This Thursday's herbal tisane ... Hibiscus

Hibiscus

Hibiscus is becoming increasingly popular (Thanks Dr. Oz!) for reducing blood pressure and reducing cholesterol, which shows promise for strengthening your cardiovascular system. Other reports indicate that hibiscus may be effective in helping to slow the aging process, helping with weight loss, good for easing respiratory ailments, constipation and kidney infections. Hibiscus is a rich source of vitamin C and other powerful antioxidants, making it a natural choice for the cold and flu season. In Egypt, it is consumed cold as a bevarage they call karkadé (كركديه, pronounced kar-ke-day). In North Africa, it is revered as a natural coolant perfect for the hot climate.

1-2 tsp. per 8oz. hot water. Steep 5 minutes. Organic.

As always, results cannot be promised for everyone, but it might be worth a try before turning to drugs to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure!

What's Your Beverage Doing for You? -- Part 3

Obesity rates are staggering — it’s estimated 66% of Americans are overweight and liquid calories are part of the problem. Guzzle a 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi (or two 20-ounce bottles of Vitamin Water or Gatorade) and it will cost you 250 calories. Order that Starbucks Venti Caramel Macchiato and you’re looking at 405 calories!

Although, loaded beverages can be a delicious occasional splurge (I admit it!), when it comes to managing your weight, remember to account for those calories and moderate your intake.

Consider this: Trim 500 liquid calories from your daily diet and you’ll save 3,500 calories a week. That’s potentially ONE pound lost per week and more than FIFTY pounds lost at the end of the year!

Follow these three tips to avoid packing on the pounds:

1. Think before you drink
Be mindful of beverages loaded with caloric ingredients — sugar, corn syrup, fructose, milk, cream, syrup, special flavoring and even fruit juice. When it comes to managing your weight, calorie-free water or freshly brewed unadulterated tea
will always be your best bet .

2. Calculate the “total calories” you’ll be drinking — not just one serving.
Many beverages list calories per serving, but pack 2 or more servings into each bottle. Make sure you look at the serving size… and calculate how many servings (and total calories) are included in one container.

3. Healthy drinks can also pack on the pounds
Just because a product claims to be “all natural,” or contain “no refined/added sugars,” doesn’t mean it’s calorie-free. For example, 100% fruit juice and fruit smoothies are filled with nutrition but also often high in calories. If you’re watching your weight you are better off eating fruit versus drinking it.

Total calories in popular beverages:

Soda
Soda (20-oz bottle) = 250 calories
7/11 Big Gulp (32-oz) = 400 calories
Large movie theatre soda (44-oz) = 550 calories
7/11 Double Big Gulp (64-oz) = 800 calories

Tea and Coffee Drinks
Snapple Peach Iced Tea (16-oz bottle) = 200 calories
Arizona Lemon Iced Tea (20-oz bottle) = 225 calories
Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino:
- Tall (12-oz) = 200 calories
- Grande (16-oz) = 260 calories
- Venti (24-oz) = 390 calories

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato = Grande (16-oz) = 270 calories Venti (24 oz) = 405
Starbucks Chai Iced Tea Latte = Grande (16-oz) 260 calories Venti (24 oz) = 390
Duncan Donuts, Coffee Coolata (16-oz w/2% milk) = 190 calories

Fruit Beverages
Jamba Juice: Banana Berry (classic smoothie):
- 16-oz = 280 calories
- 24-oz original = 450 calories
- 30-oz power = 600 calories
POM Pomegranate Juice (16-oz bottle) = 320 calories
Orange Juice (pint container, 16-oz) = 220 calories
Orange Juice (one cup) = 110 calories
Naked Juice-Orange Mango Motion (16-oz container) = 240 calories
Odwalla Citrus C Monster (16-oz container) = 300 calories
Country Time lemonade (12-oz can) = 130 calories
Minute Maid lemonade (20-oz bottle) = 260 calories

Flavored Waters and Sports Drinks
Vitamin Water (20-oz bottle) = 125 calories
Life Water (20-oz bottle) = 125 calories
Gatorade (20-oz bottle) = 125 calories

Freshly brewed iced tea
Any size, any flavor unsweetened = 0 calories!

Yerba Mate

Yerba mate (pronounced herba maatay) is an shrub or tree native to the subtropical regions of South America, primarily Argentina, eastern Paraguay, western Uruguay and southern Brazil. A member of the holly family, it grows to be about 40 feet tall. Yerba Mate is NOT A TEA. It is an herbal tisane, which is prepared and enjoyed as tea is, but it comes from a plant that is not a TEA plant (camellia sinensis) Yerba means herb and mate means gourd. In South America, mate is typically drunk from a gourd called a cuia through a long silver straw called a bombilla (both available at SensibiliTeas, though not yet on the website). Drinking it from a cup is perfectly acceptable, though.

