Green Tea - A Tea for Life

By Andreas Moritz  

For more than thirty years, Western researchers have known that the occurrence of solid tumor cancers is far less in countries where populations consume large amounts of green tea. Cultures that are endowed with a long tea tradition have much to contribute to individual and global health. However, this applies only to green tea. Regular black tea, presently very popular almost everywhere, has not much to do with real tea. Real tea is derived from the tea plant Thea sinensis or Thea asoncica, not to be confused with herb teas such as peppermint, chamomile or fennel.

Both black and green teas originate from the same tea plant, but their methods of processing are different. The breaking of the leaves of the plants and exposing them to the oxygen of the air produces black tea. The resulting natural fermentation process destroys the most important biological ingredients of the tea - the tannins. By contrast, during the production of green tea, the leaves are stabilized through exposure to both humid and dry heat. This eliminates fermentation-producing enzymes and safeguards the nutrients.

Due to fermentation, black tea assumes drug-like qualities. Since tannins and other important nutrients are no longer present in the tea, its caffeine appears in free and unbound form. The stimulating effect of the quickly released caffeine causes the addictive effect of black tea. It triggers a 'fight or flight' response in the body. Since the body treats the ingested caffeine as a nerve toxin, the adrenal glands naturally respond by secreting the antidote adrenaline. This defense response by the body has a stimulating and enlivening effect. However, as the effects of the caffeine and adrenaline diminish, the body starts feeling tired and may end up exhausted.

Green tea works in a different way. The large amounts of tannins in green tea make certain that the caffeine is taken to the brain in only small and well-dosed amounts, which actually harmonizes the energies in the body. Unlike black tea, the original green version of the tea makes the body's own energy-use more efficient. This helps the consumer of green tea improve his vitality and stamina without having to experience the 'up and down' effect so often accompanied with the consumption of black tea.

The value of tannin has been studied for centuries all over the world. Besides its ability to bind caffeine, it also has healing properties. Green tea is particularly helpful with intestinal disorders and high blood pressure. It has been shown to be 20 times more effective in slowing the aging process than vitamin E. Studies have demonstrated that the success rate of green tea in reducing oxidants in the body (considered responsible for aging) is 74 percent compared to 4 percent with vitamin E. The vitamin C content of green tea is four times higher than in lemon juice and it contains more B-vitamins than any other known plant. This makes green tea useful for facial skin conditions such as rosacea/acne. Apart from drinking green tea, you may apply it directly to the skin before bedtime and after washing your face in the morning.

Since green tea is highly alkaline it naturally helps combat hyperacidity. People who drink green tea also suffer less from arteriosclerosis. It also keeps the blood thin and prevents coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. Furthermore, researchers from the University of Osaka, Japan, have been able to prove that green tea kills microbes responsible for cholera and tooth decay; it also destroys salmonella germs before they even have the chance to enter the stomach. A substance called 'EGCG' has been found to retard tumor growth. The Botikin Hospital in Moscow reported that green tea is more effective against infection than antibiotics, without producing any harmful side effects.

Green tea has over 100 ingredients that have been found useful for a number of conditions, it inhibits cell mutations leading to cancer, reduces blood fats, balances serum cholesterol levels, prevents high blood pressure, increases heart efficiency, improves brain functions, enhances metabolism, improves vision, supports secretion of saliva, increases growth of hair, reduces body fat and weight, stimulates digestion and helps clear urinary tract obstructions.

In a study testing the preventative action of green tea, a team of researchers from the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (U.S.C.) found that green tea prevented breast cancer in women by 30 percent if they consumed about half a cup per day. If they drank more than that, their risk of developing breast cancer was further reduced. Women who regularly drank black tea, on the other hand, didn't have a reduction in their breast cancer risk. The good news is that this study revealed that you don't need to drink buckets full of green tea to benefit from it.

The best green tea comes from the Shizuoka area in Japan; it grows organically and has no additives. People living in this area have a much lower cancer rate than those living in other areas of Japan. A reliable brand is Sencha sold by Kurimoto Trading Co., Japan. With over 130 ingredients, it is the richest of all green teas. Other brands are Ocha or Bancha; you should be able to find at least one of them at a good health food store.

Note: The effectiveness of green tea depends on how you prepare it. Take 1½ teaspoons of green tea for 2 cups of tea. Bring water to a boil and turn the heat off. Put the tea into a pot and pour the boiled water over the tea as soon as the water has stopped bubbling. After no longer than 35-45 seconds, pour the tea through a sieve into a teapot, otherwise the tea loses much of its effectiveness. You may use the same leaves a second time by applying the same procedure.

Does Green Tea Contain Toxins?

