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Enjoy A Day Of "Superfood Teas!"
by David Snell
These five superfood teas have been selected to give you your best chance of enjoying a well-nourished, highly energized and uplifting day. Of course, the benefits don't have to end after one day: If you find a few teas and tips that improve your well-being, you'll benefit for the rest of your life.If I'd found out about these teas years ago, what a great boost to my health that could have been! This page lists the five teas I've often wished someone would have told me about earlier in life.
Now it's my pleasure to enjoy these tea discoveries again through the kindness and compassion of passing them on. There's an excellent chance these teas will work for you too: Let your own sense of well-being be the judge! I'll show you the teas that have the best chance to help most people.
How To Brew A Quick Cup
The quickest way to brew tea is to put 1/4 of a cup of water in a microwave, heat it for about 30-50 seconds, then drop in the teabag. If you want to speed things up more, use a spoon to repeatedly press the tea against the cup for 20-30 seconds. Then add just enough ice or cold water so it won't scald your mouth.The first time you try a tea, drink about 25% of it to see how it affects you, Repeat this every five or ten minutes, consuming the whole cup in 15-30 minutes. Later on, if you're confident that a tea affects you only in positive ways, it can take less than a minute or to drink a cup. Slow sipping is more appropriate for heavily caffeinated drinks. All of these teas have no caffeine, except for the green/white tea which has little, and it's okay to substitute a decaf green tea if you need to stay caffeine-free.
To get the most out of a tea, do a "second infusion" by repeating this same process. But never microwave a teabag because it will probably blow out the cotton bag and make a mess.
No tea works well for everyone, The more health-sensitive you are, the more likely it is that you'll notice a tea helps you, and that's especially true for non-caffeinated teas designed to detoxify and nourish your health with helpful herbs and revitalizing nutrients. But even if you notice little benefit, it may be wise to drink nourishing teas to bolster your long-term health.
You'll notice most of these teas helping you within 10-20 minutes, gradually improving your sense of well-being. A digestive tea will also help you all day long, as it helps drive good nutrition through your digestive pathways.
Maximize Your Well-Being Benefits
For your best chances of benefiting from these teas, read these tips and print out this page to carry with you:- Pick a good day to do this. Try these teas on a day you can enjoy, with plenty of movement and freedom for you and/or your family (and preferably some good weather!)
- Eat well. Eat a good balance of greens, veggies and fruits with each meal. You can add a little meat and/or bread for one or two meals, but no more than one slice of whole-grain bread per meal, and only a little meat (and avoid lunchmeat that's been kept from spoiling by preservatives.)
- Be aware of your health issues. These teas use well-studied ingredients that are fine for almost everyone to drink. You may find that some of your health problems are relieved, or at least their symptoms. On the other hand, you may be allergic to some herbal ingredients. If you have any questions, you can check a tea's list of ingredients at a site such as Amazon.com.
- Plan your tea times around meals. A digestive tea should be consumed at or near the end of a meal. Other teas are best consumed at least ten minutes before a meal, or else an hour after a meal. Not combining it with food quickens and maximizes its effects.
- Check the ingredients before drinking a new tea. These teas use well-studied ingredients that are fine for almost everyone to drink. You may find that some of your health problems are relieved, or at least their symptoms. On the other hand, you may be allergic to some herbal ingredients. If you have any questions, you can check a tea's list of ingredients at a site such as Amazon.com.
- Keep moving. Enjoy the day, move around and try to do at least a little bit of fun, energetic exercising. If you're on the go and need some hot water to make tea, you can use a microwave oven at any Whole Foods or 7-Eleven store. Most restaurants and coffee shops are also happy to provide you with a cup of hot water with your order.
- Use all of each teabag. After drinking one infusion of tea, do a second infusion and then suck it dry so you can benefit from all of its precious nourishment. Oftentimes the best nutrients are the last to dissolve out of the teabag.
- Don't degrade your day with bad nutrition. Don't eat any junk foods that could disrupt your digestion and lower your enthusiasm for the day: No excessive sugar, carbs or fats in any food. And don't put sweeteners in today's teas.
- Be as flexible as you need to be. If you find a tea's effects are really strong, you may want to wait an extra our or two before trying the next tea. If your body isn't reacting well to a tea, stop sipping for a while and resume usage only it starts to have a better effect.
- Give these teas a fair test. Don't consume any food or drink you usually don't eat, because that might affect your mood in some unforeseen way. Then you can't be sure whether that consumption interfered with the effects of these teas. You can drink coffee if that's your usual habit, but try to keep consumption gradual and at your low-to-normal levels.
- Stay open to feeling more love of life. That could actually multiply the effects of these teas. When you're feeling good and right, positive opportunities often appear more frequently. New horizons could open up, as you live some good times and connect with happy spirits anywhere you can find them. Being happy always is the ultimate prize, these five teas are just launchpads.
Your Five Daily All-Star Teas
Now let's unveil the five superfood teas that have the best chance to boost your health and elevate your sense of well-being:- Your Wake-Up Tea: "Green And White Fusion" by Stash: White tea has two main advantages over green: (1) a smoother taste, and (2) it contains more polyphenols to promote health and boost your immune system. Green tea has about 30% more caffeine, a stimulant that most of us should minimize. But even green tea usually has less than a third of the caffeine content of coffee. If you already have some quality green tea, you can substitute that, you don't need to go out and buy a box of white or green-and-white tea.
