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 Drinking Green Tea Prevent the Flu?

If you're concerned about preventing the flu virus this year, here are some things you can do to reduce your risk. Most of those who are hospitalized or die from the flu are the very young and the very old; so flu prevention is even more essential for this population group. So, it's clear that getting the flu is a significant health concern.

150,000 people are hospitalized and 30,000-40,000 die. alone, between 25 and 50 million people get the flu each year. In the U.S.
Flu-related deaths usually result from pneumonia and from complications of cardiopulmonary conditions and other chronic diseases. Deaths of older adults account for more than 90% of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza.
It is a necessary step for the elderly and children three years old and under, who are those most likely to develop serious complications from the flu. For anyone who interacts regularly with the public, and particularly for school age children who are exposed to all sorts of germs each day, this is an important step in staying healthy throughout the flu season. Get a Flu Shot - Flu shots are highly effective at preventing the most prevalent strain of flu virus each year.
Wash Your Hands - The single most important thing you can do to prevent catching a contagious illness is to keep your hands clean. Wash your hands frequently, using warm water and anti-bacterial soap.
Use Tissues - When you sneeze or cough, be certain to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Let the tissue catch the germs and throw it away immediately.
Use an Anti-viral medication - If you find yourself coming down with the flu, see your doctor and get a prescription for an anti-viral medication. These medications are effective at shortening the duration of your symptoms. In addition, some anti-viral medications can prevent you from getting the flu.
These medications are great for those who have a close family member who has contracted the flu, and are certain they have been exposed. They should not be considered a replacement for the flu vaccine, but can be used as an emergency preventer if you didn't get the flu vaccine and know you're at particular risk.
Eat healthy - Keeping your immune system strong is critical to disease prevention. A healthy diet, full of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with plenty of rest will help your body be more able to fight off germs that come your way.
Secondly, green tea actually kills off the influenza cells. First, green tea suppresses the growth of influenza cells. One study, reported by the UK Tea Council showed that green tea can protect in two ways. One study, reported by the UK Tea Council showed that green tea is extremely effective at preventing the flu, when consumed regularly.

Research has shown that green tea is extremely effective at preventing the flu, when consumed regularly. Drink green tea - One little known secret about preventing the flu is adding green tea to your diet.
And, one thing that's so great about green tea - it can protect against many strains of the flu virus. The flu vaccine each year just protects against that year's most prevalent strain.
Green tea has recently garnered much attention for its ability to prevent disease and protect health. Research has shown that green tea's powerful anti-oxidants are the key to preventing serious illnesses like cancer and cardiovascular disease.
And, it has many anti-microbial properties, and may have the ability to kill or prevent other viruses besides the flu. In addition, it's been shown to regulate blood sugar, which means it may have significant potential in controlling diabetes.
These free radicals damage our cells and DNA, creating a process called oxidation throughout our bodies. Each day, as our body converts the food we eat into energy, free radicals are created. Anti-oxidants are powerhouses for our health.
If this oxidation is allowed to continue over the years, it leads to disease and early aging. But, anti-oxidants neutralize these free radicals, preventing them from doing their damage.
So, eating a diet rich in anti-oxidants is one of the best things you can do to protect your health. And, green tea is one of the best sources of anti-oxidants around. In addition, anti-oxidants can be found in fruits, vegetables, coffee, red wine and dark chocolate.
The best sources include: If you're interested in maximizing your anti-oxidant intake, stick to those foods and beverages that have the most potent anti-oxidants.
• Tomatoes
• Artichokes
• Blueberries
• Pomegranates
• Green Tea
• Asparagus
We're learning that protecting our health and preventing disease is really more in our hands than we've previously realized. We have the power to keep our bodies young and healthy far into our old age, and we have the power to prevent short term illnesses, like the flu.
However, with some careful attention to your health, you can prevent the flu and have a healthy and happy winter this year. The flu season is a nasty period of winter - and often wreaks havoc on many families.
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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