The Tea Scoop

L-Theanine

The health benefits of tea just get better and better. L-Theanine is a component in green tea that gives green tea its soothing quality despite the caffeine content. It is an amino acid, and is predominately found in tea leaves. Perfection!

This amino acid means that a cup of green tea can induce a mental state similar to that achieved through meditation, which is great for those of us who might have a little trouble focusing. This may even help with that focusing problem. This study proposes that this could be an alternative to Ritalin for both adults and children, assist in concentration and mental acuity, and treat PMS as well as helping to fight cancer.

I think this is research we can all get behind.

Yahoo! Tea Article

In reading the comments on the Yahoo article mentioned recently, it seemed that while many people were interested in the health benefits of green tea, there was also a lot of confusion about the best way to go about it. (For those who missed it, it was a list of seven reasons to drink green tea)

One of the questions was whether or not flavored (scented) teas had the same health benefits as the plain or unflavored varieties. The answer is: yes! If you love that citrus green tea, keep guzzling. It still has all those antioxidant properties. Plus, some elements used to flavor, such as orange, may add additional vitamins. Scented teas would be great for a lot of people who complained about the grassy flavor of green tea.

There was also a lot of discussion about bottled teas, and warnings that they contain high fructose corn syrup. This is certainly true, but those who desire the convenience of bottled teas need only look for unsweetened or diet versions. Honest Tea carries unsweetened varieties, while even Lipton’s (if you happen to like that brand) carries diet and unsweetened versions as well.

Many people were also concerned about the caffeine in green tea. Yes, green tea does contain caffeine. The amount is usually less than that in black tea and coffee, but for those who are sensitive, I would recommend a decaffeinated variety. I personally do respond to caffeine, but am not so sensitive that I cannot drink a cup of green tea and then go right to bed.

Hot or cold? Actually, it doesn’t matter. Both will give you the same health benefits! Same thing with decaf.

Any other questions? Feel free to leave a comment!

7 Reasons to Drink Green Tea

In case I hadn't stressed the benefits of tea as a health beverage, Yahoo! has Seven Reasons to Drink Green Tea on their food section. Get the details on why tea is good for skin, cancer, and mental health!

For more recent comments, click here

Peppermint Tea and Female Hirsutism

While still in the prelimary stages of research, a new study indicates that drinking spearmint tea may reduce hirsutism in women by decreasing the amount of testosterone in their system, as well as increasing the amount of estrogen. "The next step is to show the effect of spearmint tea on hirsutism scores of the women in a treatment period," Dr. Mehmet Numan Tamer said in an interview in Wednesday's Washington Post.

You can read the article here

The Spearmint Plant

Drink Those Veggies!

According to a recent article on CNN.com, drinking tea is as beneficial as eating vegetables. Why's that?

Tufts University professor of Nutrition Jeffrey Blumberg says, tea is a "a plant-based beverage. You put those leaves in water and you heat them up and what you're doing is extracting these phytonutrients that are very similar to those that you find in fruits and vegetables. It doesn't have some of the vitamins and minerals and the fiber that you find in fruits and vegetables, so it's not quite equivalent, but if we're looking at those phytochemicals, then boy, there's actually a fair amount in tea."

He does warn that research still needs to be done on claims that tea can help everything from osteoporosis to heart health, but still recommends tea as a healthy beverage, simply because it has zero calories if you don't add milk or sugar. And there is another reason not to add dairy. The European Heart Journal recently conducted a study that found tea diluted with milk had diluted health benefits as well.

More and more evidence is being found that tea is good for you. So take Blumberg's advice: "I tell people...if you don't drink tea, try it. Have a cup. I find it an aromatic and delicious drink. If you already drink a cup a day, consider having two. And so if you drink it frequently and consistently, that's where the benefits are seen."

Decaffeination Nation

There's a lot of controversy about caffeine. Is it good for you or bad for you? Well, I'm no doctor, so I'm not going to completely answer that question. Studies have shown results on both sides, and in moderation, it's probably not such a bad thing.

