Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Fruity Green Tea Blends

Fruity green tea is the answer to many people's woes and a great drink that many of us could benefit from. Not sold on it yet? Here we will look at the benefits of fruity green tea and just why you should add it to your diet.
First of all it's important to admit that all of us can benefit from a hot drink from time to time. Warm drinks are somehow incredibly relaxing and comforting and many of us have in fact come to associate warm drinks with being relaxed. If you want to something to nurse while you watch TV, or if you want to make your mornings a little less painful, then you are going to need a hot drink that can fill your insides with warmth and that can really invigorate you at the same time as feeling a bit like a hug from a friend.
However at the same time there are definitely downsides to drinking regular tea and coffee - the biggest problem here is of course the caffeine. While caffeine can be great for waking you up, at the same time it unfortunately also has some rather unwanted side effects and will make you jittery and even shaky if you drink it in too large quantities. At the same time some people will suffer from headaches from caffeine, or from a lack of caffeine which can cause withdrawal symptoms causing the blood vessels in your brain to dilate. Caffeine is addictive and if that wasn't enough reason to avoid it, tea and coffee can also very seriously stain your teeth over time.
Green tea is the answer then to your problems. For one, it doesn't include any caffeine (in most cases) which means you can drink as much as you want without getting jittery. Furthermore it won't stain your teeth (though it is still acidic and can damage the enamel so don't go crazy) and it doesn't include milk which means you won't be increasing your cholesterol or taking in more fat (or using up too much milk which can get a little expensive after a while).
At the same time green tea is still just as warming and just as comforting, and the lack of caffeine makes it great for drinking before bed. At the same time though it also has other benefits which you can enjoy. For instance if you did want a pick me up and to increase your energy levels without caffeine then green tea can still help you. The reason for this is that it includes natural sugars which your body can convert into energy and which will help wake you up in the morning. Furthermore green tea is known for its high quantity of antioxidants - antioxidants being a substance that can help your body to eliminate the free radicals that can otherwise bombard and damage your cells. Over time an abundance of free radicals will damage your skin cells resulting in the appearance of wrinkles and other skin imperfections, and can even break all the way through in order to cause mutations that might lead to cancer.
And that's not to mention the delicious fruity taste...



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Hibiscus Tea For Your Health

Hibiscus tea, an herbal infusion made from the calyces of the Hibiscus sabdariffa
flower, has actually been shown to lower blood pressure as reported throughout the years by people who practice traditional medicine or herbal medicine. There is also evidence that it helps in the efforts to lower cholesterol. Such evidence makes it clear that its daily consumption is beneficial to ones health.
Hibiscus is also known as sorrel, roselle, karkade and flor de Jamaica, depending on the region. In early 2008 there was a study that showed hibiscus tea actually reduces blood pressure almost equal to some prescription strength medications; the "how" it works is not quite clear. It was clear however that Hibiscus tea certainly appeared to beneficially lower the blood pressure in people with pre-hypertension or mild hypertension.
In another study, hibiscus tea was compared with black tea in relation to blood pressure; it was really no surprise that hibiscus tea came out the winner. One very interesting result is that the group that drank black tea actually had an increase
in blood pressure.
I found a study on how Hibiscus tea also affects cholesterol which was published by the Journal of alternative and complementary medicine
; this one appears to be quite valid. The study consisted of 60 patients with type II diabetes which were randomly divided into two groups. One group was provided black tea and the other hibiscus tea. The participants were told to drink one glass equal to 1 tea bag steeped for 20-30 minutes twice a day for 30 days. The hibiscus test group realized several improvements to their cholesterol levels. The total cholesterol count went down from 236.2 to 218.6 mg/dL. HDL (your good cholesterol) increased from 48.2 to 56.1 mg/dL, while LDL (your bad cholesterol) decreased from 137.5 to 128 mg/dL. Triglycerides - a type of lipid (fat) circulating in the blood which accounts for almost 95% of the fat in the body went down rather dramatically from 246.1 to 209.2 mg/dL. A count less than 150mg/dL is considered normal but was not expected to be achieved in this study because of the existence of the diabetes. Also within this study the reference to other studies were made depicting similar results in humans and even animals. One study consisted of a group of healthy men and women taking a Hibiscus extract. This group also showed a reduction in LDL cholesterol levels with no significant differences notated between each sex. This comparison between the diabetes group and healthy subject group provide for a sound premise that consuming Hibiscus tea is beneficial whether you are seemingly healthy or are a diabetic patient.
The group which consumed the black tea did not show any significant improvement in any of the measured parameters. None of the changes in total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides and lipoprotein were statistically significant to notate.
Hibiscus flowers have a lot of different fido chemicals which provides the dark red color; they also have a lot of antioxidants thus they may have some other health benefits like preventing certain forms of cancer. They also help with your overall health including cardiac functions, your blood flow and blood vessel flexibility to mention a few.
The conclusion here is that the healthy benefits of herbal teas is no longer just a theory. Evidence is clear that all this data showing the blood pressure lowering effects and the cholesterol improving abilities of hibiscus tea supports the benefits of its daily enjoyment. Who thought some efforts to maintain a healthy being could actually taste so good and be as easy as having a cool glass of Hibiscus tea!



