Thank you, Thoth...

[boomchick]

Thanks JDF!!

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[Thothscribe]

Good Earth is great. CruelKat - That's so nice!! Me too, if the shipping isn't tootoo bad - although I do OWE YA ONE BOOM!!!

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"If it looks good, you see it. If it sounds good, you hear it. But - if it's real, you FEEL it." KR

[jdf]

hee hee, how much can shipping cost for a box of tea? Are we talking next day fed-ex (FOR.GET.THAT.), or an entire case for each?

sounds like an addiction to me, sillies!

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kat
sanity is SO overrated

[Thothscribe]

Kat - when the other site is back on I'll bring up an old post you'll have to read - about health benefits. It's how I suck in my Green Tea virgins.

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"If it looks good, you see it. If it sounds good, you hear it. But - if it's real, you FEEL it." KR

[boomchick]

I'm talking up Black Tea (Chai) too:

Saturday Evening Post
Jan, 1999

A DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH.(medical benefits of tea)(includes recipes)

Author/s: Ted Kreiter

The most promising health drink of the new millennium may be one of the oldest known to man--tea.

In the late 1980s, a visiting professor from China handed researcher Dr. James Klaunig a jar containing a powdered material.

"You should try this to see if it prevents cancer in your systems," the professor said, and walked away. Dr. Klaunig put the jar on a shelf, but later experimented with it in cell cultures and found to his surprise that it blocked biomarkers of early cancer development. When the researcher sought out the Chinese professor and asked him, "What is that stuff?" he was told it was dried powdered tea.

Dr. Klaunig, now director of the Division of Toxicology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, has studied tea ever since. And he is not alone. Researchers around the world are scrutinizing this popular drink. Their studies are gathering evidence that tea offers protection from cancer and may also reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

In Japan, where green tea is already popular as a cancer preventive, tea is even added to breads and other foods. At the Second Symposium on Tea and Health held in Washington, D.C., last September, Japanese researchers reported that drinking large amounts of green tea reduced recurrence of cancer in previous breast cancer patients.

In another study, a Chinese researcher developed a tea mouthwash that caused regression of precancerous lesions in the mouth.

Dr. Klaunig also presented a study at the symposium showing that tea reduces oxidative damage in the human body, and that it is especially effective in people who smoke. "Smokers have very high levels of various types of oxidative damage, such as damage to DNA," Dr. Klaunig says. His research showed that after smokers drank tea for as little as one week, their oxidative-damage measurements were significantly reduced. Tea lowered oxidative damage in smokers an average of 40 to 60 percent, reducing it to the level of that found in nonsmokers before drinking tea. "It was pretty dramatic," Dr. Klaunig said.

Previous studies in animals have shown that tea may help prevent or delay the formation of tumors in the skin, lung, esophagus, stomach, and colon. "The exciting thing" about the recent studies, says Dr. Doug Balentine, director of tea research at the Lipton tea company, "is that they are among the first directly showing that tea has an effect on people."

The sources of tea's disease-preventive action, researchers believe, are its flavonoids, chemical substances that account for tea's color, flavor, and antioxidant properties. In test-tube studies, flavonoids in tea were found to be more potent than the antioxidants in vitamin C and vitamin E. They prevented damage caused by free radicals about 6 to 20 times more effectively than those vitamins. Recent evidence shows that black tea offers many of the health-protective qualities of green tea, although green tea is somewhat more potent as an antioxidant.




Tea has other health benefits as well. Because it is a good source of fluoride, it strengthens tooth enamel, thus combating cavities. There is also evidence that tea reduces plaque formation and inhibits bacterial growth in the mouth.

As for tea's legendary relaxation and restorative effects, which have been noted for thousands of years, a recent study in the U.K. compared tea to other drinks and showed that tea enhances mental performance and stabilizes mood in a way coffee and other caffeinated drinks do not. "It seems to be more than just a caffeine effect," Dr. Balentine says. "It's something to do with tea itself that we don't understand yet."

How much tea should a person drink? Researchers say to get the health benefits from tea, we need to consume at least four to five cups a day. Ounce for ounce, tea has less caffeine than coffee. Eight cups of tea give you the same amount of caffeine as three cups of coffee. A recent study placed the optimum tolerated level of tea at 40 cups per day!

Dr. Klaunig and his office staff have taken to drinking tea all day long. They found they can make it easily, he says, by tossing some tea bags into their Bunn coffee maker.

With the health possibilities of tea in mind, we've collected some tasty recipes for your tea party that can help you boost your tea intake and start off the new year right. Remember that whether you drink tea cold or hot, it has the same potential health benefits.

Green Ginger-Orange Tea

(Makes about 4 servings)


4 cups water
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped
crystallized ginger
2 (1") pieces orange peel
4 green tea bags
Honey to taste (if desired)


In medium saucepan, bring water, ginger, and orange peel to boil. Remove from heat and add tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste. Remove tea bags, ginger, and orange peel; chill.