That being said, some people are sensitive to caffeine, other people might want to enjoy a nice cup of tea before bed without being up all night. But there are plenty of options out there.

Herbal infusions such as chamomile or rooibos are all naturally caffeine free, which is a smart choice. (Exception: infusions made from yerba mate do have naturally occurring caffeine, although they are herbal). For black tea lovers, look for a rooibos that mimics strong black tea taste. Trader Joe's Orange Spice Rooibos is a good option in terms of bagged teas. The Shaded Leaf offers a selection of flavored rooibos aimed at caffeine-avoiding black tea lovers. If you have an allergy to caffeine, this is the way to go.

Now, if you are just looking to cut back on caffeine, you have a few more options. Black tea has the most caffeine of all teas, then oolong, then green, then white. White tea is very low in caffeine, about equal to a cup of decaffeinated black tea.

When looking for decaffeinated tea, you want to look for tea that has been decaffeinated through CO2 decaffeination. It's a natural process involving washing, and therefore has no harmful impact on the environment, and it also leaves the health benefits intact.

Imagine this: you're up late in the middle of the week, and know you have to go to bed soon, but you really want a cup of tea to relax with. You open up the cupboard and see only black tea, full of caffeine. But do not despair! In a pinch, you can decaf your own leaves. What you say? Impossible?

While not perfect, you can use the following method to strip out enough caffeine that you can have your tea and sleep too.

1. Prepare your tea as usual, but only steep it for thirty seconds.
2. Pour out the liquor, but keep the leaves.
3. Steep the leaves a second time. The first steeping strips out about 85% of the caffeine in the tea, enough to make a difference.

Notes: This works better with loose leaf tea, as with bagged tea there may be some loss of flavor. This is not recommended for people who are caffeine sensitive.

Tea and Chocolate

Another great health discovery is that black tea and chocolate may be a source of catechins, which promote healthy hearts. This article recommends drinking two cups of black tea with a small piece of chocolate or consuming four apples per day to get enough catechins. Tea and chocolate? Absolutely, here I come!

Enviga

Coke and Nestle have recently come out with a new product: Enviga. This sparkling green tea drink is supposed to assist in diets. Theoretically the blend of caffeine and tea means that the drinker burns more calories than they consume. However, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is skeptical, and has started an investigation into these claims. It is currently only available in NY and NJ, but Enviga should be available nationwide in the RTD tea aisle sometime soon.

If any readers have had a taste, I'd be curious to hear about their experience. As soon as I hear about the validity of the science behind its value as a diet drink, I'll post an update!

What's the Deal with Tea and Health?

We've all heard that tea is good for you because it contains lots of antioxidants, which are also good for you. But what does that really mean?

Well, first of all, it's true that tea is packed with antioxidants, and it's a great way to boost them in your diet, without adding any calories (unless you add milk and sugar of course).

So, what's the deal with antioxidants? Well, there are different kinds, for one thing. One of the most common types of antioxidants in tea are polyphenols, which are collectively called catechins. Catechins are also found in chocolate and red wine. So what do they do? They're great for the heart, for one thing, because of their cardio protective effects, and may also be good in lowering cholesterol and promoting healthy blood lipid levels. As if that's not enough, they're good for your brain too! They have "brain protective" properties that keep the brain sharp, and promote cognitive performance and mental alertness.

But wait! There's more! They may also help the body deal with stress and positively affect blood sugar levels.

So, if you want the most polyphenols, which tea do you drink? Green tea is the richest in polyphenols, and has a few added benefits. When it's used as a mouthwash, it reduces plaque build-up, and it may even help protect from UV radiation. Sounds like a miracle to me!

But for all you black tea lovers, do not despair. Black tea contains the same total amount of antioxidants as green tea, just in different proportions of other types of antioxidants.

So how much should you drink to get antioxidant rich? If you want to match medical studies, drink three 8 ounce glasses of tea per day, preferably between meal times as tea can interfere with the absorption of iron or other nutrients. And drink them throughout the day, as antioxidants are water soluble and therefore have short lived effects.

This information is from theWhole Foods Podcast.