Recently there has been a flurry of excitement about yerba mate being an effective aid for losing weight. Mate raises metabolism, regulates appetite and aids digestion. It is also thermogenic, meaning it induces the body to burn calories. Mate is a good source of antioxidants and provides the B vitamins, minerals and amino acids needed for long-lasting metabolism stimulation. I personally have not used yerba mate for weight loss purposes, as I am satisfied with the abilities of oolong and Pu Erh, but I do find it to be a pleasantly uplifting cuppa in the afternoon. I especially enjoy the Citrus Mate, which I have come to refer to as ``sunshine in a cup.’’
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Quote du jour:

"We must use time wisely and
forever realize that the
time is always ripe to do right."

Nelson Mendela (07/18/18-present)

Green tea and weight loss

Green tea can be a great part of a healthy weight management diet. It is calorie-free, fat-free and carbohydrate-free with no added sugar and no artificial sweeteners. Like oolong, pu-erh and yerba mate, it boosts your metabolism. Green tea is the perfect complement to meals of fresh fruits and vegetables, which should be a large part of any weight loss regime.

Green tea more popularly used for weight loss, because green tea is what has been marketed as the right tea for weight loss. More of the tea harvest is allocated for green tea production. Green tea is less expensive than oolong and therefore more profitable for a big company to use green tea for the ready-to-drink market. Once it hits the ready-to-drink market, it’s the cure-all. Personally, I think the effects of green tea weight loss combined with its superb health benefits (that will be discussed at another time) make it a good adjunct to any weight loss program. However, I have personally seen better results with oolong and Pu Erh. Drinking five cups of green tea a day will burn between 70-80 calories daily.

Oolong

Oolong tea is a variety of tea that falls somewhere between a black tea and a green tea. Anyone who has enjoyed tea at a Chinese restaurant has likely had oolong tea. It’s a natural choice for Chinese restaurants as it is the perfect complement to most meals and is reputed to cut through the grease of a meal. It is commonly called Wulong. Some Chinese translations of Wulong equate to ``black dragon’’ while others translate to ``blue mist’’. The black dragon translation is far more popular, but have you ever seen a black dragon without blue mist? It originates from Mount Wu Yi, or Wuyi Shan in the Fujian province, which is on the sea coast of China just across from Taiwan, another fabulous oolong producing country.
At another time I will explain better what makes an oolong an oolong. For today, I want to discuss the health benefits of oolong as they pertain to weight loss. Oolong has rapidly gained in popularity for weight loss attempts since an alleged endorsement by Oprah In recent years there has been a flurry of new businesses marketing oolong as an ancient Chinese weight loss solution, many of them based on these endorsements. It doesn’t matter if Oprah or Rachael endorsed oolong tea, there is science to support these claims. Studies done in China, Japan and the US all clearly indicate that people consistently consuming oolong lost weight through increased fat oxidation and further see blood sugar levels significantly reduced after a meal. My personal experience has been oolong helps me lose inches, while Pu Erh helps me lose pounds. That’s a perfect combo for me. It’s something different for everyone.
Be warned that the companies getting rich selling wulong slimming tea and the like are selling tea bags of oolong dust, the lowest grade of this tea. This is essentially what you can get at a take-out Chinese restaurant. They are selling typically a one-month supply (60 servings) for about $35 plus shipping. Many of these companies lock you into a auto-ship plan as well. Here is an informative website about oolong without trying to sell you something. In fact, the opening page examines the business practices of the most popular "oolong for fitness" sites.
http://www.wulongtea.org/index.php
A one-month supply (I recommend three cups a day) of nine ounces for ninety servings of organic loose leaf Wuyi Oolong from SensibiliTeas would cost (as of this posting) $25.88 and there is no auto-ship plan. Nine Dragons Oolong, a rolled oolong from the Wuyi region, is also organic and is exactly like what you would get in a Chinese restaurant would cost the same. If you would prefer flavors, all the flavored oolongs at SensibiliTeas are based on a Wuyi oolong. Citron Oolong ($4.50/oz) and Grapefruit Oolong ($3.00/oz) are the most popular.
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Today's quote is in memory of my older brother,
whom I will greatly miss

