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 let discuss green teaModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 2 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Wellness -> Diet and Nutrition | Message format |
easternsun |
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| Green Tea The Japanese, in particular, drink green tea daily as their national beverage. Scientific data on the health benefits of green tea is abundant. The scientific interest in green tea was triggered in the 1970s when some Japanese scientists made the observation that the people in Shizuoka had much lower rates of stomach cancer than other Japanese. Subsequent in-depth studies showed that the population of Shizuoka actually had much lower rates of ALL types of cancer. It did not take long to suspect that green tea had something to do with this surprising fact since the people of Shizuoka are known to drink more green tea than in any other part of Japan. What determines whether green tea remains green or becomes black tea is the process of fermentation. Most tea-producing countries ferment their tea leaves to make either oolong or black tea. By contrast, the Japanese do not ferment the tea leaves but steam them right after they have been picked. The activity of the fermenting enzyme is thereby stopped, and the tea leaves remain green. This is important because researchers have found that the fermentation of tea leaves makes them lose their medicinal powers. Health Benefits of Green Tea 1. Active Ingredients in Green Tea Polyphenols: These are very strong antioxidants, and a subgroup of these polyphenols is the catechin family, unique to green tea, which includes epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatechin (EGC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This last polyphenol is the most important in terms of what health benefits green tea produces, as explained below. Scientists have found several thousand polyphenols, which may be classified mainly as follows: Flavonoids - found in green tea, grapes, eggplants, blueberries, buckwheat, etc. Catechins - found mostly in green tea Tannic acid - found in persimmons, green tea, red wine, etc. Quercetin - found in red wine, cocoa, onions, broccoli, apples, etc. Anthocyanin - found in strawberries, grapes, eggplants, etc. Isoflavones - found in legumes such as soybeans, lima beans, etc. It should be noted here that polyphenols in plants are often contained abundantly in their skins; in this way, nature protects the plants from free radicals caused by ultraviolet radiation. This simply means that one should always eat the skins of eggplants, apples, grapes, etc. Nutrients: Green tea contains vitamins, particularly a large amount of vitamin C, minerals (fluoride, in particular), amino acids (especially theanine). Although vitamin C is very sensitive to heat, a large amount remains in a hot cup of tea. Black tea, on the other hand, contains only one-tenth as much vitamin C because it was destroyed during the fermentation process. As mentioned, green tea also contains fluoride which is a mineral that helps prevent cavities. This fact has been known in Japan for a long time, and, still today, Japanese children are encouraged to drink a cup or two of green tea after a mean to cultivate strong and healthy teeth. In this respect, recent studies have made it clear that the polyphenols in green tea, in particular EGCG, control the enzymes of the streptococcus bacteria which stimulate the formation of plaque. Caffeine: Green tea does have caffeine, but its caffeine content is only about a third of what black tea has and a fourth to a fifth of the caffeine content of coffee. In addition, the tannic acid of green tea, which is a part of the polyphenol group, causes the body to absorb the caffeine at a slower rate over a long period of time; the effect of the caffeine on the body is thus much less brutal. For people who are overly sensitive to caffeine, there is always "bancha" which is known to have an extremely low caffeine content. However, "bancha" is not as tasty as regular green tea, and it is often offered in the form of "hojicha" (roasted green tea) or "genmaicha" (a mixture of "bancha" and fire-toasted rice). Both these types of tea are delicious, especially to "aficionados" who love a pronounced flavor in their tea. 2. The Incredible Effects of EGCG in Green Tea Scientists throughout the world have found that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea is a polyphenol which has the following astonishing health benefits: it can Kill viruses Prevent heart attacks Block the development of cancer Lower the sugar level in a diabetic's blood Prevent tooth decay and cavities Luckily for green tea drinkers, EGCG accounts for more than 50 percent of all the catechins in green tea; up to about 30 percent of green tea's dry weight is the catechin content. Black tea, by contrast, has only about 10 percent. How Much Green Tea You Should Drink to Get its Health Benefits? Researchers in Japan have found that you will get all the health benefits of green tea by drinking at least one quart (liter) of hot or cold green tea a day. To maximize