Make the Switch! Coffee to Tea

Research shows that green and black teas have up to 8-10 times the antioxidants as fruits and vegetables which can add significantly to your health. The health benefit of drinking tea is chalked up to one explanation, antioxidants. Evidence shows by switching to tea you can add some significant health benefits. Having a hard time giving up your 4 cups of coffee each day?
Beware of doctoring up your tea with too much milk because this has been found to decrease the antioxidants. You can find these benefits in black, green, oolong and even iced teas! The research has found that regular tea drinkers - people who drink two or more cups per day - have less heart disease and stroke, lower cholesterol levels, and they may recover from heart attacks faster.
Don't despair coffee lovers! There are some teas out there that you may find match up to your love of coffee. For instance, Chai tea uses ginger and cardamom which overpowers the taste of the black tea but offers a rich, full bodied taste which is perfect for coffee consumers! Vanilla nut teas also tend to override the black tea taste for a richer flavor. Try some tea today to better your health!
©, 2005 Meri Raffetto
About the Author

Can Green Tea Protect Against Atherosclerosis?

Out of control cholesterol is a leading contributor to heart disease, blood clots and stroke. One of the things that all of us should be concerned with in our quest to live long and healthy lives is our cholesterol levels. Heart disease and high cholesterol are some of the most prevalent health concerns in our country today.
High levels of this type of cholesterol are too low, the bad cholesterol is allowed to take over. HDL cholesterol actually carries bad cholesterol away from the heart and deposits it to the liver so that it can pass from the body. HDL cholesterol or (high density lipoproteins) is what we refer to as "good cholesterol".

Cholesterol comes in two forms.
It is this process that turns the LDL into plaque. Part of the "hardening" process in LDL is what is known as peroxidation. When an artery is blocked, this can cause heart attack or stroke.

These narrowed arteries make it for a clot to cause a blockage. This is what we call atherosclerosis. It forms plaque, a hard substance that clogs the arteries. When too much LDL circulates in the blood, it can build up in the inner walls of the arteries that feed the heart and brain. LDL cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) is the "bad cholesterol".
See your doctor for a blood test to determine your cholesterol levels. If you fall into this category, you may need medication along with lifestyle changes to get your cholesterol under control. You can significantly affect your cholesterol levels by with lifestyle choices; though some people are just genetically inclined to have high LDL levels.

It's critical for all of us to know our cholesterol levels and make sure that we have high levels of HDL and low levels of LDL.
How Can I Improve My Cholesterol Levels?
Here are the basics If you know that your cholesterol numbers could use some improvement, there are many things you can do to improve those numbers.
Exercise - Just 30 minutes of walking, 3-5 times a week can help bring your cholesterol numbers in line.
Taking the weight off can improve these numbers. Lose weight if you're overweight - Overweight people tend to have higher LDL levels.
Don't smoke - Smoking contributes to high LDL levels and to low HDL levels.
Managing Your Diet
Diet is the most important factor in controlling your cholesterol levels. Whether or not you need to lose weight, a healthy diet is critical to maintaining good cholesterol levels. Here are the diet basics you should follow.
Use egg substitutes or egg whites rather than egg yolks. Opt for chicken, fish and turkey more often; beef and pork just once or twice a week. Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet.
Choose low fat cheese, yogurt and sour cream.
Oatmeal and whole wheat are great options. Increase your whole grains - Replace simple, white flower based products with whole grains.
For the highest levels of anti-oxidants, be sure to eat your share of blueberries, red beans, artichokes and tomatoes. They are also filled with anti-oxidants, which can prevent disease by combating our body's free radicals. They fill you up on fewer calories, so you can eat less and lose weight. Increase your fruits and vegetables - Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and fiber.
These good fats can help raise your HDL levels, without elevating your LDL levels in the process. Use olive oil, flaxseed oil and canola oil as your primary fats. Stay away from anything that contains "trans fats". Use good fats - We all need fat in our diets, but the types of fat we choose are important.
There have been many studies that have concluded that green tea's anti-oxidants have a powerful influence in preventing heart disease. Green tea is rich in anti-oxidants, just like fruits and vegetables. Add Green Tea to your diet - Green tea is one of the most under-recognized health protectors.
In this study, some mice were fed a diet high in saturated fats and other products known to raise bad cholesterol. The University of Shizuoka in Japan conducted a study on green tea and its ability to prevent atherosclerosis. One study, in particular is worth noting.
After about eight weeks, the mice who were fed green tea showed significantly less propensity to have atherosclerosis.* While the high level of LDL could still be spotted in the blood, it was not being converted to plaque.
So, even when the diet was higher than normal in "bad cholesterol" foods, the green tea seemed to prevent this cholesterol in the blood from turning into artery blocking plaque. The study concluded that green tea has the ability, likely because of its high anti-oxidant level, to prevent the peroxidation of the LDLs.
However, it does indicate that green tea may be highly effective at preventing the bad cholesterol that we do ingest from turning into arterial plaque. Now, this doesn't mean that it's ok to eat a diet high in fat and cholesterol and rely on green tea to take care of the problem.
It may give you an extra edge to winning the cholesterol battle! But, it's also wise to add green tea to your diet. So, for the best plan for preventing heart disease and stroke, it's wise to follow a low cholesterol diet, maintain a healthy weight and get regular exercise.
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All About Green Tea And Polyphenols

