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goji berry seedsOolong Tea - A Healthy Refreshing Drink

Green tea is often touted as a wonder drink providing all sorts of health benefits. Studies have shown that green tea can prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, boost the immune system and reduce hypertension. Although green tea gets the spotlight, many of these same health benefits can be attributed to all sorts of tea including oolong.

Tea is, after all, tea. The only difference between green, oolong, and black tea is the way it has been processed after harvesting. White tea is a little bit different because of the way it is grown, but all tea is from the same plant - Camelia sinensis. And this plant has naturally occurring antioxidants that are beneficial to human health.

Antioxidants are also present in other types of food such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and wines. They are good for disease prevention by combating free radicals - substances in the body linked to cancer, Parkinson's disease, senile and drug-induced deafness, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's.

There are several components in tea that act as antioxidants including catechins, flavanoids, and polyphenols.

White, Green or Oolong?

Oolong tea is produced by allowing the tea leaves to oxidize for a short time after picking. Oxidation is the process which makes the leaves turn dark on exposure to oxygen. Oolong is semi-oxidized; black tea is fully oxidized; and green tea is un-oxidized.

Fresh tea leaves are high in catechins. Processing the tea reduces these levels, so the more the tea is oxidized the lower the catechin levels. This means that white tea has the highest levels of catechins closely followed by green tea.

Catechins are the media darling of green tea promoters and usually receive the most coverage when discussing the health benefits of tea. There is one point, however, which is often overlooked: As the levels of catechins decrease during oxidation, the levels of theaflavins and thearubigins increase.

These two substances are found in higher concentrations in oolong and black tea than in green tea and have anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. A 2001 Chinese study indicated that the antioxidant properties of green tea and black tea are equal.

So it appears that oxidation does not eliminate the health properties of tea, but simply reduces one type of antioxidant while increasing other health-promoting compounds.

So is Oolong Good for You?

It is safe to say that all tea is good for you, but since we are particularly interested in oolong, let's see what the medical literature has to say.

• Diabetes - Oolong tea may be an effective adjunct to oral hypoglycemic agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
• Eczema - Japanese researchers reported that patients with a form of eczema improved after drinking a liter of oolong tea daily.
• Allergies - Two catechin derivatives (C-1 and C-2) with potent antiallergic activity were isolated from Taiwanese oolong tea.
• Bacterial infections - Oolong tea polyphenols strongly inhibited the enzyme activities of some types of streptococci.
• Cavities - Oolong tea polyphenolic compounds could be useful for controlling dental caries.
• Obesity - Consumption of oolong tea stimulates both EE and fat oxidation in normal weight men.
• Cancer - Oolong tea extract has a chemopreventive action against hepatocarcinogenesis.

Great stuff! Drinking oolong tea will make you healthier, live longer, be more beautiful and have great teeth!

The Bottom Line

Drink oolong tea for your health, but don't lose sight of this simple fact - people have been drinking tea for thousands of years because it is a great tasting beverage. Sit back, relax, and savour the sensations as you sip this wonderful drink. It's good for the soul, and what's good for the soul is certainly good for the body. __________________________________

References:

• J. Agric. Food Chem., 47 (5), 1906 -1910, 1999. 10.1021/jf981114l S0021-8561(98)01114-5
• Archives of Dermatology, January 2001
• Diabetes Care 26:1714-1718, 2003
• Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 April; 59(4): 968-973.
• The American Society for Nutritional Sciences J. Nutr. 131:2848-2852, November 2001
• Caries Res. 1993;27(2):124-9.
• Jpn J Cancer Res. 1996 Oct;87(10):1034-8.
• Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:2248-2251.

Copyright � 2006 by Ross MacIver TeaFromTaiwan.com

This article may be redistributed freely on the Internet or in ezines as long as the resource box and hyperlinks remain intact.

Ross MacIver is the webmaster of Tea From Taiwan, a Taiwan-based merchant of high-quality oolong tea. Taiwan produces the best oolong tea in the world. All the tea carried by Tea From Taiwan is hand picked and hand processed. The tea is shipped worldwide by Taiwan air post.

Dear Pepsi (A Goodbye Letter)

This is a hard letter to write, but it must be done. I have loved you with an unfailing love so much of my life. You have been my constant companion on good days and bad days. You have been a faithful friend, always there to lift my spirits and make the pain go away. You were the one who was there when no one else was around. In the midst of the days that were filled with turmoil or emptiness you were my refuge. I would reach for you and you would always be there for me. After just a few moments in your presence, I would feel better and forge ahead with whatever had to be done. People have never understood our relationship, but I want to offer my deepest and heartfelt thanks for making many lonely, stressful and hard days bearable. I don't want to give you up. I don't. I'm not sure I feel like I CAN give you up, but I am writing this letter in hopes that you will understand why I have to take this step and that you will let me go. We both knew that we had to face this day. I have dreaded it for so long. But if you care for me at all, love me enough to let me go and help me on my journey of health, wholeness and wellness.

