6 Varieties of Green Tea: Add Them to your Diet for Countless Health Benefits

All green tea comes from the Camellia sinenis plant; however, teas come in many different flavors and aromas depending on where and how the individual leaves are grown. Throughout Asia, green tea is a common part of the daily diet. It is both enjoyed as a beverage and incorporated into various food preparations. Global medical studies have shown signficant health benefits of green tea. It reduces belly fat, lowers the risk of tooth decay, repairs DNA damage from UVB rays which decreases the risks of melanoma, and prevents stroke and lung cancer. Regular consumption of green tea can lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease, while new research from the Hong Kong Eye Hospital suggests it may even protect against glaucoma. The beauty industry is also aware of the power of green tea and made it a key ingredient in many anti-aging formulations. Green teas is believed to slow the aging of cells and have rejuvenating properties when ingested or applied topically to the skin.

Below are descriptions of the six main green tea varieties. Enjoy them as a brew or consider these easy ideas for adding them to delicious and nutritious meals:

1. Matcha: A strong and grassy flavor. When the leaves are ground into a fine powder for tea, it delivers more antioxidants than other teas because you are consuming the actual leaves. Matcha green tea powder can be added to a smoothie or sprinkled over ice-cream as a nutrition-packed topping.

2. Dragon Well: A toasty flavor, with soft chestnut notes. Dragon Well tea is among the most popular teas in China. In cooking, the leaves are usually chopped and added to other spices. It works well as a rub on chicken or steak.

3. Sencha: A mild and lightly sweet flavor. These leaves are steamed in Japan and rolled into a needle form. It is one of the most popular drinking teas in Japan. Dried sencha leaves can be added to dough batter for green-tea infused cakes, cookies, and muffins for a dessert with nutrition as well as taste.

4. Gunpowder: A hearty flavor with a sweet finish. This tea is pan-fired and then tightly rolled into small pellet shapes. A cup of gunpowder tea is a good alternative to a traditional broth-base for vegetable soups.

4. Kukicha: A light, woodsy flavor. Commonly called “twig tea”, kukicha comes from thinly cut stalks of sencha and gyokuro leaves. It works wonderfully a seafood marinade and compliments sweet fishes, like halibut or scallops.

5. Hojicha: A toasted, nutty flavor. This tea is made from leaves which are roasted until they’re a dark brown color and picked at the end of the season. It contains lower levels of caffeine than other green teas. A cup of fully steeped hojicha tea can be poured over brown rice or roasted squash and finished with a sprinkle of chestnuts.

Green Tea for Great Skin

About Green Tea
Green tea is a powerful antioxidant which has been used for many years in alternative medicines and natural remedies. Its medicinal properties are attributed to its polyphenols, which are believed to help prevent many health maladies, such as cancer, skin aging, cardiovascular disease, and weight-control. Green tea extract also boasts anti-inflammatory properties and provides free-radical protection. Studies have shown that green tea helps the body both when ingested internally and applied topically to the skin through creams, serums, and other treatments.

Skin Cancer Protection
Green tea helps ameliorate sun damage by blocking free radicals which guards against carcinogenesis and DNA damage. It also brings down any inflammation of the skin, rather than simply blocking ultra-violet rays alone. In this way, green tea enhances sun protection synergistically when used in combination with a sunscreen. The flavanols, polyphenols, and EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) in green tea naturally help heal damaged cells and soothes the skin. When applying green tea extract to the skin prior to a sunscreen, look for a product to layer over it which contains zinc oxide so it is non-reactive to the green tea. If skin is already sunburned, a cool green tea compress freshly brewed from the leaves, is both soothing and healing.