Per Serving (8 ounces):

Calories: 38
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 2 mg
Fiber: 0.2 gm
Carbohydrate: 9.3 gm
Protein: trace
Fat: trace


Diabetic exchange (6 ounces): 1/2 fruit

Monterey English Muffins

(Makes 2 servings)


2 English muffins
2 ounces fat-free or low-fat Monterey
Jack or other mild cheese
2 slices (about 2 oz.) cooked
turkey or ham
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 orange, peeled and cut into
thick slices

Split muffins; place on baking sheet. On 2 muffin halves, arrange cheese and ham. Brush top of remaining muffin halves with marmalade. Broil 6" from heat 5-7 minutes, or until, heated through. Press muffin halves together. Garnish with orange slices.


Per Serving:

Calories: 317
Cholesterol: 35 mg
Sodium: 720 mg
Fiber: 2.0 gm
Carbohydrate: 44.5 gm
Protein: 19.5 gm
Fat: 6.7 gm


Diabetic exchange: 2 bread + 1 fruit + 2 lean meat

Bagels and Orange-Cream Cheese

(Makes 16 servings)


3 ounces fat-free cream cheese,
softened
1/2 cup shredded fat-free or low-fat
Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon fresh grated orange peel
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 bagels, sliced in half crosswise




In bowl, combine all ingredients except bagels. Spread mixture on sliced bagels cut into fourths. Leave open faced.


Per Serving (1 piece):

Calories: 30
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 79 mg
Fiber: 0.2 gm
Carbohydrate: 4.3 gm
Protein: 2.2 gm
Fat: 0.4 gm


Diabetic exchange (3 pieces): 1 starch + 1 trace fat

Lemon and Mint Tea

(Makes about 4 servings)


3 cups boiling water
3 tea bags
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint,
or 1/4 teaspoon dried mint flakes
Juice of 1 lemon (3 tablespoons)
1/4 cup honey or sugar substitute
(if desired)


Pour the boiling water over tea bags and mint. Cover and steep 5 minutes; strain. Add lemon and honey.


Per Serving (4-6 ounces, no sugar added):

Calories: 6
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 1 mg
Fiber: 0.2 gm
Carbohydrate: 1.3 gm
Protein: 0.1 gm
Fat: 0 gm

Diabetic exchange: 1 serving free list


Vegetable Cottage Cheese Bites

(Makes 16 servings)


1 cup low-fat or fat-free cottage
cheese
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon Vegit
1/4 teaspoon dillweed
4 slices wheat berry bread


Combine first five ingredients in processor. Spread on bread squares. Cut into fourths and top with tomato slice, cucumber slice, or watercress.


Per Serving (1 piece):

Calories: 30
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 97 mg
Fiber: 0.6 gm
Carbohydrate: 4.2 gm
Protein: 2.6 gm
Fat: 0.3 gm


Diabetic exchange (4 pieces): 1 starch + 1 very lean meat

Tomato Cottage Cheese Sandwich

(Makes 16 servings)


1 tomato
4 slices wheat bread
1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 teaspoon Vegit
1/2 teaspoon dill


Slice tomato thin. Cut bread into fourths. Top with tomato. Combine cottage cheese and seasonings and put 1 tablespoon on each bread piece. Spread.

Per Serving (1 piece):


Calories: 29
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 95 mg
Fiber: 0.6 gm
Carbohydrate: 3.8 gm
Protein: 2.8 gm
Fat: 0.3 gm


Diabetic exchange (4 pieces): 1 starch + 1 very lean meat

Chai Tea

(Makes 2 servings)


2 cups ice cubes
cup chilled seltzer
1/2 cup Spiced Chai Tea(*)
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk


In blender, process all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately.

(*) Spiced Chai Tea


1 cup low-fat or skim milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey (if desired)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
2 tea bags


In medium saucepan, bring milk and water just to boil. Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 3 minutes. Remove tea bags and strain; chill. Makes 2 cups or enough tea for 4 recipes. Also terrific served warm in mugs.


Per Serving (10 ounces):

Calories: 63
Cholesterol: 3 mg
Sodium: 55 mg
Fiber: 0.1 gm
Carbohydrate: 11.5 gm
Protein: 3.4 gm
Fat: 0.4 gm


Diabetic exchange: 1/2 fruit + 1/2 cup skim milk

Hot Russian Tea

(Makes 3-4 servings)


2 cups boiling water
2 tea bags
14 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick

1 strip (about 3") fresh orange peel
Juice from 1 orange (2-3 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Honey to taste (if desired)




Pour boiling water over tea bags, spices, and orange peel. Cover and steep 5 minutes; strain. Stir in orange and lemon juices, and optional honey; reheat if needed. Serve.

Per Serving (6 ounces, no sugar added):


Calories: 13
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 3 mg
Fiber: 0.3 gm
Carbohydrate: 2.6 gm
Protein: 0.2 gm
Fat: 0.2 gm


Diabetic exchange: 1 cup free


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COPYRIGHT 1999 Saturday Evening Post Society
in association with The Gale Group and LookSmart. COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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[Thothscribe]

Great Article! It missed some of the points of my post on kr, but VERY informative. Oolong tea ishalfway between green and chai.

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"If it looks good, you see it. If it sounds good, you hear it. But - if it's real, you FEEL it." KR

[jdf]

thoth, I saw the post, even if it was before I skirted the security issues with my browser and the board...

I just haven't found on eI like.

I love chammomile, except that I can only drink it late, as it is pure sedative for me.

I just love my black tea, prepared just so...

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kat
sanity is SO overrated