-A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind, Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi (1893 - 1986)
By the way, have I said how much I passionately enjoy green tea, the personal benefits I have witnessed from green tea and what a fantastic unearthing this ‘ancient medicine' is for modern western living? Or as I like to say… When the student is ready, the teacher shall appear!
After a good deal of research, I have found that there isn't any other food or drink in general consumption reported to have the innumerable health benefits that green tea possesses...none!
And did you know that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for over 4,000 years… When will we westerners learn? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches and lethargia to depression.
For instance, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study demonstrating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. At present, in both Asia and America, scientific research is providing a more than solid substantiation for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.
To abridge just a few of the medical conditions in which drinking green tea has proved to be helpful:
impaired immune system function
cardiovascular disease
cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
elevated cholesterol levels
numerous types of infections
muscle wasting diseases
Quite startling, don't you think? The preceding takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the foremost cause of heart attacks and stroke. It has also been exceedingly effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots.

EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Green tea's ‘secret' lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
For The Record Books…
In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas concluded that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is significantly low, even though in excess of seventy-five percent are smokers. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas concluded that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease than Americans.

The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. Correlates are being drawn between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were mystified by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in saturated fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans.
What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed.In particular, green tea leaves are processed from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being transformed into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various conditions and diseases. Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. So why don't other Chinese teas have similar earth-shaking health benefits?
Some Additional Benefits…
The latest evidence emerging is that green tea can even help dieters attain success more rapidly an efficiently. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.
Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market showing positive effects. Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacterium that causes dental plaque. Incidentally, green tea can even help prevent tooth decay!
The Potential Unsafe Effects?
in eight ounces of coffee and can you imagine the huge contrast in caffeine content between green tea and these ‘new' high-tech energy drinks that are currently being consumed by the masses with such ravenous voracity. in eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg.

On the other hand, green tea contains much less caffeine than coffee and most soda: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. As of today, the only adverse side effect reported from drinking green tea is mild insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine.
Green Tea Polyphenols, What Are They You Ask?
Antioxidants have been proven to prevent damage caused by free radicals to DNA and other molecules. Specifically, tea polyphenols are compounds in tea leaves that are natural plant antioxidants.
How Do They Work?
In addition to antioxidant activity, these compounds may as previously mentioned have shown to reduce abnormal cell growth and inflammation; help the body get rid of cancer-causing agents; and restore communication between different cells in the body. Green tea polyphenols have corroborated several cancer preventive properties.
On Cancer… The Facts
Both EGCG and Polyphenon E are being tested for safety and efficacy in humans. Animal studies were inconclusive as to whether EGCG or Polyphenol E caused DNA mutations that might trigger cancer growth. A polyphenol mixture with EGCG, called Polyphenon E, has also shown cancer preventive properties in animals.