Anti-aging
Compared to vitamins A and C, the EGCG in green tea has up to 100 times more antioxidant potency and can be found in many health and wellness regimens. It can be ingested by drinking the traditional tea, adding a concentrated serum to other beverages, or taken through supplement capsules. When enough of the polyphenols in the tea reach the bloodstream, it’s believed the effects will be noticeable in the skin. However it must be drank often and in large quantities. A better way than just drinking the tea, is to apply it directly to the skin’s surface. Green tea is included in many of today’s anti-aging skin formulations because it slows the aging of cells, firms and tones, and calms and restores balance to stressed skin. Green tea is also found in body-care moisturizers, shower gels, facial toners, and treatment masks. Some wellness spas are even using green tea during facials to steam the face, which opens the pores and conveys the tea’s many benefits directly and deeply into the skin. However, when buying a commercial green tea product, it’s important to know that like many antioxidants, the polyphenols in green tea are oxidized and lose their activity when exposed to air. So it is not clear how much of their benefits are retained. The best way to ensure effective results is to brew the tea and make your own skincare preparations. Frozen fresh-brewed green tea can be stored as ice cubes, slightly thawed, and then used as a toner. Cloths soaked in chilled green tea are a wonderful remedy for inflammed skin, while warm compresses of fresh-brewed tea will open the pores and impart a healthy, natural radiance.

Rosacea and Acne Treatment
Some studies show green tea extract cream is an effective homeopathic treatment for the common skin-condition, rosacea. A study was presented at the annual American Academy of Dermatology meeting which showed women treated with green tea extract cream experienced a 70% improvement in rosacea, as opposed to women given a placebo. It was especially effective in reducing the redness and inflammation associated with the condition. Many rosacea patients are seeing their skin signifantly improve once adding green tea as a supplement to their prescription creams, gels, or oral antibiotics. Green tea may even help treat acne naturally, without the drying and irritating side-effects of benzoyl peroxide. Anyone with these skin conditions should discuss the benefits of using green tea with their dermatologist.

Dark Chocolate for Your Skin - not just Dessert.

It may taste delicious but dark chocolate is more than just a decadent treat. It boasts some truly amazing skin benefits. Chocolate comes from the cacao fruit bean and has been used in alternative medicine treatment for thousands of years. The cacao beans are full of flavanol antioxidants which provide powerful protection against free radicals and environmental skin damage. Free radicals can contribute to common signs of aging such as wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and even skin cancer.

The antioxidants in dark chocolate help the body fight free radical damage and may prevent fine lines, age-spots, and wrinkles. Recent studies have shown that it also offers some UV protection. It was reported in Allure magazine that people who drank a dark chocolate preparation daily for 12 weeks experienced, “25% fewer incidents of skin redness due to UV exposure and improved hydration and skin texture.”

As with all things, not all chocolate is created equal. Milk and dairy in chocolate candy may inhibit the body’s ability to absorb antioxidants. To get the most beneficial effects from eating chocolate, you have to consume at least three ounces daily which contains a minimum of 50% cacao. The higher percentage of cacao within the chocolate, the better it is for you and your skin. Ghirardelli offers 72% cacao dark chocolate in its dark Twilight Delight and even 86% cacao dark chocolate in its intense Midnight Reverie selection. A few ounces of dark chocolate each day will keep your taste buds happy and your skin more youthful and beautiful. It's a delicious addition to any skin care routine.

Why Eat Soy?

Soy. It’s become a pretty common food over the last ten years or so. What’s not as common is the knowledge of why it’s so good for you. Lots of folks passing through their local coffee shop order a soy latte because it tastes good. Others have noticed the white stuff in their Chinese food, even if they don’t actually know that it’s tofu. The truth is that soy offers many significant health benefits, from a decreased risk of heart disease, to prevention of many cancers. It even brings relief from menopausal symptoms. Soy will also aid a body’s fight against kidney disease and osteoporosis, offers immune system support, and gives you increased energy. That’s one amazing soybean.

How does soy do all of this? The power behind (or in this case inside) the bean is something called isoflavones, which are a group of estrogens from plants. Two specific isoflavones (genestin and dadizen) are responsible for the soybean’s amazing health benefits. Soy is also one of the only plant foods with a perfect balance of the eight essential amino acids universally recognized by the medical community. In 1999 the Food and Drug Administration recommended a diet with a low intake of saturated fat and at least 25 grams of soy protein to lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease.

