As one of the most nutritious drinks in the world, green tea is delicious and reached for globally to calm the spirit, and fill up with phytonutrients, antioxidants, and reputed anti-cancer properties.
We all may drink tea differently (milk-no milk, sweetener-no sweetener, lemon-no lemon, etc), but it’s a great way to enjoy a beverage that has been used to improve health over centuries.
Here are some of the benefits from drinking a cup of green tea/day:
Hydration: important for skin, weight, brain, digestion, and kidney function
Antioxidant-rich: Antioxidants may be protective against chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
Immunity Boosting: EGCG is one of the antioxidants from green tea that seems to improve immune function
Weight Loss: Several studies suggest that green tea supports weight loss and boosts fat burning.
Energy Boosting: Green tea has caffeine, which is a stimulant and energy booster. It may also boost athletic performance and endurance.
Cancer Protection: science shows that regular green tea drinkers may have a reduced risk of cancer – specifically bladder, breast, colorectal, and prostate.
Diabetes Protection: Green tea may help better manage blood sugar and protect against Type 2 Diabetes, while also reducing inflammation and better utilizing insulin. This has shown to reduce insulin resistance in some folks.
Heart Health Booster: science shows that regular green tea drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes
Promote brain health: science shows that regular green tea drinkers have a reduced risk of dementia and other cognitive impairments
Prevent kidney stones: science shows that green tea drinkers may have a lower risk of developing kidney stones, especially with men
To make Green tea:
Boil water, and allow it to cool 3 minutes before pouring it in your cup.
Add a green tea bag to your cup. Pour heated/cooled water to your cup and steep 1-3 minutes.
What’s slightly sweet, somewhat bubbly and a bit tangy? kombucha is a fermented tea drink whose healing reputation has been touted for centuries. It is said to be the drink that boosts immunity, gut bacteria, digestion, metabolism, heart health, and possibly even cancer! How can one drink do all that? And if it could… it would have to be a SUPERFOOD… or SUPERDRINK!
Is the reputation real? What does western science say?
Kombucha is made with a tea, sugar (which will be used up in the culturing process), and a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) – and of course –time for fermenting. Mixing these ingredients together and waiting from a few weeks to a few months allows the sugar to break down into alcohol and organic acids (including carbon dioxide). The final product is a beverage that is sweet, tangy, bubbly, and contains probiotics, antioxidants, B vitamins, caffeine, and a small amount of alcohol.
For those that don’t partake in alcohol – this isn’t your drink. For the rest, kombucha does provide live strains of bacteria (probiotics) and antioxidants that may enhance your gut bacteria and improve immunity and digestion. It could enhance microbe function – of which includes metabolism, and heart health.
Cancer Benefits
A November 2020 study reviews other clinical studies and contends that Kombucha has anticancer activities as well by inhibiting cancer cells. The tea polyphenols may prevent gene alteration and propagation of cancer calls, while also promote cancer cell apoptosis (cell suicide). It may also alkalize a cancer patient’s blood pH in some cases. The components of kombucha tea (specifically vitamin C, glucuronic acid, polyphenols, gluconic acid, and lactic acid) may reduce the incidence of stomach cancer. While there have been many studies done with kombucha via non-human subjects (mice), there have been few human trials done – although… the drink has been in existence for centuries. The US FDA confirmed there is no harmful effect of kombucha on the human body.
Diabetes Benefits
The antioxidant activity of kombucha tea helps to neutralize free radicals that form due to normal aging and body processes. The free radical generation is not beneficial to the quality of health nor longevity of the body; so any component that helps neutralize this is considered a positive impact. Kombucha has been shown to be beneficial with antioxidant activities on illnesses like diabetes.
Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity
Kombucha tea has demonstrated the inhibitory performance against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, helicobacter pylori (peptic ulcer causing), Escherichia coli (diarrhea causing), & staphylococcus aureus among others.
Other benefits
The research talks about liver protection, and detoxification which could be beneficial with grout, rheumatism, arthritis, and kidney stones.
