Green Tea?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
Green Tea?
13
Sat, 05-21-2005 - 6:19pm

So the other day I was at CVS looking to see if they had the energy drink Piranha. They didn't. Anyhow while I was there they had a White Cranberry and Apple Green Tea from Arizona. I'm not a tea fan so I was leery but figured maybe with the cranberry and apple it would taste better.

IT WAS DELICOUS. And it was ZERO Carb. Which is even better for dieters.

So I decided to read up on Green Tea, I'm sure you've heard about it in the news, but I was amazed at what this could do, between helping you lose weight (at least 4 cups a day must be drank for this benefit), rich in antioxidents, lowers cholesterol, raises HDL cholesterol, and one of the big things I was impressed with is that it kills the bacteria that causes gum disease and also contains flouride which is great for teeth. So with all those great benefits I thought well I'll look when I go grocery shopping to see if they have a cranberry/apple brewing green tea. They didn't. But they did have some other flavors (blueberry, raspberry and mandarin orange) So I bought the orange and it's decaffinated I don't like to have much caffeine in my system, not too good for you.

I've drank 4 cups already today, of course I iced it, because I don't really like warm drinks. It was surprisingly very tasty.

I'm going to try and incorporate this everyday into my health regimine. Anyone else try this?




Edited 5/21/2005 6:20 pm ET ET by sniffle_sally

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2005
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Sun, 05-22-2005 - 7:40pm
I LOOOVE green tea. I don't like tea either, but green tea (I like mine with lemon) is SO good for you, and it really rocks me to sleep at night. (I know, the caffeine should keep me awake, but for some reason it always lulls me to sleep. It's the only caffeine I get all day long and it's minimal)
In fact, tonight is my 'girl night'. I soak my feet in the massager, put on a face mask and drink a pot of green tea while watching Desperate Housewives. I look forward to it all week.
Karen
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Sun, 05-22-2005 - 8:26pm

Thanks for writing, I was so pleasantly surprised by the mild taste. I've tried to like tea in the past and just couldn't do it. I bought the decaffeinated version because I don't like to consume caffeine, I don't drink coffee or caffeinated drinks so I didn't want to get into the habit here. Also when I do have caffeine (the occasional ice coffee) I am bouncing off the walls so I can imagine 4 cups would be bad for me.

It was cold tonight so I actually drank it warm. I'm very excited. This sounds kind of odd but it helps with headaches, or at least in me it does.

Anyhow, I think it's a great find and the Arizona drink was on sale at Target this weekend so I bought a few to take to work, it's delicious.

Any particular brand you like?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Mon, 05-23-2005 - 12:29pm
....I actually enjoy drinking tea, but am more of a coffee drinker. I've never had 'green' tea, but after reading your review of it (and all the benefits) I'll look out for some today while shopping. I'll let you know what I think...I believe the brand my grocery store has is Celestial....

~IslandGirl


*** Moderation Is Key ***


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Mon, 05-23-2005 - 1:16pm

Here is some info on it: (The one I bought was Celestial Seasonings Decaf Mandarin Orchard Green Tea)

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression. In her book Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life, Nadine Taylor states that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years.

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. For example, in 1994 the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of an epidemiological study indicating that drinking green tea reduced the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. University of Purdue researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. 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.

To sum up, here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancer
rheumatoid arthritis
high cholesterol levels
cariovascular disease
infection
impaired immune function

What makes green tea so special?

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence 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. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. 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.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

How much Green Tea should you drink?

There are as many answers to this question as there are researchers investigating the natural properties of green tea. For example, Herbs for Health magazine cites a Japanese report stating that men who drank ten cups 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 per day could help prevent rheumatoid arthritis, or reduce symptoms in individuals already suffering from the disease. And Japanese scientists at the Saitama Cancer Research Institute discovered that there were fewer recurrances of breast cancer, and the disease spread less quickly, in women with a history of drinking five cups or more of green tea daily.

It gets more confusing. 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. On the other hand, a company selling a green tea capsule formula insists that ten cups per day are necessary to reap the maximum benefits.

How can you make sense of these conflicting claims? Given all the evidence, it is probably safe to plan on drinking four to five cups of green tea per daily. If you're a real devotee, by all means drink more; but whether or not you'll derive added health benefits remains to be determined by further research.

How to Brew a Cup of Green Tea

Producing the perfect cup of green tea is a tricky process. If not handled properly, those same polyphenols that provide health benefits can ruin the flavor, making the tea taste "gassy." It's particularly important not to overbrew. While it's best to follow the manufacturer's instructions for each variety of green tea, here are some general instructions:

Use one tea bag, or 2 - 4 grams of tea,* per cup.
Fill a kettle with cold water and bring to a boil.
After unplugging the kettle, allow it to stand for up to 3 minutes.
Pour the heated water over the tea bag or tea, and allow it to steep for up to 3 minutes. If using a tea bag, remove the bag.
Allow the tea to cool for three more minutes.
*One to two teaspoons, depending on the variety of green tea you are brewing.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2005
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Mon, 05-23-2005 - 2:31pm
With summer coming up, I usually keep a large pitcher of iced tea around. Normally I just throw whatever tea bags I have (sometimes herbal tea, sometimes green tea, sometimes a mixture of both) in the pitcher and fill it with tap water and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It is less expensive than sodas (and prepared teas - although I like the taste of Arizona iced tea as well), and much better for my health. You can add a bit of honey (dissolved first in some warm water) or sweetener to taste, if you like.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Mon, 05-23-2005 - 6:34pm

I bought it :-)


It's the Celestial Seasonings one (though they had a few other types too)...Decaf- Green Tea. Haven't had it yet....later on, while sitting down to watch some TV I'll try it. Though I might try it 'iced', it's very hot and muggy here at the moment ;-)

~IslandGirl


*** Moderation Is Key ***


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Mon, 05-23-2005 - 6:57pm

lol did you get the mandarin one? Or just regular Green Tea?

I did good drank a cup hot, then drank an arizon 16 oz iced tea (green tea) and then made another hot cup and iced it and drank that. So had 4 cups today.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Tue, 05-24-2005 - 7:32am
......well that didn't go down too well. In fact I had one sip, and knew it was not for me. Tell me.....do you put any sweetner in it? I don't have any here, but thought that it might taste a little better sweeter. It just tasted very bland to me, and a little 'dryish', if that makes sense ;-)

~IslandGirl


*** Moderation Is Key ***


_____________________________________________________

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2004
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Tue, 05-24-2005 - 8:40am

LOL

I put one packet of splenda in it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-18-2003
In reply to: sniffle_sally
Tue, 05-24-2005 - 9:00am
IG ~ I'm like you.
~~ Steffy ~~

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