Bob Burgess 01/12/1953-01/02/2009

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

---Robert Frost / The Road Not Taken

Pu Erh

If people come into the shop looking for the ``weight loss tea’’, I usually recommend one of two teas. One of them is Pu Erh. We'll discuss the other perhaps tomorrow. Pu Erh (pronounced Pu-Air or Pu-Er) comes from Pu Erh county in Hunan province. It is not uncommon for it to be made up of leaves plucked from ancient trees rather than from carefully cultivated bushes. It is a post-fermented tea. This means that all the normal processing to be a black tea, a green tea, or a white tea has already been done, and then the tea is aged. Essentially, it is composted, but likely without the worms and all. While in the past this composting occurred in highly guarded caves belonging to the emperor, it is now likely occurring in a climate controlled setting. During this processing the tea takes on an earthy quality. Tea can then be pressed into cakes or tuo cha, small single servings of Pu Erh that resembles a tiny birds nest (pictured in this post). It is also available in a leaf form, which seems earthier, but more popular due to the ease of preparation. Some say it tastes like dirt. I’ll tell you the black tea version, which is what I carry at the shop, certainly smells earthy. The older it gets, the more mellow it becomes. I find it to be a very smooth, relaxing cup of tea. It is believed that the caffeine level is reduced during processing. The most popular Pu Erh I carry is Immortal Nectar, as found in this collection.
http://www.sensibiliteasonline.com/teapuerh.html
I admit. I hated the first cup I ever drank, but told myself I must be professional about this, and I continued to drink the sample. By the end of the sample, I wanted more. It had become my go-to tea. And I had lost weight, to boot!

While there is no carefully controlled scientific evidence available to support the notion that Pu Erh is effective as a weight loss tea, I’ve had in-shop results. I invited 15 willing participants to drink Immortal Nectar for 10 weeks – one cup with each meal, for a minimum of three cups a day. Many of those participants had physicals before they started so they knew their exact weight, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and C-reactive protein levels. Of the 16 participants, 15 lost weight. After 6 weeks, we started receiving reports about cholesterol and triglyceride levels being greatly reduced.

Cholesterol reduction was the most popular result. After 6 weeks, the average cholesterol reduction was 60 points. One woman saw a reduction of 123 points while another saw a reduction of 102 points. When someone comes to the shop looking for Pu Erh now, it is not uncommon to learn that they have been sent by a doctor. For many, this may be an easy all-natural, organic way to avoid being put on cholesterol reduction meds.

Together they lost 164 lbs. The participant who gained weight (6 lbs.) learned that drinking this tea was not a license to eat Crispy Creme donuts for breakfast and lunch. May common sense prevail.

Love spicy food? Pu Erh is the perfect spicy meal complement.
I asked the father of a Chinese friend of mine how he could explain the effectiveness of Pu Erh in a weight management program. He surprising replied … ``Maybe it’s not the tea.’’ He went on to explain he theory that historically, Chinese consume most meals with a cup of tea while Americans take their meals with a cold beverage. And then he asked ``if you are going to put grease down the drain, would you follow it with hot water, or cold water?’’

Could it be that simple?
Well worth a try, I’d guess. And why not make tea that hot beverage?

No historical facts or links today, so instead I leave you with this simple thought:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
-- Margaret Mead (1901-1973)

The month of January is National Hot Tea Month. What a perfect companion to all those ``I’m gonna be healthier this year’’ resolutions! You know the resolutions … lose weight, eat right, get/be fit, reduce stress, drink less alcohol, quit smoking. Am I right? Every year the same things, but my! How things have changed since the simple Babylonian tradition of returning borrowed farm equipment!

You may be interested in how tea can assist you in sticking to those resolutions. Many of this months posts will deal with the health benefits of tea and how they relate specifically to these resolutions. There are far too many benefits to list in one post, and so many facets to each benefit.

Let’s start with the most popular resolution of all time – ``I’m going to lose weight”, as Jan 1 – 7 is officially ``Diet Resolution Week’’. The truth of the matter is there is really only one effective way to lose weight and keep the weight off – burn more calories than you take in. This is best accomplished through a combination of correct diet and exercise. It’s just that simple.

So where does tea come in? Here’s the most basic answer. Tea is calorie-free, fat-free, carbohydrate-free, gluten-free with no added colors or preservatives. Tea can make you feel full which means you may take in fewer calories overall. Tea can satisfy a craving for dessert, again reducing your total calorie intake. Tea can boost your fat metabolism. Tea can increase your energy level so you are inclined to be more active, burning more calories.