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Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Enjoy the Benefits of White and Green Tea

Most people are remotely aware of the health benefits associated with white and green tea. While this is the case, they are completely ignorant of the fact that these owe their origin to camellia sinensis. While this is the case, they are not prepared using the same technique and by large, this is what sets them apart. White tea for instance, is prepared using the buds and extremely younger leaves of camellia plant while green is manufactured from the leaves alone. These two are also known to offer numerous benefits to consumers and it is for these reasons that the Chinese are known to use them widely. However, westerners have also adapted to use of these. Consequently, it is ideal to note some of these benefits.
White Tea
Between these two, this is the least processed and as such, it is also known to have the highest level of antioxidants. These in turn aid in protecting the body against free radicals. In this regard, some of the health benefits associated with this includes:
It lowers the levels of high blood pressure.It improves performance of the arteries and thins blood.It aids in prevention of certain cancers such as prostrate and colon cancers.It serves effectively as a prescription drug but with higher benefits because it does not cause any side effects.For your teeth, bones, skin, heart and gums, it also offers numerous benefits.
Green Tea
This is one of the most popular choices especially in the West and this is because of the health benefits that have been tagged on it. Some of the health benefits it offers include:
· It claims to help with weight loss. This is by increase of fat oxidation.
· It aids in lowering of bad cholesterol.
· Aids with the blood vessel regulation thus ensuring that you don't become prone to diabetes as well as other heart diseases.
· It also contains some powerful antioxidants which are known as catechins. In essence, these are responsible for fighting free radicals found in your body. Because this is less processed, it also means that these are higher in this type of tea.
· Inhibits the growth of cell growth that causes cancer and kills any abnormal cells.
These are just some of the benefits associated with these two and as such, they are considered tremendously healthy for your body. They can be served either cold or hot depending on what your preferences are. While it is possible to take supplements of these products, it is advisable to drink the actual tea and this is because you can reap more benefits from the same. Also make sure that you carry out thorough research and purchase these from a certified dealer known to deal with high quality products.




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Choose Your Free Pattern To Crochet A Tea Cozy