Other adverse effects
If Kombucha is not prepared correctly – home brewed but not right – there can be negative side effects including dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, jaundice, and head/neck pain. Pregnant or nursing women should NOT drink kombucha nor any other alcoholic beverage according to the CDC. The immunocompromised (people with weakened immune systems)
Tis the season of pumpkins and all the fall squashes – but try not to waste the best parts! The best parts are the tiny gems in the middle – the seeds. They are high in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids! If you can rinse through the fibers and collect the seeds – you will discover a delicious snack. These seeds can be slowly roasted in a toaster oven and then cooled. Before eating, you want to hull them, which can be done one at a time. It’s not a bad thing to slow down eating and increase the anticipation of a delicious nutritious snack!
Roasting the seeds has been shown via science to enhance the antioxidant properties, aroma, & flavor – and it is absolutely one of my favorites!
Coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk of heart failure according to the latest research… as long as it’s caffeinated. The American Heart Association published the results showing that the more coffee people drank, the lower their risk for heart failure – with the exception of decaf drinkers.
Prior to this research, people thought that coffee may not be great for the heart because its sometimes associated with palpitations or high blood pressure. So if you drink between 1-3 cups of caffeinated coffee, then you may be benefitting from this. But if you are not a regular coffee drinker, there is not enough evidence to suggest that if you increase your coffee consumption, that you would reduce your heart disease risk as much stopping smoking, losing weight, or exercising. This means the most high-impact action for someone wanting to minimize heart disease is to stop smoking, or lose weight or exercise regularly.
I’ve been Libby-ing (an app that reads you library books) Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s book, Keep Sharp- Build a better Brain at any age. And I’ve been thinking about the nutrition that helps fuel the brain. If we provide all that an organ needs, it serves as optimal fuel for optimal function, right?
So what fuel does our brain need for optimal memory and focus? And how does that translate into ideal foods for us to eat? I have to admit I don’t eat all these things, but understand the value of the basic nutrition in boosting brain function:
The first question about optimal fuel has to do with the brain and its composition. It’s 60% fat – so healthy sources of omega-3 fatty acids (the anti-inflammatory promoting fat) are a great idea! Caffeine shows positive effects on the brain, and antioxidants are helpful in neutralizing damage from free radicals. Vitamin C is key in preventing mental decline so that’s a powerful antioxidant to consume daily – it may even help protect against depression, anxiety, or Alzheimer’s disease. Also vitamins B6 and B12 help with regulating mood and memory.
The second question about which foods is listed here:
Fatty Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, but if you don’t eat fist, then look to pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flax seeds, spirulina, edamame, and beans.
Caffeinated Coffee or green tea may sharpen your focus and increase alertness. The combination of the caffeine and antioxidants are astounding. Just ensure that you don’t sugar up that brain boosting beverage. Sugar is not helpful to the brain.
Dark Chocolate also contains both caffeine and antioxidants. Studies show this is also useful with mental tasks and mood boosting.
Berries, especially blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.
Turmeric or Curcumin (active ingredient in turmeric) has brain boosting aspects specifically with memory, mood, and cell growth.
Oranges are known for good vitamin C nourishment, and there are many more fruits that can provide it too.
Eggs are a good source of vitamins B6 and B12 which can support optimal brain function too.
If you are looking for help with creating an optimal meal plan for brain boosting, contact your local nutritional therapist or give me a quick email and we can talk more about how nutrition can help you be the best you! I look forward to your call!
A reported 5 million people have some form of lupus, an autoimmune condition causing pain, fatigue, hair loss, and cognitive & physical issues affecting every facet of daily life. One of the challenges for lupus sufferers is time spent in the sun creates inflammation on the skin as well as rashes for some folks.
In summers, many people avoid being outdoors during the hottest and fiercest sun of the day. Lupus sufferers MUST avoid the sunniest part of outdoor life. While this may seem logical, a study has shown that Lupus sufferers can use a sunscreen (UV protection) to lessen their usual inflammatory response in the sun. It can also reduce tissue/skin lesion damage – so win/win right?
The thing with sunscreens is that it only works if it’s still on! So read your sunscreen instructions, and ensure you REAPPLY when you need to. Some people prefer to lather up with a crème lotion version and then reapply with a spray. When reapplying ensure that your skin is glistening with it. Remember to use more than 35 SPF, and use waterproof if you are in the water.
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