There are many compelling reasons to add soy to our diet and several ways you can eat or drink soy. Soy milk has become especially popular among the lactose-intolerant, as a healthy (and tasty) milk alternative. One of the best ways to drink soy is with Energizing Soy Protein, from Shaklee, the leading nutritional company in the United States. Energizing Soy Protein offers a biologically complete source of protein that contains the naturally occurring soy isoflavones and amino acids, along with calcium for amazing energy. The great thing about Shaklee’s soy drink is that they use soybeans that are pure and natural – not genetically altered.

Since soy is so beneficial for you, go ahead and order that soy-milk latte – not to be trendy but to be health-smart. Snack on soybeans, stir-fry with tamari, and you can even add soy protein mix to cooking and baking for uber muffins and casseroles. There are many terrific options for adding soy to your family’s diet. Soy foods and drinks tastes good and you’ll feel great –courtesy of that perfect little bean.

Nutrition’s Best Friend is the Multivitamin

It’s estimated that over 80% of Americans do not consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day necessary for good health. For many people, this doesn’t come as a big surprise. It can be hard to fit in that many servings of fruits and veggies during the course of a busy day. Even forewarned with nutrition knowledge and having the best dietary intentions, it’s pretty hard to eat right while on the go. The good news is that we no longer have to struggle to maintain our health through food alone thanks to nutritional science and the multivitamin.

People today prepare meals at home far less frequently than past generations. Two working parents often add up to a lot of take-out food and restaurants aren’t often following health-conscious preparation. Many restaurants in the United States also provide portions that are too large and are made with excessive amounts of sodium and saturated fats. Today’s jobs frequently call for hectic schedules which cause irregular or even skipped meals. Stress is also an unwelcome companion of many employees which causes them to snack on nutritionally-empty foods and adopt poor overall eating habits. When working late, it is simply easier to find a vending machine than a carrot.

Even if someone is in the 20% group of diet champions, it’s still a good idea to take a multivitamin supplement. Even the most diligently consumed fruits and vegetables may not contain the highest levels of certain vitamins (such as D and E). People not taking vitamins are also likely not getting enough protection against diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiac disease. The Journal of the American Medical Association acknowledges that even the healthiest of pregnant women don’t take in enough folate through diet alone to help prevent birth defects. Another consideration for adding a multivitamin is the adverse affects current processing, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers have on our foods. As with all things, not all multivitamins are the same. It’s important to look for vitamins and minerals that are combined in a similar way to what’s found in nature to optimize their synergy. You want their components to be supremely balanced and find vitamins that are backed by reputable clinical studies and contain all 23 of the recommended vitamins and minerals at proven levels for the best possible health benefits.

Dieting for a Healthy Mind and Body

The word diet can cause so many negative feelings: guilt, deprivation, starvation, and even desperation. People who had previously enjoyed a healthy self-esteem reported feeling immediately depressed and anxious the day they start a diet. They crave certain foods more once put on a forbidden list and want to consume calories when asked to count them. Consider the common “last meal” approach to dieting as proof of how much dread is associated with the process. People planning to start a diet typically overindulged on their favorite foods the day before, as if they never expect to eat them again. If the intention behind a decision to diet is so positive then why does the process make people feel so bad? It may be because the focus is on outer appearance instead of inner health.

The primary motivator to lose weight should be to achieve a greater state of wellness. If someone is overweight, they are at higher risk for many serious ailments like heart disease and diabetes. Even if a patient has already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, studies have shown that people who lose weight are two times more able to successfully control their disease. The American Institute for Cancer tells us that losing weight can also help prevent certain cancers like colon, breast, prostate and uterine cancers. Patients who lose weight will have more energy and put less stress on their joints. There are many physical ailments that can’t be controlled but thankfully, weight is one that we can. People need to should say to themselves, “I am starting a diet, not because I don’t look good, but to be healthier.” Rather than looking for immediate results on a scale, dieters need to make better food choices and increase their physical activity. They should adopt a manageable and reasonable eating plan which they can maintain throughout their life - not an extreme fix. Crash diets often confuse the metabolism and people end up gaining back the weight they lost, plus additional pounds. People who focus on improving their physical and mental condition will experience an improved state of peace, health, wellness, and weight.