Many of us are into crafts and this is a great way to be creative. Crochet has been around for many, many years and is often quicker than knitting, which is why I like it. Crocheting a small item like a tea cosy, for example, could be done in a matter of hours! Did you know that it is easy to find free patterns to crochet a tea cozy?
Here are a few websites that offer free patterns - some just have links you have to click on and others have the actual picture you can click on, which saves you some time.
Crochet Pattern Central, for example, has a whole page with almost 200 links to choose from. Not all of them are for teapots. Some are for mugs, for coffee pots, certain fruit, candles and even a laptop. Also if you're looking for a cover for your Kindle, Nook or Kobo you can find it here! Still the majority are the ones we are looking for. They have very unique ones, like Sugar'n Cream - Chicken Tea Cozy and usually the instructions how to make them are very good.
Tipnut.com has images you can click on so right away you get to see if you would like it or not. There is also a small description of the item next to the picture. With this site, knitted, crocheted and sewn items are all on the one page, so you have to look carefully at the description to see if it is one you would consider. They also have some knitted ones with crocheted flowers on top, for a nice effect. They have some unique items such as a cupcake one, even an aromatherapy one with inner pockets where you can put sachets which have either dried herbs or cotton wool soaked in your essential oil of choice.
Allcrafts.net has over 100 free crocheted cozies patterns to choose from. However, on more careful perusal, I see that there are not that many that are actually for tea! Still their Classic Wool looks nice and is actually to cover your teapot! Another is Cosy in Tricot which looks really good and is a pop over one. Obviously their Geisha Girl pattern could serve green tea! Also, from these 100 patterns, you can get ideas to make your own.
An important tip when looking at these sites and instructions, is to make sure the size is right for you. Some patterns mentions the actual size of the teapot while others go with how many cups of liquid it will hold - some do both.
As you see there are so many free crochet patterns to choose from that there is definitely something for everyone.


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Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Irish Breakfast Tea - Ingredients, Caffeine Content, and Health Benefits

Irish Breakfast tea is a popular style of strong black breakfast tea. In Ireland, this style of tea is referred to as just "tea", whereas in the U.S. and other countries, it is referred to as "Irish Breakfast". This article gives an in-depth overview of this type of tea.
Ingredients: what is used to produce this blend?
Irish breakfast is usually, but not always a blend of black teas produced in different regions. Common types of teas used to produce the blend include Assam, produced in the Assam region of India, Ceylon, produced in Sri Lanka, and Kenyan black teas. Teas from other regions, including China, other countries, and other regions of India, can also be included.
Irish Breakfast is usually characterized by its high proportion of Assam, or teas with a similar character to Assam (such as those from Yunnan, China, or from Kenya). Some Irish-style breakfast teas even are made exclusively from Assam. If you are looking to blend your own tea in the Irish style, or purchase single origin teas that have a classic Irish flavor profile, I would recommend Assam.
Caffeine content:
Because this style of tea is valued for its powerful character and strong "wake-up" quality, teas selected for use in breakfast blends tend to have a higher caffeine content. However, the higher grades of tea which have a greater caffeine content often tend to have a smoother, mellower flavor, so lower grades with a stronger, bolder flavor are also often included in the mix too. The net effect of this tradeoff is that Irish Breakfast blends tend to be high in caffeine, but are generally not the highest in caffeine among all pure teas. Caffeine content also varies by brand and by method of preparation, but in most cases tends to be considerably less than a typical cup of coffee: 60-75 mg for a typical cup of strong tea, contrasting with 85-135mg for a typical cup of coffee.
Health benefits:
Because of its variable composition, it is hard to draw many conclusions about the health benefits of Irish Breakfast tea, but it is reasonable to assume that these benefits are similar to typical strong black teas. Although green tea often gets more attention in association with health benefits, the association of green tea with health is largely a historical accident, and can be attributed in large part to the fact that most of the early research on tea and health was conducted in Japan, where people drink almost exclusively green tea. Subsequent research has found that black tea also carries potent health benefits as well, so this and other strong, black breakfast blends are good options for people looking for a healthy drink as well.
Locating the best Irish-style breakfast teas:
There is only so much that can be written about Irish Breakfast tea; if you are interested in this type of tea, one of the best ways to learn about it is to buy some yourself. You can buy blends labelled as "Irish", but you may also enjoy venturing into high-quality loose-leaf Assam, which has a similar character, bold, strong, and dark. I personally find that many of the best teas in the style of Irish Breakfast are the single-estate Assam teas, sold by companies specializing in loose-leaf.



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