"Remember the tea kettle - it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings!"
While a majority of the blogging done here will most likely consist of yum-to-the-EEE healthy recipes (HAHA - I'm a poet); tonight I am writing about tea. Some who know me think I have a slight obsession with the leafy goodness, but I don't think so. I simply like to indulge in the sweet aroma and taste of the exotic unknown.....okay, okay I am a tad bit obsessed. Let me tell you why. Tea is one of those guiltless pleasures for me. Not only is it delicious, but it's also nutritious. Eeeek! I am on a roll! <-- gluten free roll of course :-D Alright, I'll stop with the corny jokes...and show you my tea cabinet:
This is the cabinet above my stove which requires a step stool because I am too short to reach them all. This is only half of the tea I have; it doesn't include the ones I keep at work; Trader Joe's cranberry green tea, Yogi Calming tea, Cinnamon Orange Blossom (AH-MAY-ZING)! Blueberry tea, Black Ginger Peach tea, and a few more :) Some think it's excessive, and maybe it is, but given the health benefits and the deliciousness of it, I'd say it's okay.
While there isn't any "nutritional" content to tea, there are many other health benefits to it. Here are a few based on the types of tea you drink:
It can boost mental alertness
It can increase your metabolic rate
It has anti-cancer properties - especially those high in an antioxidant called catechins
It can lower stress hormone levels (YES PLEASE)!
It can improve cardiovascular health
These are only naming a few. Here is how it all works:
Tea contains catechins, a type of antioxidant. Catechins are highest in concentration in white and green teas. Also red tea - usually a hibiscus tea (the Orange Blossom Tea I drink), has been shown to contain similar amounts of catechins as green tea. White tea has been shown to have the most antioxidants of all the teas. An article in New Scientist magazine that I read mentions that numerous studies suggest that green tea protects against a range of cancers, including lung, prostate and breast cancer. The reason cited is the antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG as everyone knows it). While black tea has substantially fewer due to its oxidative preparation, scientists suggest that drinking just one cup of regular, black tea per day may help to protect against cardiovascular disease. The research showed that black tea consumption does, depending on dose, improve blood vessel reactivity, reduce both blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Cool beans!
Let's talk Weight loss:
While there have been numerous claims that Green tea and its extract have been shown to fight obesity, this isn't entirely true. And I say not entirely true because if you take the right amount; it can aid in your weight loss journey, but drinking one cup of green tea is not a realistic expectation in thinking that it will make you lose weight. It takes much hard work and dedication; unless you have some miracle gene, and in that case, please send me a vile :) The award should really go to the caffeine in the green tea. Caffeine is a natural thermogenic; which raises your body temperature and the basal metabolic rate. What this does is increase the energy expenditure and fat loss through mechanisms not only related to thermogenic effect, but also enhanced utilization of triglycerides for fuel and suppression of appetite. Now, please understand that I am not telling you to go out and drink 2 gallons of tea or coffee a day - unless you have a cast-iron stomach, in which case, please be my guest! All I am saying is put down the sugary drink and pick up a warm or cold delicious cup of tea!
While there isn't any "nutritional" content to tea, there are many other health benefits to it. Here are a few based on the types of tea you drink:
It can boost mental alertness
It can increase your metabolic rate
It has anti-cancer properties - especially those high in an antioxidant called catechins
It can lower stress hormone levels (YES PLEASE)!
It can improve cardiovascular health
These are only naming a few. Here is how it all works:
Tea contains catechins, a type of antioxidant. Catechins are highest in concentration in white and green teas. Also red tea - usually a hibiscus tea (the Orange Blossom Tea I drink), has been shown to contain similar amounts of catechins as green tea. White tea has been shown to have the most antioxidants of all the teas. An article in New Scientist magazine that I read mentions that numerous studies suggest that green tea protects against a range of cancers, including lung, prostate and breast cancer. The reason cited is the antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG as everyone knows it). While black tea has substantially fewer due to its oxidative preparation, scientists suggest that drinking just one cup of regular, black tea per day may help to protect against cardiovascular disease. The research showed that black tea consumption does, depending on dose, improve blood vessel reactivity, reduce both blood pressure and arterial stiffness. Cool beans!
Let's talk Weight loss:
While there have been numerous claims that Green tea and its extract have been shown to fight obesity, this isn't entirely true. And I say not entirely true because if you take the right amount; it can aid in your weight loss journey, but drinking one cup of green tea is not a realistic expectation in thinking that it will make you lose weight. It takes much hard work and dedication; unless you have some miracle gene, and in that case, please send me a vile :) The award should really go to the caffeine in the green tea. Caffeine is a natural thermogenic; which raises your body temperature and the basal metabolic rate. What this does is increase the energy expenditure and fat loss through mechanisms not only related to thermogenic effect, but also enhanced utilization of triglycerides for fuel and suppression of appetite. Now, please understand that I am not telling you to go out and drink 2 gallons of tea or coffee a day - unless you have a cast-iron stomach, in which case, please be my guest! All I am saying is put down the sugary drink and pick up a warm or cold delicious cup of tea!
Another great tea to drink to drink that can aid in weight loss is cinnamon tea. Cinnamon tea has been shown to lower your blood sugar levels. How does this help you lose weight? Here is how; cinnamon helps lower blood sugar, because it contains a water-soluble polyphenol compound called MHCP (methalhydroxy chalcone polymer)that helps improve the way the body uses insulin. It has been shown that cinnamon made fat cells much more responsive to insulin, the hormone that regulates sugar metabolism and thus controls the level of glucose in the blood. Interesting, right?! Here is one of those yum-to-the-EEE recipes for you try it at home peeps:
You can make cinnamon tea by breaking a cinnamon stick into several pieces and allowing them to steep in a cup with boiling water for 10 minutes. Cinnamon can be bitter to you, so you can add raw organic honey or agave nectar as they both have a low impact on your glycemic index. You can also combine 1 to 1.5 tsp. of cinnamon powder with hot water and stir.
There are so many reasons to give for drinking tea, and I hope the few that I have listed are reason enough to try it ;) If my words aren't enough, just look at the picture! It looks enticing, don't you think?
When you drink the leaf, it's always a guaran"tea"!
Twinspiration -Wellness to all!!
Patti xox
WOW! Lots of great information, Patti! Thanks for all the good reasons to keep tea as a major player in my day. I use cinnamon on so many things, too. I plow my way through a bottle of Whole Foods Organic Cinnamon in probably two weeks so I always have an extra bottle on hand. Thanks for the great posts, twins!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE cinnamon!!!! I buy this organic butternut squash soup from Trader Joe's and sprinkle cinnamon on it...it is delicious and one of my fav things to eat.
ReplyDelete