I've tried to give you up before. You know that. You stood patiently waiting, giving me my space, always knowing that I would return to you. I would go three months or six months without you, but somewhere inside there was a spot that only you seemed to be able to fill. When we'd get back together after being apart, it would be awkward at first, but after a while it felt as though I had never left you. We've been on this yo-yo relationship for at least five years now and I must choose Water instead. I have to choose to be in a relationship with someone that is good for me and who will contribute to me living a long and healthy life. But I love you so. I hate to give you up, but it has to be done.

For so long you were the one thing I had in my life that made me feel good. I could count on you to always be there for me. I really didn't want to have to ever give you up. The thought of doing it still makes me feel empty inside and I wonder how I will make it without you during the tough days that may lie ahead of me. At this moment, it feels like it will be a hard task to accomplish. It seems so unfair that I must make the choice to give up something that means this much to me. But to have life the way I want it, I must give it up the way it is.

Thank you for your faithfulness, for your patient understanding and for giving me much much more than I ever expected. As I write this I realize that I may have been using you as a crutch in my life. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry so please forgive me. I was just doing the best I could. I see you watching me right now as I write this. You are sitting on my desk looking me squarely in the eye. You are standing tall and looking sharp, dressed in my favorite colors of cobalt blue and red. I sure hope that the new person in my life can fill your shoes and make me feel as good as you.

Thank you for caring for me and loving me and being ever present in my life. Thanks for being there when it counted. You will be hard to replace, but I am sure that women are waiting in line for you just like I was. Don't feel neglected by the ones who have chosen champagne and wine over you. What I loved about you was that you never changed my state of mind, but you did have an addicting love.

Pepsi, I must say goodbye. You may never know how much you meant to me. I will miss you so much, but the time has come when I must stand tall and come out of hiding. I have to get out and live my life and be active and become the woman I am called to be. I have to move about freely and lightly. Although people have never understood our relationship, I do. I don't care what "they think", I am not influenced by them. Don't ever think that I was. This is a choice I had to make for myself. Somewhere in our hearts we both knew it would have to come to this. We will not be together, but I will always speak lovingly and kindly about you. I hope you'll do the same for me. You were there for me and I appreciate that so very much.

The next time you see me you may not recognize me, because I am going to give Water a try. He has pursued me and pursued me and I have never shown interest in him. However, we both know that he is a much better match for me and will take very good care of me. He'll take some getting used to. I've always felt he was such a "plain" kind of guy, but he is sure and steady and is ready to commit to me and you never were. When we see each other we may not speak, but we will always remember what we were to each other. If you love me, don't come after me; let me give my new life a try. I'm counting on you to understand me and to be rooting for my success in the new chapter of my life. You were my hero and I once loved you for it, but Water is ready to sweep me off my feet.

Best,
Sharmaine L. Hobbs

Sharmaine Hobbs is a writer and speaker and Founder of The Metamorphosis Movement which is a transformational movement reaching 100,000 women in 2008 to inspire, uplift and empower them to become the woman they were born to be. She reaches women through her speaking engagements, inspirational writings, womens workshops, teleclasses, mentoring program and her website. "When Women Awaken, Mountains Move!" To have her speak at your event or to awaken and transform your life, visit online at http://www.whenwomenawaken.com and email her at sharmaine@comcast.net

It Won't Be E-Asy Getting Kids Off Additives

Following a study by scientists at Southampton University, the papers have been awash with articles on the effects of food additives on children, and whether these are to blame for hyperactivity and behavioural problems that seem to be becoming more and more common.

I'm no fan of these additives and E numbers. There is absolutely no reason why they should appear in our foods, other than to entice children to pester their parents for brightly coloured, fantasy tasting 'treats' that appear too exciting to resist. And that's before the adults get tempted too...

Long term, children that regularly consume foods laden with additives are likely to grow into adults that cannot appreciate the true flavour of food, and that is going to prove deadly to our impending obesity crisis. Many of today's children will find real food dull, boring and tasteless and instead steer themselves towards nutritionally 'dead' junk.

What future headache does that hold for Trainers, Nutritionists and Lifestyle Coaches if it's hard enough getting grown adults away from artificially flavoured foods, in favour of more vegetables, more fibre and more protein??

Until there's a total ban on these additives (which may never happen), there is one way to reduce the chances of behavioural problems in children; get the family outdoors and be more active.

The more time children spend indoors, in front of the TV, the games console or the internet, the more chance they have of steering towards these 'sweet treats' to pep up their flagging energy.

With less regular physical activity, they will also find it hard to know how to expend this newly-found energy, which could be when you find a troublesome child on your hands...

Simon Dainton is a Certified Personal Trainer and founder of Fitstreet Personal Training in the UK. His Programs of Lifestyle change guarantee clients results, combining effective exercise, nutrition and lifestyle adjustments. For your FREE Fat Loss Report, go to http://www.fitstreet.co.uk/

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