Mar 17 2009

Green Tea is a Great Health Drink

Category: Health Drinkshealthbuff @ 8:19 pm

Green tea is one of the best health drinks around. In fact, the Chinese have used this for more than 4,000 years which is why we should drink it as well and experience its benefits.

The benefits of drinking green tea include regulating your blood sugar, preventing certain cancers, fighting plaque, lowering your cholesterol and slowing down the aging process.

But what makes green tea so special is the fact that it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate also known as EGCG.

This is a powerful anti-oxidant that does two things. First it inhibits the growth of cancer cells and second, it kills cancer cells without harming any healthy tissue. It also lowers your cholesterol by inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots which causes someone to have either a heart attack or stroke.

Green tea is able to fight tooth decay because it inhibits the major bacteria called Streptococcus mutans from forming in between the teeth. At the same time, drinking this regularly also helps prevent gum disease.

Some people might ask, don’t other types of tea have the same benefits as green tea? They do but what sets green tea apart is how it is processed. The other products are not steamed so the EGCG compound which was explained earlier is not oxidized.

So what are you waiting for? Go down to the supermarket and buy a box of green tea and starting drinking it so you are able to experience its many healthy benefits. If the taste is bland after you pour it into your cup, add some flavoring by adding sugar, honey or even a lemon wedge.

You might be wondering, when is the best time to drink green tea? Since it contains caffeine, you should only drink this first thing in the morning and at different times during the day. You must never drink caffeine when you are hungry because this will just increase your appetite or at night because it will make it hard for you to get a good night’s sleep.

Since it will take some time to finish a box of green tea, proper storage is important. To do that, make sure this is kept in an airtight container once you open it and away from light. You can also put it in the refrigerator at a temperature between 38 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

People who are allergic to caffeine should not drink green tea. If you are pregnant, drink this in moderation. If you happen to have some left over green tea from the day before, throw it away and just make a new one because it is best to drink when it is fresh from the kettle.

Green tea just like coffee contains caffeine. This might lead you to the conclusion that this makes this drink just as bad as coffee but in reality, it isn’t because the caffeine content in green tea is fifty percent less than coffee.

There is no doubt that a health drink like green tea can do a lot for you. If you have never tried it before, it is never too late to start to boil a water of water and putting in a tea bag. You can drink it separately or do with the English do and serve this with a few biscuits.

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Mar 17 2009

Why Health Drinks are Effective

Category: Health Drinkshealthbuff @ 12:05 pm

Today, more and more experts agree that taking vitamins and mineral supplements in liquid form can be quite effective in achieving optimum health. This is because in this form, the body can absorb the nutrients it needs easily. For this reason alone why may companies decided to come with health drinks in liquid form such as those in juices while others come up with powder form which should be consumed along with liquid.

In the market nowadays, majority of the health drinks are available in pre-mixed form—usually in a bottle or tetra packs that are ready for drinking. However, there are also those that come in powder form that can be mixed with water to come up with your very own health drink.

Experts agree that people, these days, are very lucky because there is a continuous research and science experiment that aim to provide healthier and better tasting health drinks. In fact, health drinks come with variations of fruits, vegetables, enzyme grains, nuts, seeds, and other herbs to make them more appetizing.

Benefits of health drinks

These days, health drinks are reported to react differently to people who are using them. These also react depending on the purpose of the person using it. Experts say that the health drinks available in the market today can be categorized depending on the need of the consumers. There are those that are made to just deliver essential mineral and vitamins in the body. And, there are also those that are aimed towards increasing energy levels or increasing the muscle reaction to certain activities.

No matter which one you choose, rest assured that you can benefit from it once used in moderation. Aside from delivering essential vitamins and minerals and increasing energy, the following are other benefits of health drinks:

1. Satisfies the hunger and gives a sense of fullness. In a fast-paced, busy environment people are living in today, it is a must to have a source of energy at all times. One of the reasons why more and more people are into health drinks is to make up for the lost vitamins and minerals when they need to skip meal due to busy schedule.

2. Improves overall health. Since most health drinks are packed with vitamins and minerals, it can help you fight off common diseases by consuming it regularly.

3. Helps enhance mental stability. The nutrients in most health drinks are aimed to produce oxygen that keeps the blood vessels clear. Once a person takes in these nutrients regularly, it can help them have greater focus in the things that they do either at work or at home.

Tips in buying health drinks

Although many health drinks are available in the market today, not all of these can give you the nutrients that you need. Before you buy or consume a health drink, try to ask your doctor first which are the ones he or she can recommend that would best suit your needs.

If you prefer to buy on your own, make sure that these do not contain ingredients that can be harmful to you such as phosphoric acid, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors and sweeteners, artificial dyes and coloring, processed vitamins, and modified food starches.

Also, make sure that the health drink that you are about to consume is not liquefied or pasteurized, have live enzymes from chlorophyll to aid better absorption, has natural antioxidants that can help combat free radicals and are made whole food ingredients to be safe.

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Mar 17 2009

Great Health Drinks You Can Consume

Category: Health Drinkshealthbuff @ 4:05 am

We have to take care of our bodies. To do that, we can exercise, eat a good diet and also consume some health drinks. Just like food, such refreshments have to be prepared and here a twp that you can try out at home.

The first is green tea. Studies have shown that tea is healthier than coffee because it can help regulate your blood sugar and blood pressure, prevent certain cancers, fight plaque on your teeth, lower your cholesterol and slow down the aging process.

To make green tea, you will need one tea bag and then put this either in the kettle filled with warm water or straight to the cup. After letting it stand for about 3 minutes or so, you can already drink it. If you want to add flavor to your tea, you can try adding sugar, honey and even a lemon wedge.

The next drink is the fruit smoothie. The mixture itself is similar to making milkshake but instead of the added calories, this is replaced with vitamins and nutrients. To do that, you have to buy some fruit, low fat yogurt, some crushed ice and water. All the ingredients are then mixed in the blended and when it is ready, this is poured into a tall glass.

Aside from those you can make, there are those that can be poured straight from the container. These health drinks are your basic fruit juices and you can find these in different variations such as apple juice, grape juice, orange juice, pineapple juice and a lot more.

Although these health drinks have certain benefits, you have to remember that these products are highly processed which means these are high in sugar. These will surely cause your blood sugar to go up and drinking too much of these may cause damage to your heart and kidney over time.

There are also health drinks from vegetables which are better known as functional beverages. These are great to have since many of us don’t eat a salad daily. The only problem is that you get essential nutrients from various vegetables so you have to buy different products and take it alternately.

The newest health drink is called the cell renewal formula because it is a combination of fruit and vegetable extracts mixed with herbs and other plant compounds. There are only a few of these products so far in the market and a few of these don’t taste that good so it takes time for someone to get used to it.

Among all the different health drinks available, the one thing that is not included in this group is the energy drinks. If you read the ingredients on the label, these consists of artificial sweeteners, caffeine or ephedra and in some cases a combination of all three.

You have probably drank a few of these in the past and although they taste good, the reality is that it may replenish your electrolytes after a workout but it does not have give you any vitamins and nutrients which are good for your health. This does not mean you should give up drinking energy drinks but consume it in moderation.

There is no doubt that health drinks are good for you otherwise doctors and other health experts will not recommend them. You can make this yourself or buy these from the store but before you bringing it to the checkout counter, take time to read what is written on the product label.

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