Now with MORE green

I've started drinking matcha tea.  I'm looking for my favorite brand and reviewing this site:  http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2014/03/matcha-green-tea-brand-reviews-buying.html

Matcha is expensive, but it's cheaper than a Starbuck's habit and Dr. Gregor says it is SUPER good for you! (Click to watch a short video.)

(And this video tells you that it's okay to drink up to ten cups of tea a day.)  (Whew! I'm about 1/2 that.)

Tumeric Tea

I've read about tumeric tea for a long time. I finally decided to try it.

Yum.  I'll try it with almond milk next.

I put ~ 3 cups of water in a pan and 1 teaspoon of tumeric. Boiled, and poured a big cup of it. I poured in a teaspoon of honey.  Yum!  I totally skipped straining it and it was fine.  I took the remainder, about a cup, and added ginger tea bag.  I'll try that tomorrow and report back.

Tumeric is supposed to be amazing for you.

Might help, can't hurt.  My motto for what I eat, drink, and do.

Coffee

I gave up coffee a couple of years back, but a link to this slide show came to my email box, today. The slide show is called, Coffee: The Original Wonder Drug? 

If you're not a member of Medscape, you won't be able to see the slide show.  I recommend joining Medscape, not just to see this slide show, but to get access to peer-reviewed work in the world of medicine. 

I used to love coffee, but I gave it up because I thought it would be better for me to not drink it.  I still drink caffeine in the form of black and white tea.  However, after viewing the slides I kind of want to drink coffee again.  The benefits that are attributed to coffee include:

• lower risk of coronary disease--potentially because of antioxidants that reduce oxidation in LDL cholesterol; coffee drinking is also associated with lower inflammatory markers in the blood
• lower risk of stroke (a meta-analysis showed this)
• improved glucose metabolism and lower risk of type 2 diabetes
• increased ability to lose weight
• reduction in some types of cancer--potentially due to antioxidants and anti-mutagenic properties
• potentially neuroprotective (less dementia progression in coffee drinkers)
• lower risk for depression
• protection for the liver
• reduced risk for MRSA (also true for tea drinkers)
• helpful in dry eye syndrome
• reduced risk for gout

(As I said, get membership in Medscape!)

Coffee's not perfect as the slide show creators end with the associate risks:

• increased blood pressure
• causing or worsening anxiety, insomnia, and tremor  
• potentially elevated risk for glaucoma

What I want to figure out is how many of the benefits of coffee are also associated with tea because of the caffeine.  I may need to add both coffee and tea to my diet for the health benefits.

The slide show also notes that one risk is caffeine withdrawal syndrome; it is being considered as an entry in the DSM-5 because of the debilitating symptoms.  (Just don't quit?)  I'm not ever planning on quitting working out, so maybe it should be the same for caffeine.