Why Your Body Needs Iron

Iron is among the most common metals found on earth and is a critical component of all forms of life. As humans, we need to ingest a certain amount of iron so our bodies can function properly. Iron plays an important role in protein’s delivery of oxygen throughout the body and helps ensure normal cell development and function. It builds the immune system’s response to disease and makes it less susceptible to the negative effects of stress. Iron also inhibits fatigue and help the body maintain a positive energy level. Without the needed amount of iron, people may tire more easily and suffer from frequent infections. They may experience a rapid heart rate and feel emotionally irritable. Some commons signs of iron deficiency are pale skin, a reduced appetite, and an inability to focus attention.

How to Get More Iron

While iron can be taken through nutritional supplements, the best way to give your body an adequate supply of iron is through the foods you eat. The recommended amount of daily iron intake for adults is eight milligrams a day for men. However, women under the age of fifty need more iron and are advised to take at least eighteen milligrams per day. There are two different kinds of iron when it is derived from food: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is primarily found in animal meat and originates from hemoglobin and myoglobin. It is better at being absorbed, with up to 25% of heme iron from animal foods being taken in by the body. Non-heme iron is found in plants and is often more readily integrated into the average diet. However, the body only absorbs between 2% -20% of non-heme iron from food, with the average person absorbing as little as 2%.

10 Foods to Find Iron

Both forms of iron can easily be found in a wide variety of foods. Here are ten groups of food which will help you get the daily iron intake you need:

1. Liver is an excellent source of heme iron.

2. Lean cuts of beef, lamb, and pork have many nutritional benefits and are a powerful source of heme iron.

3. Shellfish contains heme iron, which can be found in shrimp, oysters, clams, and crab.

4. Most fishes such as salmon, halibut, and tuna are smart choices because they deliver protein and are rich in heme iron.

5. Light or dark meat chicken, turkey, and egg yolks are a great way to ingest heme iron.

6. Cereals, breads, pasta, grits, rice and even oatmeal can contain non-heme iron, if they have been are fortified with the mineral.

7. Beans are a great place to find non-heme iron such as soybeans, lima beans, kidney beans, chick peas, black eye beans, pinto beans, and lentils.

8. Tofu is an excellent source of both soy protein and non-heme iron.

9. Leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, parsley, collard greens, turnip greens, cabbage, and mustard greens are good resources of non-heme iron. Dark green spinach is especially packed full with iron.

10. Dried fruits and nuts are a healthy snack food for both children and adults and contain non-heme iron. Good choices are: raisins, dates, figs, prunes, and apricots, walnuts, cashews and sunflower seeds.

Iron and Vitamin C

The body’s rate of iron absorption from all of the aforementioned foods can be aided if taken with vitamin C, from either citrus fruits or a supplement. Vitamin C is especially effective when taken with non-heme iron, which really benefits from the absorption boost. So take your vitamin C with your leafy green vegetables and be sure to regularly eat foods with the all important mineral – iron.

The Importance of Sports Nutrition

Why Athletes Need Balanced Nutrition

Everyone should pay attention to their nutrition; however, athletes need to be especially careful with what they put into their body. Athletes push their body which depletes energy, causes fatigue, and sometimes brings about pain. It’s important that athletes or anyone who is physically active stays well hydrated, maintains their energy levels, gets rest to ensure recovery, and maintains proper nutrition. If the body is well fueled and cared for then it will simply perform better. Top performance and a competitive edge is what athletes strive for and sports nutrition can help give it to them. Nutrition and a strong commitment to being healthy and active will also benefit anyone who isn’t exercising at the professional level but still strives to keep in shape.

The Role of Sports Nutritional Supplements

When exercising regularly, the body needs to receive the optimum amounts of vitamins and minerals. Some people can achieve this through diet; however, it can be difficult to achieve the recommended nutritional balance through food intake alone. Many professional and recreational athletes have turned to sports nutritional supplements to ensure that their body receives the fuel and support it needs. Sports supplements can fill in any deficits in diet and help the body before, during, and after workouts.

