White Tea Has Antioxidants

There are four teas that come from the Camellia sinensis plant. They are black tea, green tea, oolong, and white tea. White tea has an exotic past. It comes from China and historically was only available to the royal court of the emperor, not the masses. There was one emperor who nearly lost his empire over white tea.

 The difference between the four teas mentioned above is that black tea is oxidized, oolong tea is less oxidized, green tea leaves are withered, and white tea leaves uncured and unfermented. The tea leaves for white tea are the very young leaves and buds. They are harvested at a much earlier stage in growth than the leaves for the other teas. The leaves have very fine silver hairs on them giving rise to the the variety of white tea variety called Silver Needle.

Because white tea is the least processed, it has the highest levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals that are generated as a result of cell metabolism. Free radicals can damage DNA and speed up the ageing process. Antioxidants neutralize the free radicals.

White tea ranges from pale yellow to almost clear in the cup. The tea has a very delicate taste. People who have compromised taste buds will probably think it is water. Adding lemon to white tea causes more antioxidants to be released. The action of the antioxidants help to slow down ageing and help to prevent diseases like cancer, and heart disease. White tea appears to be good for one's skin and for oral health. People use it for weight loss.

White tea can be found blended with other things like green tea, rooibos tea, and fruits like raspberry, pomegranate, mango and pear. White tea is becoming more and more popular and so is more and more available. For people who are watching their caffeine intake white tea has less caffeine than black or green tea and a lot less than coffee. The caffeine content can also vary depending on how long it steeps and how hot the water is.


http://www.whiteteaguide.com/whiteteahistory.htm
http://www.whiteteaguide.com/whiteteahealthbenefits.htm
http://www.webmd.com/diet/tea-types-and-their-health-benefits
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/green-tea-vs-white/
http://www.caffeine-content.com/caffeine-in-tea/caffeine-in-white-tea/

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Valerie Lull
Author
Ten Spices for Health and Longevity
valerielull923@gmail.com

Dark Chocolate Has Health Benefits

One of my favorite indulgences is chocolate. However, if you want to receive the health benefits you have to be careful what kind of chocolate you eat and how much. Emerging research seems to indicate that chocolate has a number of healing properties and may actually be good for you when taken in the right form and in moderation. Chocolate is chucked full of good things like flavonoids that reduce inflammation, phytosterols that help cholesterol levels, and antioxidants that reduce free radicals.  There are so many things that are good about chocolate I could write several blogs on the subject. Today I will hit the highlights.

Antioxidant - Antioxidants are substances that fight free radicals. Free radicals are atoms that have an electron missing and can damage your cells DNA. The antioxidants provide the missing electron and stabilizes the molecule. The damage free radicals can do can be the start of processes that lead to cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Cardiovascular Problems - According to recent research chocolate can help coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, high cholesterol, plaque deposits on artery walls and obesity.

Natural Stimulant - Eating chocolate can produce a boost of energy both physically and mentally. This is partly due to the caffeine content and partly due to theobromine. Theobromine is an alkaloid in cacao that also can provide a boost of energy.

Cognitive Function - Cocoa is good for your mind. The flavonols in chocolate may help with cognitive decline.Flavonols can reverse age-related cognitive decline by increasing the strength of the connections of the neurons in your brain that aid in maintaining memory.

Mood Booster - There is a chemical reaction with chocolate called anandamide that blocks feelings of pain and depression temporarily. Some researchers call it bliss. Some evidence seems to show that it also sweetens up your love life.

Gut Bacteria - The good bacteria in your gut love to feast on chocolate. They turn it into anti-inflammatory compounds that fight inflammation, another underlying cause of chronic diseases like heart trouble, cancer and Alzheimer's.

Some guidelines - Don't use this information as a reason to run down to your market and chow down on candy bars. There's way too much sugar in them. If you want to eat good chocolate choose the dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao. It has less sugar and the higher the cacao content, the more health benefits you will reap. Eat only 1-2 squares a day. As the old saying goes, "all things in moderation". If you are still worried about sugar content you can get cacao in capsule form and take a few each day. Cacao in capsule form can be purchased on the internet, your local health food store, or by mail order.You can also get benefits from hot coco, or from cacao beans that have been dipped in chocolate

To learn another Way to stay healthy go now to my web site  www.valerielull.com  It is OK to have a chocolate treat if it is done with thought, care and moderation.

Valerie Lull,  MH,
Author
Ten Healthy Teas
www.Lullval@clearwire.net

Lemons

Lemons, Citrus Limon are little powerhouses of health. They may have a sour taste but they are very good for your health. Lemons began as a cross between limes and citrons. They are considered evergreen shrubs and were originally from Asia. During the California gold rush in 1849, they saved the miners from scurvey and were quite costly, up to $1.00 per lemon. As far as nutrition goes, they contain quite an impressive list of nutrients. They have Vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamin, magnesium, iron, pantothenic acid, fiber, pectin, vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, folate and copper.

Lemons are good for many things. They have antioxidant properties that fight free radicals which are substances generated by cell metabolism that need to be neutralized in order to be healthy. They help keep your skin clear by supporting your liver in removing toxins from the body which helps to decrease blemishes. Lemons are good for your digestion, and for keeping your pH in balance. They contain 22 compounds that fight cancer. One of these is limonene which has been shown to fight cancer in animal studies. They contain potassium which helps keep your blood pressure down and they they have negative ions which increase the flow of oxygen to your brain. Lemons also contain fiber which helps fight diabetes and heart disease. Lemons are antibacterial, antiviral and boost the immune system.

Lemons and lemon juice are used extensively in cooking for everything to lemon bars and lemon pie to salad dressing. One problem is the large amount of sugar that is added to decrease the sour taste. The sugar negates the healthful properties of the lemon. Lemon water is very good for your health and so is lemonade. Lemonade can be made with stevia to take care of the sugar problem and can be mixed with other fruits to add interesting flavor, like raspberry, or cherry.

One very good remedy to help detox your liver is to have warm lemon water at the beginning of each day. Take the juice of 1 or 2 lemons, depending on the size of the lemon, and mix with 8 to 10 oz.of warm or room temperature water. Drink this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait at least 10 minutes before eating or drinking anything else. This helps to detox your liver, increase the flow of bile and and improve digestion. Be sure to use fresh lemons. Lemon juice that comes in a bottle loses its nutrients in processing and over time.  I have been using this remedy for several months and it has definitely helped my digestion and elimination. If you are worried about the acid of the lemon destroying the enamel on your teeth you can use a straw to drink it. Another way to use lemon is as lemon tea. Lemon tea can be used by itself, or added to other teas and blends for flavor. It is a great source of vitamin C for winter colds and flu.

Now I realize that there some people who just can't handle unsweetened lemon juice first thing in the morning and that is fine. There are plenty of other sources of vitamin C. Just because I recommend something does not mean you have to do it. Take what fits you and your situation and leave the rest, but for those who are lemon lovers this is a great way to accent your health and help prevent disease.



Valerie Lull, Author
Ten Healthy Teas
Lullval@clearwire.net
Web site: www.valerielull.com