Showing posts with label Green Tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Tea. Show all posts

Friday, January 11, 2013

Healthy Drinks

Choosing a healthy drink can be very beneficial. A beverage can help provide necessary nutrients but it can also provide empty calories. For this reason, knowing your healthier drink options becomes increasingly important in terms of weight management and general health.

Green Tea:
0 calories

The Benefit: Helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, and cavities. Green tea is rich in flavonoids and polyphenols, natural antioxidants that may protect cells from cancer-causing substances and inhibit tumor growth by neutralizing free radicals in the body.

Reduced-Fat Milk: 120 calories for 8 oz

The Benefit: Helps protect against osteoporosis and curbs appetite. It helps you stay full longer because of its protein content. It also stabilizes blood sugar, so you're less susceptible to cravings. Milk is an excellent source of calcium because it also contains vitamin D, which is needed for maximum calcium absorption.

Soy Milk: 80 calories for 8 oz

The Benefit: Lowers the risk of heart disease. Soy milk contains soluble fiber and soy protein, which lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and triglycerides, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Low-Sodium Tomato Juice: 30 calories for 6 oz

The Benefit: May protect against numerous cancers. Processed tomato products are the richest source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been associated with a reduced risk of several cancers and cardiovascular disease.

This is just a brief, shortened list of healthy drinks. There are many more, and remember water is always a great beverage choice. Do your research and always read nutrition labels carefully.






Friday, August 10, 2012

Green Tea

"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one," Ancient Chinese Proverb.
Green tea is rich in catechins, especially epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a powerful antioxidant.  Green tea also contains carotenoids, tocopherols, vitamin C, and minerals, such as chromium, manganese, selenium, or zinc.  

Potential health benefits of green tea include decreased risk of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, infection, and impaired immune function. 

Most of the research showing the health benefits of green tea is based on the amount of green tea typically consumed in Asian countries- about 3 cups daily, which would provide 240-320 mg of polyphenols. One cup of green tea contains 20-35 mg of EGCG, which has the highest antioxidant activity of all the green tea catechins.

Although many human studies on green tea are inconsistent, it is clear that green tea users have lower risks of many health conditions.  If you like tea, go green.

Reference
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=146