the health effect of green tea, however, it is strongly recommended that you drink at lease one cup (5 oz) about ten minutes before a meal and another cup during the meal. This is to ensure that the catechins put into your body will protect it with all their health-giving powers from any harmful substance that happens to be present in a meal. Studies in Shizuoka have also discovered that the health benefits of green tea are dose-dependent, that is, the more green tea you drink the more benefits you receive. Another aspect of green tea drinking is that it has been associated very closely with meditation, as in the Japanese tea ceremony, so if one acquires a serious habit of drinking green tea, one tends to become more meditative and therefore less hurried in life, which causes one to eat more slowly and consume a smaller amount of food. Furthermore, green tea drinking has many soothing psychological effects, a fact which is often ignored. When one takes the time to prepare a delicious cup of tea, one tends to slow down and become more calm. Also, the distinct and delicate taste of green tea curves the appetite for sweets or fatty foods in mysterious ways. In fact, a number of studies have shown that people who prefer green tea to black tea or coffee tend to eat more low-fat and healthy dishes. Special notice to all green tea drinkers: The latest research has shown that green tea should not be brewed with boiling water, because really hot water tends to cluster the catechins of green tea too large for the intestines to absorb them. So use hot water that is at most about 85 deg. C or 185 deg. F. oh yeah....you can put it in your banana smoothies  | |||
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| Gracie |
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I just started trying to drink a cup of green tea every day. I sip it and make it last for an hour, so the caffeine doesn't make me crazy. I got the Yogi Tea (anti-aging formula  ) Green tea packets, but they never taste as good as the kind they serve at Asian restaurants. Is it better to drink tea from loose leaves or a tea bag, or does it not matter? | |||
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| Thushara |
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| Kira , Ive learnt that Green tea is originaly from China .. not from Japan.. any way Im not too sure... Its more closer to the chinese culture.. Anyway I drink pure green tea before go to bed .. It helps relaxing.. and burning extra fat too.. and if you can just put 2 green tea bags to the bath tub to soak in watter, you can do a "Green tea Aroma bath " | |||
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098   Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| LoraB |
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| Cyndi - thanks for the heads-up on the NYC tea. I'm going in May and will have to stock up at that store! For a good travelling fruity tea I'm currently obsessed with Tazo's Passion flavor. It's a great conversation starter as well - people can smell it for miles! And I never leave home without a bag of ginger or lemon ginger...Great for the nervous belly (should I say stomach? tummy? ) that I've been getting lately. Stash has a really good lemon ginger that's just a tiny bit sweeter than Yogi Tea. At home I just grate some fresh ginger and let it steep, add some honey and a lemon and I'm happy forever. I didn't know green tea shouldn't be boiled - I will keep that in mind now. Thanks! | |||
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| LoraB |
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But how could I forget my favorite tea? Good ol' sweet tea. It's not so much tea as simple southern sips of sweet goodness. My friend's mamma made the best sweet tea, hands down, that I tasted in 5 years of living in South Carolina. I've used the exact recipe, down to the brand of tea-maker - and it's just not right. It may not have any physical benefits (c'mon, it's got a cup of sugar in it!), but there is nothing better for mental health on a hot summer day in Carolina than a big glass of sweet tea over crushed ice. Not even a good Belgian beer - though that seems to be best idea here in Chicago where sweet tea is unavailable.  | |||
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| LoraB |
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| Oh yes, must have the unnecessary "a" vowel in there. Man, now I want all the good Southern stuff. Sweeaaaeet tea, Chik-fil-A, a cherry limeaid from Sonic, and of course barbecue. I was always more a fan of the vinegar based - we had some really good stuff in the mountains near Lake Lure at one of those places you don't know the name of but could find if you were driving...A good southern breakfast at Lizard's Thicket don't sound too bad either. Ok, I'm booking a flight today!!! | |||
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| tigrsunam |
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| tigrsunam |
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| Thushara |
