Thank you from the children of Uganda
A special thank you to all of you who help us support children in Uganda and Haiti with your purchases from The Giving Teas Project. This week we received three more letters from our sponsored children in Uganda and we will posting these letters soon!
Its not to late to make your orders for the holidays!
Drink Tea * Do Good!
We can’t figure out how to let you smell these delightful teas over the internet, but we can share with you a bit about how they look and smell – in the words of a 7 year old…
Flavonoid intake is inversely associated with the incidence of chronic diseases.
The scientific study linked below tested hypotheses that tea is the major dietary source of flavonoids in U.S. adults; tea consumers differ from those of tea nonconsumers in sociodemographics, health-related behaviors, and dietary and beverage sources of flavonoid intake. This study (linked below) matched the flavonoid contents of the USDA Flavonoid Databases with dietary intake data of adults (n = 8809) included in NHANES of 1999–2002.
Did you know that 21.3% of U.S. adults reported drinking tea daily? (Rock on tea drinkers!!)
Interesting discoveries:
Daily total flavonoid intake of tea consumers was over 20 times that of tea non-consumers. (Talk about getting the good stuff!)
Tea consumers are more likely to be older, female, white, and to have higher income than tea non-consumers. (Hot, sexy ladies we are!)
Tea consumers are more likely to take dietary supplements than tea non-consumers.(Health conscious – you bet!)
Other dietary flavonoid sources after tea were citrus juice, wine, and citrus fruits for both tea consumer and non-consumer groups.
For tea non-consumers, flavonoid intake from wine, fruit-ades, and fruit drinks was higher than that in tea consumers.
So what about tea consumers who also get flavonoids from wine? and fruit? and vitamins?
We must be bulletproof!!
Yerba Mate….Yerba What -tea??
Mate tea gives the most energy of any type of tea; they have 100% of the caffeine as a cup of coffee. Mate teas also help curb the appetite and contain 21 vitamins and minerals for the body.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign conducted a study on the ability of Mate to inhibit oral cancer. This study revealed that Mate has a significant ability to inhibit oral cancer cell proliferation. “The fact that Mate also inhibits oral cancer cell proliferation makes this botanical product a potential source of still unknown active substances that can be added to the arsenal of compounds that could be used in cancer prevention and treatment.” (Effect of Yerba Mate (Ilex Paraguariensis) Tea on Topoisomerase Inhibition and Oral Carcinoma Cell ProliferationJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2005, 53)
“…we decided to conduct a comparative study of three commonly used beverages with the highest polyphenol contents and proven antioxidant properties: mate (Ilex paraguariensis); green tea (Camelia sinensis) extracts and white and red wines of the main varietals.”"Taken together, our results indicate that when the herbal preparations studied here are prepared the way they are usually drunk, Mate displays the highest inhibition of protein nitration, and the highest promotion of cell survival, whereas green tea or red wines display significant but lesser effects at the same concentrations.”lex Paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) extracts are potent inhibitors of nitrosative stress: A comparative study with green tea and wines using a protein nitration model and mammalian cell cytotoxicity.Life Sci. 2005 Jun 3;77(3):345-58. Epub 2005 Feb 9.
Yerba Mate Blends: 3 oz, loose leaf, small batch blended. $10 each.
AM Buenos Aires – yerba mate, oranges, apples, calendula, and essence
Half Moon Bay – green yerba mate, coconut, pineapple, apples, hibiscus, and essence
Rain Forest Blend – roasted yerba mate, coffee beans, cloves, white chocolate, red clover and essence
Blood Orange – green yerba mate, apples, blood orange, hibiscus and rose hips
Morning Zen – green yerba mate, jasmine flowers, rooibos and peppermint
Cherry Marzipan – green yerba mate, green tea, almond, coconut, cornflowers, rose petals and essence
7 Treasures Oolong – 7 luscious berries tossed with soothing chamomile and oolong
Blue Moon – Oolong rolled in licorice root and ginseng
The Tea Council USA sponsored the Calm -A- Sutra PSA Student Video Competition 2009, The Winner and some other selected entries are posted below. Which One Do You Like Best? I’d love to hear your opinion!
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Comment below!
Pu-erh Tea is an ancient black Chinese tea. Pu-erh tea is very strong with a deep, earthy flavor. Tea connoisseurs revere that Pu-erh tea possesses several important medicinal properties. Until 1995 it was illegal to import Pu-erh tea into the United States. The production process is still a closely guarded state secret in China. Often referred to as the “Wonder Tonic” and a “Medicinal Tea”, long standing consumers of Pu-erh tea strongly believe this tea may have anti-anging and life extension properties.
Green and black Yunnan Pu-erh teas were found to have the ability to destroy cancer cells. (Yunnan Natural Medicine Research Institute)
The site puercha.com states ” The restorative and medical properties associated with Pu-erh tea is truly astonishing. For centuries it was given as a tribute to the Emperor and high ranking officials within the Imperial Courts of China. Its high value and many health benefits lead to high demands and the frequency of the tributes gave commonly recognized title of “Tribute Tea”.
The health and medical benefits of Pu-erh tea are documented in various ancient scripts and historical books throughout Chinese history. Pu-erh tea is strongly believed to have wide ranging health benefits from anti aging, prevention of heart disease, prevention of cancer, diabetic control, removal of toxins to curing dysentery, inflammation, aiding digestion and weight loss, improving the eyesight, blood circulation and reviving those who are overly intoxicated with alcohol.
The long term consumption of Pu-erh tea is believed to help reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels and play an important role in preventing heart disease and cancer. Pu-erh tea made from wild old tea trees are reputed to be more potent, containing strong Qi (translated as “life energy” or “life force”) that boosts the blood flow and helps the body’s circulation. This, as a result, aids the removal of toxins and can cure minor aches and pains.