The purified component, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), prevented colon cancer, but did not prevent cancer of the esophagus in animal models. In animal studies, different tea extracts, tea polyphenol mixtures, purified tea components, and tea infusions as the sole drinking fluid have more consistently been shown to prevent cancer, including cancers of the colon, esophagus, liver, stomach, lung, breast, pancreas, and skin. Certain dietary, environmental, and population differences may account for these discrepancies. Some of the studies comparing green tea drinkers to non-green tea drinkers support the claim that green tea-drinking, in fact prevents certain types of cancer. The relationship between green tea consumption and human cancer has been studied in several different populations and at various cancer sites.
Slower Prostate Cancer Cell Growth Found From Consumption Of Green And Black Tea
Serum from men who drank comparable amounts of diet or regular soda showed no such slowing in cancer cell proliferation. More notably, the scientists found that prostate cancer cells grew more slowly when placed in a medium containing blood serum of men who had consumed either green or black tea for five days compared to serum collected before the men began their tea-drinking regimen. A study at The Experimental Biology 2004, in Washington, D.C., reported as part of the scientific program of the American Society of Nutritional Sciences, anti-tumor effects of green and black tea polyphenols in prostate tissue after a very limited consumption of the tea.
Consequently, Dr. Susanne Henning, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, pronounced that the UCLA research team - a combination of nutrition scientists and urologists - focused on the feasible outcome of tea polyphenols on factors named polyamines and the enzymes responsible for the production of polyamines. Elevated levels of polyamines have been connected with malignancy in humans, including prostate cancer, and - since polyamines are current in prostate tissue in high concentration - are considered a logical target for chemoprevention of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is one of the most widespread cancers among males in the United States, and more than a fourth of all those patients with prostate cancer are known to use alternative therapies, including green tea. This study suggests that both black and green tea are promising natural dietary supplements useful for chemoprevention of prostate cancer, according to Dr. Henning. She plans to investigate if this effect can be enhanced by consuming larger amounts of tea polyphenols in the form of green tea extract supplement capsules.
So If It's That Good, How Much Should I Drink?
Strangely enough, there are as many answers to this question as there are researchers investigating the beneficial properties of green tea per day stayed cancer-free for three years longer than men who drank less than three cups a day (there are approximately 240 - 320 mg of polyphenols in three cups of green tea).
Meanwhile, a study by Cleveland's Western Reserve University concluded that drinking four or more cups of green tea daily.
If you're a real aficionado, by all means imbibe more; but whether or not you'll derive added health benefits remains to be determined. But given all the evidence, it is almost certainly safe to plan on drinking four to five cups of green tea daily. I personally don't buy the hype that those that manufacture and sell green tea products are propagating…moderation is, like with all things probably your best bet!

So which is it? A University of California study on the cancer-preventative qualities of green tea concluded that you could probably attain the desired level of polyphenols by drinking merely two cups per day.
Okay, enough science… Let's all just relax and have a cup of green tea or if you like your beverages cold like I do, a glass of ‘iced' green tea.
-To Your Absolute Health, Kurt Lee Hurley

The Health Benefits of Green Tea

Now recent medical studies in both asia and the west are providing a scientific basis for the claim that drinking green tea has very significant health benefits. Green tea became part of the Chinese diet and many important health benefits were attributed to it. Some tea leaves accidentally fell into boiling water, and he tried it and found it invigorating.

According to legend, tea was discovered by a Chinese emperor called Shen Nung. The Chinese have known about Green tea as a powerful medication for at least 4000 years.
Thus green and black teas have different chemical properties. Black teas on the other hand are made from fermented leaves and as a result have less nutritional and enzyme content as the green tea. In this way the leaves remain green and the active substances within the leaves retain their qualities.

Green tea is unfermented tea meaning that the leaves used for green tea are steamed soon after been plucked in order to prevent the oxidation of the leaves. The difference between the three main types of tea is the way that they are produced. Green tea, like black tea is made from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis.
Antioxidants help your body fight against free radicals which cause damage to cells and tisuues in your body. One study concluded that consuming three cups of tea a day produced a similar amount of antioxidants as eating six apples. The antioxidant activity of tea has been compared to that of fruit and vegetables in a number of studies.

