August 24, 2011
If you think that drinking bottled juice is healthy for you then you need to think again! Juices that are bottled, first off, have many things wrong with them. The benefit of juices comes from freshly squeezed juices that have many enzymes and nutrients in them.
Bottling a drink forces the processing companies to heat the drink to prevent bacteria growth. As a result, all the benefits are lost and what is left is a small amount of vitamins/nutrients and a whole lot of sugar!
Oolong tea, on the other hand, does not go through this process if you make it in your home. In fact, if you have your own tea plant at home then you can be ensured that it will be the healthiest and most natural beverage around!
Compared with juice drinks, Oolong tea wins by far as the healthier choice. It may not be as tasty but that’s because it doesn’t have as much sugar (A good thing).
How to Improve the Taste of Tea’s
Many people dislike the taste of tea when it is unflavored and without many spoons full of sugar. This, however, is the best way to drink your tea if you are looking for the health benefits.
The solution is to use a variety of other sweetener methods. One such method is the use of stevia, a natural sweeter that is many times more sweet than sugar. It also has zero calories which is great for health benefits.
Another option would be to use honey and other sweet natural ingredients. Of course, honey also has sugar and calories so be careful with this option.
Many people think that fruit juices are healthy. And those that know they’re filled with sugar often opt for the healthier versions that are “flash pasteurized” and have less added extra sugar. Although these options are a step above from the standard commercially available fruit juices that are mass produced, they still have lots of sugar and very little fiber.
The beauty of fruits is the package deal: sugar with fiber that allows for easy absorbing without causing insulin spike levels in blood sugar.
Tea is better because it doesn’t have this problem of sugar. It, in fact, is known to help level blood sugar levels as well as other hormones.
Based on all this info provided, which do you think is better to drink often and which isn’t?
Check out The Persimmon Tree for all your healthy tea buying needs!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_C._Rogers
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Technorati Tags: drinking bottled juice, drinking oolong tea, fruit juices, oolong tea
June 28, 2011
Red Bush Tea or as it is called in South Africa Rooibos Tea is a unique herbal tea only grown in the cape cederberg region of South Africa. It was discovered many many moons ago by the San people indigenous to this area, they were bush dwellers who lived off the land and subsistance farmed.
The red bush tea bush grows naturally in this area with its hot dry climate. The needles of the bush are fermented to produce a tea which is naturally caffeine free and rich in antioxidants and therefore has many health benefits, including anti-ageing and medicinal properties. It is also extremely safe and beneficial to drink during pregnancy or while breastfeeding or a wonderful calming drink for children.
South Africans have been enjoying the healthy benefits of bush tea for ages and have developed many derivatives of the tea like health/energy drinks, iced teas, and rooibos variations of coffee drinks like red espresso and lattes etc, as well as using it in skincare and household products.
Red Bush Tea is also available as an unfermented green tea variety or a high quality organic variety, Bush tea is therefore starting to gain popularity around the world and become known as a herbal tea with many health benefits in fact in Japan it is now called long life tea.
If you haven’t tried it yet you might want to check out your local store shelves grab a few bags and try it out, there is also lots of info online and online stores with may varieties to try out.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gav_B_Jones
Technorati Tags: benefits of tea, herbal tea, red bush tea, red tea, South Africa roobois tea, Tea
June 6, 2011
Tea is the common name for the evergreen Camellia Sinensis plant, found widespread throughout Asia, as it has been for many thousands of years.
Tea has many forms, but the most widespread variation of tea is ‘Green Tea’, this is one of the least processed variations which gives a fresher beverage.
Although Green Tea is more widespread, western cultures adapted one called ‘Black Tea’ after Tea was introduced to the west in the 1800’s.
Black Tea
Black tea (while being a very popular drink) is the most highly processed form and thus has an overall lower quality.
Black Tea does have health benefits though, in fact almost all of the health benefits you can find about Green Tea are available in Black Tea, just in a diminished quantity which furthers lessens with the addition of milk.
In fact, a recent study completed just this year proved that (based on a sample size of more than 4,800 men and women over the age of 65 over a period of 14 years) people who regularly consume tea have a lower decline in cognitive function (tea drinkers will keep a healthier brain at later ages) when compared to non tea drinkers.
As one major comparison of the health differences between Green and Black Teas, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) currently lists Black tea as a Group 3 Carcinogen.
These days most people are aware that smoke, or rotting organic particles can have a negative effect on cancer, but many people also do not realise that Black tea is produced by oxidising tea leaves (that is, allowing them to rot for a period of time).
While it has not been proven in humans, Black Tea (in the form of a concentrated injection) has been shown to cause cancerous growths in mice.
