioxidants found.  One of the main benefits of these antioxidants is that they can help ward off disease and they’re also proven to help the body not age as fast.  Out of all of the fruits and vegetables researches currently shows that drinking cherry juice has the highest antioxidant level out of any of them.

3. Inflammation – Cherry Juice For Arthritis

Another key benefit is that cherry juice is up to 10 times more beneficial than commercial drugs like aspirin in preventing inflammation and reducing pain from arthritis.  By reducing inflammation of your joints you’ll likely have healthier knees, ankles, wrists, and other body parts that are likely to really suffer from arthritis like effects.

One Simple Cherry Has Many Health Benefits

4. Fighting Free Radicals

Have you ever heard of the term free radicals?  Most likely you haven’t so let me explain exactly what it is.  Free radicals are atoms or molecules that have a single unpaired electron in an outer shell. Most common source of free radicals in our body is simply oxidation – breathing. But this can be greatly influenced also by the air around us – a good example would be pollution from a car or a factory.  These free radicals in your body cause it to slowly decay over time.  Luckily cherry juice has a powerful effect on fighting these dangerous chemicals.

Your cells become weaker from all of these radicals entering your body.  The only way you can safely get rid of them is by supplying your body the antioxidants it needs to do so.

Drinking Cherry Juice

Please understand that cherry juice is a very powerful, natural supplement that will greatly improve your health and help you to fight off unwanted diseases or problems that you may have without drinking fruit juice.  However, it’s not a cure all and you should never think that drinking a gallon of cherry juice each day is going to cure any of your ailments you may already have.

The biggest benefit is to start drinking it right away so you can try and prevent any future harm that may come upon your body from not having the proper antioxidants in it to stave off disease and other complications.  While pure cherry juice might be expensive if you’re going to drink a glass or two every day, the health benefits of cherry juice that you receive will be greater than any future costs of suffering or expensive medical costs that you may experience later in life.

After reading this article you can clearly see the health benefits of cherry juice and why it’s so important to add it to your daily diet.  You no longer have to worry about shelling out $20+ for an unknown juice that supposedly contains the fountain of youth.  You can drink a juice for a lot less than has plenty of research over time to back up the health benefits of it.

19 Nov

Health Benefits of Pear Juice

Instead of having coffee or a chocolate drink, why not have a boost of various nutrients in just a few gulps by having a glass of pear juice? Delicious and nutritious, pear juice is definitely one of the best healthy drinks that you can have. If having a glass is not part of your diet, here are some of the health benefits of pear juice which might help to convince you.

Pear Health BenefitsPears Contain Lots Of Vitamins And Minerals

If you eat a pear, or about 100 grams of the fruit, there are a lot of vitamins and minerals that you can get which include Vitamin A, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, calcium, Vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, fat, potassium, protein and carbohydrates. Pears are known as good sources of Vitamin C and dietary fiber, especially the skin which most people tend to discard. Adding a pear to your diet is surely a great way of taking in the said nutrients and for those who are watching their weight, having a pear daily will surely help you.

Boosting Your Immune System

If you don’t want to be constantly missing school or work because you often get the flu, you should start thinking about drinking healthy juices such as pear juice to boost your immune system. As pear juice is rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, it will help in building up your immune system. Regular intake of pear juice can help you avoid common diseases such as cough and colds, the flu and other similar disorders.

Good Source Of Energy

Furthermore, you can always be energetic when you drink pear juice since this is a quick and good source of energy. Pears are rich in fructose and glucose, two monosacharides that can easily be converted to energy. With the added carbohydrates, you will surely be grateful when you drink this after feeling tired and sleepy.

Pear Juice Helps Prevent Cancer

There are several health benefits of pear juices which includes having the necessary nutrients needed by the body. The Vitamin C and copper content of pear juice is essential in protecting your body from cancers and other diseases. As you may already know, when free radicals attach to the cells, these particular cells will be damaged which will often lead to cancer or other similar disorders. Cancers are difficult to treat especially during the late stages. The best treatment for cancer is actually prevention which you can do by drinking a glass of pear juice regularly. The antioxidants of pear juice protect your cells from the damaging free radicals, helping you avoid cancer. As studies have already proven, having a pear daily can reduce your chances of getting lung cancer and for women, it will help you avoid breast cancer after menopause.