Modern science has in recent times been able to demonstrate that green tea is beneficial to one's health and this is mainly due to the fact that tea contains high levels of antioxidants called polyphenols or flavonoids.
Recent medical studies suggest green tea to be beneficial in many areas including the following: While all tea is healthy to drink, it is green tea that contains the highest level of flavonoids.
-Digestive and respiratory health.
-Lowers cholesterol levels
-Boosts your immune system
-Reduces high blood pressure
-Arthritis - anti-inflammatory effect.
-Oral hygiene - due to antibacterial properties.
-Skin conditions such as acne
-Lowers blood sugar
Much more research needs to be conducted in this area but the signs are certainly very encouraging. It was discovered that those men who were given green tea extract burned more calories per day than those who were not given the extract. A study was conducted of ten healthy men over a period of 6 weeks. Recently published research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that an extract from green tea may speed up fat oxidation.

Weight loss is another area that is attracting huge attention.
Anyone for tea!
Lorraine Bevere is the owner and operator of
FOG Tea
which is
a premier source of information about tea. For questions or
comments about this article, please visit:

http://fogtea.com

Healthy Reasons Why You Should Drink Green Tea

Green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. The Chinese have been using it since ancient times for treating everything from headaches to depression. Did you ever realize that simply by drinking two cups of green tea can actually save you from so many health problems?
The process:
It is believed that they stimulate the spirit better than any other blend thus improving the abilities to think and meditate for prolonged periods without fatigue. Green teas are rich in vitamin C. This is very different to how green tea is processed today. It was then transferred out of the mould, dried in the sun, and baked to prevent rotting.

After that the tea was pressed and left to harden. Then this mud was placed into moulds. At the time of Tang Dynasty wild tea was gathered and then processed which involved steaming the tea on a bamboo tray and grinding the tea into a fine pulp called tea mud. China produces the world's finest green teas. The Chinese are said to be the first ones to discover tea.
Benefits of Green Tea:
It has also been effective in inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. The reason being that green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly EGCG-Epigallocatechin Gallate which is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. There is also research indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent.

The reason being that green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly EGCG-Epigallocatechin Gallate which is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. According to a research it has been estimated that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent.
Apart from this green tea has been claimed to be good for:
• Stopping certain neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer
• Preventing/ treating cancer
• Burning fat and increasing metabolism
• Treating rheumatoid arthritis
• Treating Cognition
• Lowering high cholesterol levels
• Treating cardiovascular disease
• Treating infection
• For impaired immune function
• Prevent tooth decay
How much should one take?
Different researchers claim different estimation of how much green tea should one consume. Some say that drinking ten cups of green tea per day would help you stay cancer-free for three years longer than if you drink less than three cups a day .Meanwhile, another study suggests that drinking four or more cups of green tea per day could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, or reduce symptoms in individuals already suffering from the disease. It is also reported that breast cancer spreads less quickly, in women with a history of drinking five cups or more of green tea daily. A University of California study on the cancer-preventative qualities of green tea concluded that you could probably attain the desired level of polyphenols by drinking merely two cups per day. As green tea does not have any known side effects so you can drink according to what you think is the right amount for you.
On the other hand black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, as a result of which the EGCG compound gets converted into other compounds which is not effective in preventing and fighting various diseases. Then they are rolled by hand to squeeze out excess moisture and to release flavor enzymes. On the other hand black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, as a result of which the EGCG compound from being oxidized.

Then they are rolled by hand to squeeze out excess moisture and to release flavor enzymes. The tea leaves used for green tea are steamed or pan-dried immediately after picking, arresting bacterial growth and thus preventing the EGCG compound from being oxidized. Green tea has so many health benefits though Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant so what sets green tea apart from the other teas is the way it is processed.
So, get your green tea today and enjoy your drink!!