This is nothing to worry about, as the amount you would need to consume would be extravagant in comparison to an injection in mice, but as a personal preference of mine – if it has any risk, steer clear.
Green Tea, you’re not always getting what you pay for at the supermarket.
Now what you have to be aware of, is that while a couple of pounds/dollars for a pack of 20 Green Tea Bags might be expensive compared to the common ‘160 Black teabags for a couple of pounds/dollars’, you are mostly paying for an inferior product.
Some people may argue against this, but the more well known Black Tea brands, who sell ‘Green’ tea in bag form are selling you an inferior product at an extortionate price.
Many supermarket brand teas source their Green Tea from China and to minimise the price the older and lower quality leaves are used.
To add to this, Black Tea is mixed in as a bulking agent, which results in a brown/yellow tea, sometimes with only a slight hint of green, or in other cases, not a hint of what you would expect from a ‘Green’ tea.
To get an idea of the quality differences try buying a packet of this supermarket grade stuff and see what it’s like – It’s as if you mixed old grass with common Black Tea right?
Ok, now go ahead and purchase a proper Tea, preferably from a brand you can’t find in the stores. For a guarantee of higher qualities you want to look for a Japanese Tea Store and pay a price of at least £4* per 100g (that’s right, but even then you’re more likely to pay £7* or more per 100g for higher qualities with better taste). * Or the equivalent in your currency.
Sencha is the most common type of tea in Japan and from personal experience I can vouch for the quality you get.
If you are thinking that you might buy Green Tea online (rather than buying in store) then you should research Japanese Sencha.
A high quality Green Tea product should result in a cloudy dark green colour, with a fresh taste and sweet aroma. If the end result is Yellow / Brown / Black, or tastes too bitter then one of two things have occurred:
Either the quality of the tea is not good, or you have tried to brew Green Tea as if it were Black Tea.
What’s the difference? Surely if they’re both Tea then you would brew them the same right?
No, the flavour produced from Black Tea can’t really ’spoil’ if you brew it incorrectly, whereas Green Tea can easily spoil.
Differences in brewing.
Black tea brewing would usually go like this:
- Boil the kettle
- Put the teabag into the cup
- Pour boiling water over the teabag
- Serve with milk / sugar
Sencha is a good example of what a Green Tea brewing session involves:
- Boil the kettle and leave for 30 seconds
- Pour the water into your cups and leave for 30 seconds
- Pour from the cups into the teapot and leave for 30 seconds
- Pour back into the cups
- While leaving the water in the cups for 1 minute 30 seconds (up to 2 minutes 30 seconds) add a heaping teaspoon of Sencha into the teapot, per cup
- Add water from the cups and leave to steep for 1 minute to 3 minutes (premium grade Sencha can take as little as 40 seconds)
This does the following things:
- Preheats both the cups and teapot before the tea starts to steep, meaning that there are no quick temperature changes which would otherwise spoil the taste.
- Cools down the temperature of the water, as boiling water will scald the leaves and result in a bitter yellow tea.
Upon first discovering Green Tea Bags ( to be more precise – Sencha Tea Bags) in my parent’s cupboard many years ago I proceeded to make many mistakes and wrong assumptions which I have mentioned above.
Although I would not recommend supermarket brand Green Tea, it is a good starting point for someone with an interest, or someone who can’t make a quick jump and needs a ‘transition phase’ from the taste of Black to Green.
Tea is one of the best drinks you can consume, especially if it’s Green Tea, why do you think it’s the second most consumed beverage behind water itself?
So why not give your body a treat and try out a good Japanese Green Tea instead of gorging on sodas and coffee.
For more information about Green Tea, the health benefits of Green tea, the Japanese Tea Ceremony or even Brewing information please visit the website at www.premiumgreentea.co.uk
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Kinsella
Image Credit: slimmingteas.org.uk
Technorati Tags: black tea, Camellia sinensis, drinking tea, Green Tea, Health Benefits Of Tea, Kinds Of Tea, Tea
May 10, 2011
The best tea for weight loss is those that are from China and Japan. Why is that so? This is because there tea product is proven to work all through the years, some said over centuries but other would say three thousand years. Nonetheless, if you look at Chinese and Japanese people, they have lean body, beautiful skin and are healthy people. Of course, these only refer to people who incorporate tea in their daily meal.
Let us understand that people’s lifestyle have been changed through the years. So, some have been introduced to a different diet from other cultures. Acculturation is happening everywhere across the globe. This is especially internet plays a big part in educating people all over the world the different lifestyle. But in the southern part of China, you can still see that tea is served every meal time.