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| There are many home remedies, which you can do with tea Green tea for heart disease- drink 1 cup of pure plain green tea everyday to reduce fat, cholesterol Green tea for relaxing – It says drinking 1 cup of green tea before you go to bed is one way to have a relaxing, good night sleep Black tea – When you have cold and you find your nose is blocked, put 2 black tea bags to hot water, wait till it becomes little bit warmer than the room temperature and foment your face and neck area with the tea bags., This gives amazing results (My mother does this to me when I’m sick) Tea and beauty – I see most of Tai spas use Green tea and black tea as beauty products., They use tea oil, tea leaves for herbal bath and herbal drinks. I leant from Book “Prey”, that tea has more high percentage of caffeine than coffee is this true? Appreciate any comments from all you professional tea tasters  If you are interested you can try Pure Ceylon tea.. That’s one of the best teas in the world. | |||
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| easternsun |
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| halla |
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| LoraB |
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| Thushara |
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| LoraB |
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | |||
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| LoraB |
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| And to think I only liked them because there were 4 flavors of ginger tea and they add cute quotes to the tag on the bag.... | |||
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| easternsun |
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| Cyndi |
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Expert Yogi Posts: 5098 Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Easternsun, I wish you could send us some tea too!!! I also think loose tea is so much better. One time I had some Japanese Tea in a restaurant...It was the color of a green leaf..almost neon green..it glowed. It was wierd and I didn't like it. It was in a really upscale nice Japanese restaurant too. I shrugged it off as just being a lower quality tea..maybe I was wrong..I don't know. I've never seen that again. Maybe they added green food coloring to it - it was bagged tea. The other times I've eaten Japanese restaurants, their tea color is always more green than say the Oolongs and Chinese Greens. My idea of a green tea color is not actually green, it has a hint of a golden color...but not Neon Green that glows. Do you know what I mean by Neon?? Anyway, like I said, my forte isn't in Japanese tea, its in the China, Taiwan, Nepal and India area, LOL! I would really like to learn about true Japanese tea, not bagged and I want quality which is something that I think Japanese people have always held...quality. Unfortunately, mostly everything that is exported is processed..and the loose tea is becoming rare and expensive  So, do they drink Jasmine tea in Japan?? That would be really cool to try! I'm going to Teavana to get me some Japanese loose tea leaves to try this weekend..I'll let you know what color it turns out to be. BTW, if you are wondering about Teavana...its a really cool tea store that has tea from all over the world, teavana.com. I love their selections and quality, its very good. I've been able to try some really nice tea..although my Nepalis husband laughs at the tea from Nepal because it cost so much. He always says, don't buy that, we'll get my Mom to send us some that's better. But, Nepal is an exception, its hard to export from that country because they are not developed..which I like it that way, keeps it pure. When they export to the US, they have to have a quality guideline which is hard for some countries to do. (Americans are so scared of everything) Once I had some apples and banana's brought from Nepal..the Nepalis girl stuck them in her purse. Those were the best tasting fruits I have ever had...completely organic, no GMO's... | ||
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| jeansyoga |
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| LoraB |
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| Jean, have you tried the Yogi Tea raspberry ginger? I just picked that up last night. It's this funky combination of flavors that works somehow! Try Tazo Passion tea. Then try any Ginger tea. Then try the Raspberry Ginger tea - and you get two in one! The first half of the cup tasted pretty fruity, and then the second half was gingery. Very confusing, but likeable. And yes, I have definitely used the Lemon Ginger medicinally after a large meal. I have a nervous belly, so I usually actually try to drink a couple cups a day. So much so that my friends have started to joke about how much freakin' ginger I have - several ginger teas, always fresh ginger on hand, two books on cooking with it, two kinds of ginger candies, bath products, ginger snaps, and of course, the Henri Bendel Ginger candle from Bath and Body Works (that one was a gift though). And to top it off, I was once dumped for a girl named Ginger - how ironic is that?  | |||
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