Some web sites on the Internet claim that tea is very high in fluoride content. Fluoride in tea is supposedly much higher than the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) set for fluoride in drinking water. Another site confirms that information, adding that the typical cup of tea exceeds one milligram of fluoride, which is well over the recommended amount for fluoridated drinking water. On yet another site, it says that fluorine and its compounds in food are entirely different from chemically-produced sodium fluoride. It states that once an element is extracted from the soil and incorporated into plant life, its properties change greatly. All this can be greatly confusing for those concerned about fluoride poisoning.

Yes, fluoride is found in tea and also in mother's milk. This applies also to areas where there is no fluoride in the drinking water or air. Numerous plants contain naturally occurring fluorine or fluoride compounds. The hideous version of fluoride that is added to drinking water in so many parts of the world is the poison we ought to protect ourselves against. "Fluoride, once touted as an osteoporosis treatment, is, in fact, toxic to bone cells," says John R. Lee M.D. Thankfully, the American Dental Association, which has for many years been one of fluoride's biggest advocates, changed course when it alerted its members in 2006 that parents of infants younger than a year old "should consider using water that has no or low levels of fluoride" when mixing baby formula.

If the naturally occurring fluoride in green tea were even remotely toxic (like the fluoride added to drinking water), it would not have shown to have such a wide range of preventive and curative effects. The body's immune system would reactively respond to it and become weakened in the process, yet quite the opposite is true. Green tea inhibits cell mutation, stimulates digestion and enhances brain functions. Synthetic fluoride has the exact opposite effects.

The fluoride - or fluorine - that occurs naturally in tea and other foods is so volatile that most of it evaporates in the heating process. The synthetic sodium fluoride added to water, on the other hand, remains stable when heated. So the sodium fluoride in your cup of tea is of much greater concern than the natural fluoride in the tea itself. Excessive fluoride intake can lead to hyperthyroidism. If you have been diagnosed with this disorder you should consult with a doctor of Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine or an ND (doctor of naturopathic medicine) who is knowledgeable about nutrition and its effects on the body's endocrine glands.

Andreas Moritz is a writer and practitioner in the field of Integrative Medicine. He is the author of 13 books on various subjects pertaining to holistic health, including The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation and Cancer Is Not a Disease. His most recent book is titled 'Vaccine-Nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time'.

Moritz is also the creator of Ener-Chi Art ( www.ener-chi.com ) and Sacred Santémony.

Much of his life's work has been dedicated to understanding and treating the root causes of illness, and helping the body, mind, spirit and heart to heal naturally.

Connect with Andreas at: http://www.facebook.com/enerchi.wellness

Copyright © 2011 by Andreas Moritz

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Best Fruits For Diabetics: Water Melon, Star Fruit And Wax Apple

By Kez Sze 

  

Fruits are very much part of a dietary approach in tackling diabetes, even as early as the starvation treatment by Dr. Louis Webb Hill. To combat the disease after a few days of abstinence from solid foods, the accompanying table on fruits showed mostly those of low glycemic index.

In particular, the watermelon, a fruit with a high glycemic index but low glycemic load was found in the list. Perhaps a modern version of such tables will include the star fruit and rose apple - a breath of fresh air in the diabetic diet.

A star fruit tree with scraggly branches growing next to the door, used to greet all those entering the home of a friend. Perhaps in protest of its proximity to the house, the shedding of its very tiny fruits persisted for months. Just as an individual needs space to grow, so does a tree; for it should be planted at least 30 feet away from a building. Nevertheless, gathering those forlorn fruits prompted me to think more deeply about the uses they could have served.

Water Melon And Star Fruit Nutrition

Isn't it surprising that the palm-sized, thin-skinned and sweetish star fruit can match up to the diabetics' needs just as well as the bigger, sturdier and sweeter water-melon? It is just a matter of portion sizes, they say. So, either one of the 2 fruits will do in lowering high blood pressure naturally. as each boasts a fiber that is tops in lowering cholesterol and slowing down sugar absorption into your bloodstream.

Besides, both fruits are low in sugar, and having high water content (about 92 %), are thus low in calories - 3 factors in favor of the diabetic diet.

However, while the high potassium content in watermelon flushes out the toxins in your kidney; the neurotoxin in the star fruit takes an opposite course and attacks an already distressed kidney. Despite the two fruits are like juice canisters, you must drink of the star fruit with due care, if you have kidney problems.

Wax Apple

Crisp, light on the palate and slightly tinged with sweetness, this fruit also has high fiber content and low fat and calories - all of which will add up to what is a good food for diabetics. Further, it does not harbor any element of neurotoxic fear, in fact, it tonifies your liver and brain

The lustrous deep pink fruits are as beautiful as a rose; while the taste is that of an apple - what a wonderful combination!. Because of this, children love to shove the fruit in their mouth to explore the taste and texture.

Owing to its mild to almost bland taste, it can enrich a salad with more vitamin A and potassium, while offsetting a blend of 4 flavors of herbs like kaffir lime leaves, shallots, lemongrass and torch ginger flower in a dressing of agave honey and lime juice.