Black Tea -- Actually Good For You

You may not realize it but tea is the most consumed beverage in the world except for water. Since it is such a popular drink, it is a good thing that it contains a lot of nourishing properties.
Virtually everybody has heard that old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". People should realize that the ounces of vitamins, food supplements, dietary products, and exercise equipment they buy as a preventative health measure doesn't offset the pounds of fast food, carbonated beverages, cigarettes, and alcohol they consume that are destroying their health. Many people don't realize that one of the easiest, least expensive and effective measures to shift the winning balance to the side of prevention is right under their noses. If you drink tea you are already a winner but here are a few facts regarding black tea and its miraculous effects.
The different teas get their unique color and flavor depending on the amount of processing the leaves go through. There are so many different teas on the market it might surprise you to find out that they all come from only one type of plant called camellia sinensis.
Black tea contains: Favonoids (antioxidants) which improve artery function helping to prevent heart disease and strokes; Tannins which effects gastric and intestinal activity thus helping to control diarrhea (To help with diarrhea let the tea steep for a full 15 minutes); Theophylline, helping to improve cholesterol levels; Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay; Polyphenols, shown by research to increase the number of white blood cells. The leaves are picked, cleaned, sorted and then allowed to oxidize giving it its rich dark color. Black tea, the most common type used in the United States, goes through the most amount of processing.
Black tea also contains vitamins c, a, b, k and traces of minerals including potassium and calcium. Loose tea gives more benefits than tea bags since loose tea goes through less processing.
Studies show that after drinking the caffeine from tea that your energy rises slowly, plateaus and then gradually decreases. Small amounts of caffeine have beneficial effects such as increased energy, improved circulation, and help in the release of waste products. The caffeine starts to release during brewing after about a minute.

Black tea only contains about half as much caffeine as coffee and that level can be reduced by reducing the brewing time.
As you can see black tea is beneficial, so drink up and enjoy without feeling guilty for not drinking herbal tea or green tea. Black tea may be enough to deliver that extra ounce of prevention leading to better health.
For other health tips and alternative means of keeping healthy visit Health Fitness Explorer, Lakhovsky's Coil and Pain Relief Info.

Chinese Green Tea

For most people, the Chinese green tea is a stuff of legends. It has been known to be very beneficial to human health and has been talked about and written about because of its countless positive effects for thousands of years.
800, Chinese tea was brought to Japan by monks who studied Buddhism in China. It is believed that in A.D. The fame of the green tea did not stay at one place for long. Green tea leaves when boiled smelled and tasted so wonderful that Shen Nung even urged his people to drink it.

It was said that while boiling some water for drinking, some leaves fell into his pot from a tree nearby. According to legend, the first person to ever taste Chinese green tea was the Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C.
What makes this green tea different from all other teas?
Chinese tea is produced from Camellia sinensis, the same plant where the oolong and black tea are derived. Yet, even though they all come from the same herb, the Chinese green drinnk truly stands out as an exceptional health drink. So what makes it different?
The difference lies in the method by which this tea is produced. Oolong and black tea leaves are traditionally oxidized and then dried while the Chinese green tea leaves are steamed and then dried. This method of producing green tea actually preserves most of the beneficial antioxidants present in it.
Chinese Green Tea for Health
While it is already common knowledge that green tea has several health benefits, modern scientists were able to provide several concrete proofs of the positive effects of Chinese tea. Its antioxidants are said to be the ones responsible for making the tea very beneficial.
It was also discovered that this healthy tea can have an anti-inflammatory effects and may provide protection against cardiovascular diseases. Recent findings show that the antioxidants in Chinese tea can reduce cholesterol levels in a person; can improve how blood vessels function; and can reduce blood lipids.
Chinese Green Tea for Weight Loss
In their study, they investigated the weight loss benefits of Chinese dieting by observing the interaction between the caffeine in green tea and a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). According to the researchers of the University of Geneva, green tea has thermogenic properties which aid much in weight loss. Significant findings were made that pointed to the benefits of such a tea in weight loss.
The tendency of Chinese green tea to enhance metabolic rates has given people reason to believe that this tea has weight loss benefits as well. When these two substances in the tea react, thermogenesis of the body increases by four percent.
Drinking Chinese tea allows the body to burn an additional 70 calories a day, a feat that weight loss enthusiasts would relish. The results of the research showed that green tea drinkers have a better propensity for weight loss. Another study concerning the weight loss benefits of Chinese dieting system was also conducted.
Today, Chinese green tea is widely available as a beverage and as an ingredient for weight loss products.
Cathy Freeman is a green tea lover and you can join her at her website
http://www.green-tea-time.blogspot.com/
to discuss
Chinese Green Tea
and other ideas about this healthy beverage.