Maximum performance and optimum recovery are what everyone physically active wants from their body. Essential to achieving good health is eating a balanced diet and engaging in regular exercise. Exercise helps prevent many diseases (such as cardiac disease and diabetes), is an effective weight-loss aid, helps to maintain an ideal weight, and contributes to an overall state of wellness. The body needs to be able function properly and avoid injury so athletes or anyone people exercising can continue to do it. This is where sports nutrition can help.

Effects of Sports Supplements on the Body

Sports nutrition includes performance drinks which are designed to keep the body hydrated and energized. A good sports drink will maintain blood glucose levels and provide both electrolytes for fast rehydration and carbohydrates for maximum endurance. Vitamin and mineral products can help the body heal by enhancing its ability to recover after exercise and repair injured muscle tissue. Specific nutritional products can also help prevent pain after a workout, by relieving aching muscles caused by lactic acid. Protein powders can better enable athletes to maintain muscle mass, while joint health supplements can rebuild cartridge. Weight management products like meal replacement bars can be a convenient and healthy alternative for training athletes or anyone on the go. However, it’s important to read their nutritional label. Meal replacement bars may promote themselves as being healthy but actually have very little nutritional content and be filled with unhealthy oils, fats, and sugars. A meal or snack bar should contain at least 10 grams of protein, be low in calories, and have no trans fats and a low glycemic. It is recommended that everyone, exercising or not, take a general multi-vitamin supplement to ensure a balanced nutritional intake and contribute to a strong and efficient immune system.

Sports Supplements and the Non-Professional Athlete

Professional athletes regularly use sport supplement products to keep up their energy levels, replenish important fluids, and help their body’s recovery. If they want to be successful within their sport, their body needs to perform at its very best. Athletes look to optimize their nutritional intake so they are healthy and strong. “Non-professionals” who are still doing their personal best to include exercise in their lives can benefit from the same thing. Anyone who is paying attention to their health, fitness, and general well-being should eat a balanced diet and consider adding a general supplement, or one specifically with sports benefits, to their daily routine.

Antioxidants - Believe the Hype

If you want to help your body fight off cancer, consume lots of brightly colored fruits and vegetables. If you're interesting in preventing chronic heart disease, go grab a whole grain bagel. If you are looking to reduce your chances of developing diabetes, consider making a slow-cooked tomato sauce (even better, pour it over whole wheat pasta). Do you love dark chocolate and enjoy a glass of red wine? Go ahead and indulge yourself – they will actually improve your health. All of these amazing foods will help your body achieve a state of greater wellness, thanks to power of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are amazing nutrients in certain foods that can slow or stop oxidative damage to our body's cells. You can compare oxidative cell damage in the body to the formation of rust on a car. When iron is exposed to oxygen and water it corrodes. The free-radical theory of aging tells us that, as we age, cells are damaged by free radicals over time. If you've occasionally flipped through health magazines you may have seen the phrase, "fights free-radicals." However, many people don't know what a free-radical is and why it's worth fighting. The website www.wisegeek.com gives us the following definition, "Free radicals are organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases. These molecules are very unstable, therefore they look to bond with other molecules, destroying their vigor and perpetuating the detrimental process." Free-radicals can destroy cells and cause significant damage to your health. They've been linked to diabetes, macular degeneration, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and aging prematurely. Ingesting foods with antioxidants and taking supplements will enable you to protect yourself and build your immune system, all while stimulating your palate. Antioxidants are found in fruits like grapes, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, lime, cranberries, tomatoes and peaches. They are in dark, leafy vegetables and also green peppers, carrots, squash and broccoli. Antioxidants are in nuts, seeds, whole grains and soy. You can even find them in dark chocolate. A list of the top twenty vegetables, fruits and nuts with antioxidants can be read at: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/supplements/a/antioxidants.htm. When it comes to your health, antioxidants are one trend you really should follow.