Anyway, tea has different types based on how they are processed. But these types of tea use Camellia Sinensis. Based on the studies conducted, this plant contains antioxidants, polyphenols, essential nutrients, theaflavins, and epigallocatechin gallate. These substances found in the tea make it beneficial to the human body, thus it enhances metabolic rate, reverse the effect of obesity, and other health benefits.
There are only two clinical studies conducted which have Japanese men as the subject. The first study revealed the result that catechins present in tea can really control the person’s body from becoming overweight. The Second study gave a conclusion that green tea has the thermogenesis effect in the body thus it boosts the heat production in the body at the same time improve the metabolic rate.
Other health benefits that a person can reap in drinking tea are controlled cholesterol levels and high blood sugar levels. Since the tea has antibacterial properties it also protects your gums from antibacterial infection and your teeth from having cavities. The best tea for weight loss is not only effective in trimming down excess weight but also in improving your overall wellness.
| Discover Tava Tea – a unique blend of three powerful teas namely Sencha, Oolong (Wu Long), Puerh species. Here are the benefits you will get – Burns 2.5 times more calories than Green Tea; Reduces the fattening effects when eating carbs; Fights the signs of aging with antioxidants; Completely natural, organically grown, certified by CERES and USDA.
Read more about Tava Tea at – http://www.weightlossteas.info
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jolie_Summer |
Technorati Tags: best tea, black tea, Green Tea, oolong tea, tea for weight loss, tea products
April 18, 2011
Although the origin of tea drinking has been lost in the annals of history, there is a myth that tries to explain how tea drinking started. In Ancient China 5000 years ago, the Emperor Shen Nong advocated the boiling of drinking water. Once while travelling, the emperor’s servants boiled water for him and a few leaves from a nearby bush fell into the pot. The boiled water turned brown, and the Emperor – being a naturally curious person – tasted it and found the liquid invigorating.
For more than 4000 years hence, tea became a staple on the Chinese table, and the Japanese adopted it too. After a while, the Western world realized the great Health Benefits Of Tea and started to drink it too. Because of the natural healing benefits of tea, more and more people nowadays are getting accustomed to tea drinking to take care of their bodies.
There are three different types of tea, depending on its fermentation process. However, please keep in mind that tea leaves are the same. The grading comes after the natural processes the leaves go through before they reach our cups. Non-fermented leaves are the green ones, semi-fermented leaves are called oolong, and the fully fermented variety is called the black tea. All of these types though, have been proven to be valuable in keeping our bodies healthy.
Wu Yi tea is under the oolong tea category and comes from the Wu Yi Mountain in the Fujian province. It is also known by the name Wu Long tea; and still undergoes grading after fermentation. This is why you may see different “brands” of Wu Yi tea (Da Hong Pao, Tae Kuan Yin, etc).
Aside from the natural curing powers of wu yi tea, the fermentation process also increases the wu yi tea’s all natural capability to assist in weight loss.
Is wu yi tea all natural? The short answer is yes. This is because there is nothing added to the wu yi tea to make it a more potent healing wonder or a more effective weight-loss enhancer. You may think of it as a supplement to other medications prescribed to you by a professional healthcare provider. However, for those that do not need any special medications and just want to keep their bodies fit, the all-natural wu yi tea would be the best bet.
Wu yi tea processing is all natural too. Fermentation is done under the sun; fermentation for wu yi leaves is done halfway. Afterwards, wu yi leaves are hand- rubbed gently to bring out the natural taste, texture, and aroma of each leaf. Then the leaves are further dried on charcoal. The last stage is the grading of the tealeaves by tea masters according to its flavor and other characteristics.
Like all the other grades of tealeaves, wu yi naturally contains substances that are good for the body. But, wu yi is especially rich in polyphenol. Polyphenols are natural anti-oxidants and bad-cholesterol burners. When you drink the all-natural wu yi tea, you not only remove toxins in your body, you also protect yourself from all the diseases associated with too much cholesterol.
| A new diet celebrities are currently raving about is the Wu Yi Tea Diet [http://www.freewuyiteadiet.com]. Click on the link to find out How Does Wu Yi Tea Work [http://www.freewuyiteadiet.com/how-does-wu-yi-tea-work/]?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Rothe |
Technorati Tags: Kinds Of Tea, origin of tea drinking, tea drinking, wu yi tea
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Red Bush Tea or as it is called in South Africa Rooibos Tea is a unique herbal tea only grown in the cape cederberg region of South Africa. It was discovered many many moons ago by the San people indigenous to this area, they were bush dwellers who lived off the land and subsistance farmed.