Why it's a superfood tea: Tea (white, green or black) is virtually the only source of theanine, a special kind of amino acid nutrient that raises levels of brain chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. That improves your brain function and feeling of well-being.
Green and white teas have more health-boosting catechins than black tea. Having less caffeine but more theanine, it can give you a well-being lift, while black tea gives you more of an energy boost. The fermentation process used to make black tea produces some beneficial nutrients, but that same process results in byproducts that may be slightly bad for your health.
"Oolong" tea is much less fermented: It gives you the "energy lift" of a black tea with less downside. If your digestion is sensitive, monitor its aftereffects carefully.
Green tea has been shown to be very healthy by numerous studies. Not enough research has been done on white tea to prove that it's healthier. Both are good for your digestion because they increase the activity of pepsin, an important digestive enzyme.
What to look for: The only place I've seen Stash green-plus-white tea is at Bartell Drugs. If you want to save money, Carrington makes good-quality green tea for five cents per teabag, a great deal compared to what you see in most supermarkets. You can buy Carrington online and at some Wal-Marts. Salada brand white tea is inexpensive and of okay quality, and is available from many grocers including Safeway.
- Your Out-The-Door Tea: "Lemon Daily Detox" by Traditional Medicinals: A detox tea isn't the same thing as a detox supplement pill. A detox tea contains herbs that help your toxin-removing organs (i.e. the liver and kidneys) function more efficiently.
If you find that this tea boosts your well-being, consume it at least 2-3 times per week, especially after having a bad digestive experience. Although it is caffeine-free, it's not recommended for use by pregnant or nursing women.
Why it's a superfood tea: It helps your body do away with toxins, resulting in an elevated sense of well-being. It can also aid weight loss, boost your energy, and fortify your immune system. Traditional Medicinals has a well-earned reputation for using higher-quality herbal ingredients than other companies.
What to look for: In addition to its Lemon Detox tea, Traditional Medicinals also makes a regular Daily Detox tea and a Dandelion Daily Detox tea. You can try them all; most likely, one will emerge as your favorite and you'll use the others more occasionally. I've sen the Lemon variety offered for sale at more places, a clue that it's a superior and more popular detox tea. I've seen it at Whole Foods, Target and Vitamin Life stores among others.
- Your Mid-Morning Tea: "Original Holy Basil" by Organic India: Holy basil can be an unpredictable little scamp: It may have a very blissful effect on you, or you might hardly notice it. It has anti-anxiety effects that are similar to antidepressant drugs such as Paxil, but usually without the side effects. It can help people feel calmer and more social. For many people it can promote a sensation of well-being and even blissfulness. It's caffeine-free, and it's okay to drink daily.
No negative side effects have been reported during human clinical trials. However, it's recommended to avoid holy basil if lactating, pregnant, or trying to conceive because not enough research has been done.
Why it's a superfood tea: Holy Basil is highly revered in Hinduism and widely used in Greek Orthodox Christianity as well, richly earning its "Holy" prefix. It's often called "The Queen of the Herbs" for its restorative and spiritual properties. It's very nutritious and has been shown to lower cholesterol, ease joint pain, and lower blood sugar. Many call it an adaptogen, a nutrient that balances chemicals in your body, reduces stress and elevates your sense of well-being.
What to look for: Holy Basil is traditionally thought to be best consumed as a tea, although you can also find it in supplement bottles. You can find the Tulsi brand at almost any supermarket.
Your Lunchtime Tea: "Belly Comfort" by Traditional Medicinals:
This tea helps you better digest food. You'll feel more energy and enjoy an improved sense of well-being from a well-balanced meal. I especially recommend that you use a digestive tea anytime you consume meat or bread, which are among the less easily digested foods.
After you've used it for a few weeks, it's effectiveness will seem to lessen because your body becomes accustomed to its herbs. You can then start using a variety of less expensive digestive teas for about 50% to 70% of your meals.
Why it's a superfood tea: The maker proudly trumpets that this is a "brilliant after-meal tea." That happens to be true, because it uses a blend of high-quality herbs known to improve digestion. The higher quality used by the maker helps it work better than most other digestive teas.
What to look for: This tea is hard to find in stores, because of the scarcity of the ingredients used, and the confusion caused by its recent renaming from "Eater's Digest." I've seen it at Whole Foods stores and Vitamin Life in Redmond, and at various online outlets.
- (Optional) Your Late-Day Tea(s): Take Your Pick! To keep building your well-being, you could try another green and/or white tea at mid-afternoon, and another digestive tea for supper (i.e. Yogi Ginger or Belly Comfort.) If you know of other teas that work well for you, go ahead and try them in the afternoon (and please let me know how well they work for you!) In the evening consider avoiding teas, especially caffeinated ones, because they might affect your sleep.
- Your Dinner Tea: "Ginger Tea" by Yogi: Any good ginger tea can be used either as a companion to Green tea, or as a stand-alone digestive aid. Ginger is a very common ingredient of herbal teas because it may well have more healing powers than any other spice.
Why it's a superfood tea: Ginger has been shown to aid digestion, relieve colds and flus, reduce pain and inflammation, and improve heart health. This particular Ginger tea is designed to be good for your digestion.
What to look for: I have sen this tea in many places including Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Almost every digestive tea contains ginger. Ginger pairs well with green tea without other digestive spices. If you want a non-digestive Ginger tea to combine with y our favorite tea, I would recommend Tazo Spicy Ginger. Tazo, Yogi and Traditional Medicinals all market a "ginger plus green" pairing.