The fruit is for everyone; just don't let any condition to rob you of your portion.

Feeding plants leads naturally to an interest in trees; just as wholesome home feeding, to whole foods, natural remedies and a plant-based diet. This briefly encapsulates the natural world of Kez Sze, author, publisher and researcher.

Please visit http://dietthatworks1.com/2014/09/16/hello-world/ and http://www.DietThatWorks1.com

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What Is Gluten, Anyway?   

by Angelo's Pizza Parlor

Foods with a "gluten-free" claim are a big--and growing--business these days. And everywhere you turn, it seems another celebrity is touting the benefits of his or her new gluten-free diet. All of a sudden, gluten appears to be public enemy No. 1. But if you've watched this whirlwind of gluten-free activity unfold without fully understanding what, in fact, gluten actually is, fear not. You're probably not alone.

Gluten is shorthand for a family of storage proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. The gluten proteins are found in the mature seed of these cereal grasses, which is what we refer to as the grain. Close relatives of wheat, such as spelt, triticale, kamut, farro, and einkorn, also contain gluten and must be avoided on a gluten-free diet. While you may hear the term "gluten" used to refer to rice (e.g., glutinous rice), rice protein is not actually a gluten and need not be avoided on a glutenfree diet. Conversely, while oats don't technically contain gluten, they're almost always cross-contaminated with wheat gluten due to processing methods in this country. As a result, unless an oat-containing product is specifically labeled "glutenfree," one should assume it contains gluten.

Since gluten is a storage protein found in cereal grass seeds, it's not found in the young, green grasses that sprout from these seeds. For this reason, wheatgrass and barley grass are technically gluten-free. However, to ensure that wheatgrass or barley grass juices are safe to consume on a glutenfree diet, you need to make sure that no seeds accidentally make their way into the juicer.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not yet regulate the use of the claim "glutenfree" on consumer products, proposed legislation would mandate that products labeled "glutenfree" must be tested to ensure that they contain no more than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, a threshold under which current testing methods are unable to detect the presence of gluten (and a level under which no adverse reactions appear to be triggered in those with Celiac disease). Currently, numerous grain-free products that are inherently gluten-free--from hummus to dried fruit--are carrying a gluten-free claim, presumably as a marketing tactic to make them appear healthier than competitive items. According to the FDA's proposed guidelines, this practice would be outlawed.

While there are segments of people who must avoid eating gluten due to adverse reactions, gluten is not an inherent "toxin" as many would have us believe. People with an immune-mediated wheat allergy and those with Celiac disease must follow a strict gluten-free diet, as gluten triggers harmful reactions. Others who have tested negative for wheat allergy or Celiac disease but still find that eating wheat causes unpleasant side effects may have a non-immune gluten intolerance or a wheat/gluten sensitivity. Those who experience gas and bloating in particular after eating wheat may actually be reacting to a form of carbohydrate in the wheat called fructans, rather than the gluten protein itself. For these latter groups, avoiding wheat and gluten may alleviate uncomfortable side effects; however, eating wheat/gluten does not cause damage to their cells nor trigger dangerous allergic reactions. For everyone else, gluten is just one of many food proteins encountered in the course of a mixed diet, neither detrimental nor essential to good health.

In other words, if you tolerate gluten and enjoy it, there's no compelling reason to avoid it. If you don't tolerate it or just prefer not to eat it, there's no compelling reason for you to keep it in your diet (other than, perhaps, convenience). Many people find that cutting out gluten helps them avoid the temptation of the numerous empty-calorie, high-glycemic, processed snack foods that they want to eliminate. Others, however, find that cutting out gluten only to replace it with gluten-free versions of these same empty-calorie, high-glycemic, processed snack foods is of no benefit for weight loss, energy levels, or improved health. (Foods with a high-glycemic index release sugar quickly into the bloodstream, causing a quick spike in energy that's followed by a dramatic dip in blood sugar levels. This dip leads to hunger relatively soon after eating.) A "gluten-free" claim is by no means an indication that a food is more natural, healthful, or lower in calories.

If you're following a gluten-free diet, either by necessity or choice, your best bet is to choose minimally-processed foods that are naturally gluten-free. Gluten-free oats, brown or wild rice, millet, buckwheat (kasha), and quinoa are nutritious, high-fiber whole grains that can replace wheat-based staples like pasta, wheat bran, couscous, bread, and cereal on a gluten-free diet. Beans, chickpeas, lentils, and the flours made from them are important, nutritious staples in a gluten-free pantry, as are nuts and nut flours. And, as is the case in any healthy diet, loads of fruits and vegetables make sure your gluten-free diet delivers essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. If you're willing to think outside the (bread) box, a gluten-free lifestyle can add a surprising amount of diversity to your diet, and may not feel like a restriction at all!

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