Many traditional Chinese restaurants serve Pu-erh tea because it is an ideal tea to break down oily and fatty food and aid in the digestion of often fatty traditional Chinese dishes. After a heavy meal drinking Pu-erh tea is said to help clean the intestines and stomach. In some quarters Pu-erh tea is used as a slimming tea and consumed to assist with weight loss.
Although I am not a doctor, and are in no way giving medical advice, but I do know that last week I personally lost five pounds drinking a blend of Pu-erh, Yerba Mate, Rooibos and Oolong…..instead of snacking or overeating, so I am pretty happy about this!
Through thegivingteasproject.com, our tea source offers Pu-erh under the heading Pure Teas on our Tea Menu. See the tab above to view our tea menu. You may order via email or by telephone.
Life is interesting…when your passions find you (or when you tear off the covers of “normal” and begin to seek the “extraordinary”)….coincidences begin to occur, paths begin to cross, relationships begin to build, friendships start to develop, and dreams begin to give birth to change…
Through my longtime friendship with Penni Shelton, of Real Food Tulsa, author of Raw Food Cleanse coming out January 1, 2010, and the developer of new Raw Food Rehab website and online community, I was introduced to Andrea of Lovemore. Andrea quickly pointed out our shared mission of helping families, especially women and children, in Uganda.
LOVEMORE sells inspiring tshirts, belts and accessories with a message. As they say on their fantastic website:
Lovemore is a message, an experience, and a call to action—a call to let love be our guiding principle in every situation. As individuals, there’s only one way that we can control how much love, peace and joy we have in our lives, and that is to put it there. The only way to truly experience love in all moments is to bring love to each and every moment.
One of the world missions that Andrea, and her sister Angela (cool name!) support is Earth Birth Uganda. I hope you take the time to click the screen shot or the link below to learn more about Earth Birth Uganda.
It is nearing holiday season and I have received more than a few emails and phone calls requesting teas which may be supportive to those who are trying to eat right and slim down this season. Well folks, you have come to the right place. Personally, I have found that the more tea I drink, the less I eat. When my mouth and tummy have warm yummy goodness, I am less likely to graze for snacks. And the aromas of the artisanal teas I have at my disposal are so inviting, I feel satisfied with every sip! For example…I love carrot cake, but I can’t eat it every day without penalty – so instead, I can brew up our black tea blend “Carrot Cake” which contains black tea, carrots, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and calendula, instead!
But what does science say about tea and health? Let’s start with the ever popular green tea, mentioned in popular magazines, televisions shows and by licensed medical professionals across this country….
Scientific research has resoundingly demonstrated in many published studies that green tea can be a supportive of maintaing a healthy weight.
How does green tea promote weight loss? The catechins in green tea influence metabolism in several ways:
* Inhibiting intestinal lipases
*Decreasing fat absorption
*Increasing fat excretion
*Increasing uncoupling proteins
*Increasing thermogenesis
*Decreasing lipogenic enzymes
*Suppressing appetite
One study supplemented a group of female laboratory mice with green tea (from 1% to 4% of their diets) for four months to determine which effects it may have on food intake and weight. At the end of the study researchers found that mice with tea supplemented diets showed significantly decreased food intake, decreased weight gain, and decreased fat mass. Levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were also lower. In addition, serum leptin levels were also shown to be lower.
Another study supplemented green tea catechin EGCG (50-100mg/kg) in pure form and found that it reduced or prevented an increase in body weight in lean and in obese laboratory rats.
In humans, intake of green tea was found to increase thermogenesis. The thermogenic effect was found to be greater than that due to the amount of caffeine found in the tea.
A study in 10 subjects found that compared to placebo, green tea extract resulted in a significant (4%) increase in energy expenditure. In addition, the excretion of norepinephrine was higher during treatment with the green tea extract than with a placebo. This supports the finding that there was an increase in thermogenesis due to increased norepinephrine levels in the body.
Many folks new to tea find green tea to be an unfamiliar taste, and store blends are often bitter, cheap and low quality. In contrast, We encourage you to try our Tea Design green tea blends, brought to you by The Giving Teas Project.
The Giving Teas Project’s Favorite Green Tea Blends available for purchase:
Green Passion: gunpowder green tea, mango bits, papaya bits, sunflowers and essence
Moroccan Mint: green tea and spearmint
Keylime Cheesecake: green tea, lime peels, lemongrass, pineapple, apple and essence
Pink Lemonade: green tea, lemon peels, hibiscus, peonies and essence
Green Chai: green tea blended with almonds, cloves, cinnamon and roses
Mojito: sencha, spearmint, rock sugar and limes
Goji Pom Pom: sencha, goji berries, cornflowers and essence
To see our full tea menu and ordering instructions, see the tabs at the top of this website! We’d love to help!
How to Steep a Perfect Cup of Tea
A perfect pot of tea does not begin with a mug of hot water and tea bag. The perfect pot takes time and careful planning.
First of all, the tea in standard tea bags are called “fannings”, the dust and left overs from the tea leave grading and separation process, which are then squooshed into a tea bag where what little taste is left is minimized (due to a reduction in surface area directly exposed to the hot water). I used to be a big tea bag user, but once I started drinking hand crafted loose leaf teas,I can’t go back. I prefer a steeper cup, or a tea ball (not over stuffed) for preparing my tea.
Here are some suggestions to help newbies steep a divine cup of tea….
For those of you friends that want to purchase one of the fabulous tea steeper cups you see me with so often, or one of the teapots or other accessories I recommend, I have added an Amazon store. There is a new tab up above on our blog, that you can click on anytime, and it will direct you straight to the new shopping resource.
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