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My Evening Cup of Tea
Health | February 17, 2015
As much as I love my bulletproof coffee in the morning, I’m also a big fan of tea, specifically green tea. The soft, subtle taste and the relaxing nature of a nice warm cup of tea is often the perfect drink in the evening when I’m winding down. Green tea also has a lot less caffeine than coffee or even black tea. I don’t have to worry too much about it keeping me awake at night either. Of course, don’t take my word for it. Caffeine affects people differently so don’t brew up an inspired pot at night after reading this and then blame me for tossing and turning all night!
Unlike coffee, tea has been around for thousands of years. According to legend, the origins of tea begin in 2737 B.C (more than 4000 years ago!). A breeze blew stray leaves into a pot of boiling water for a Chinese emperor named Shen Nung who was also an herbalist. He kept the leaves in the pot and took the first sips of what is now known as tea. True or not, there’s a certain romance in knowing that a simple cup of tea has so much history behind it. It’s cool to think that we are sharing sips with centuries of different people from all over the world.
Aside from history and relaxation, green tea offers a variety of health benefits. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, out of all the teas available – black, green, oolong, etc. – green tea has the highest concentration of polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants that combat a variety of things including illnesses and the aging process.
An issue of the Harvard Women’s Health Watch also explained that green tea battles bad LDL cholesterol and increases good HDL cholesterol. Green tea also increased circulation by opening up arteries and improving how they function. A group of Chinese researchers published a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine that demonstrated a dramatic decrease in the risk of hypertension among green tea drinkers as well.
Are you fan of tea? What kinds of teas do you enjoy?
Private Member |
toronto, canada
I drink tea every night as well while I’m unwinding and watching some tv… I like to have camomile tea or peppermint tea with a slice of lemon. It warms my body and gives me a cozy night sleep, especially during those chilly nights.
Private Member |
usa
Tea is part of our nighttime routine. I prefer decaf after dinner – usually a green tea blend or chai. My son loves peppermint tea (I did too when I was a kid!) When I was little my aunt would tell me “Tea cures what ails you.”
Private Member |
Hello Zuzka,
The only supplements I had before were just the multivitamins from health store. I have been working out for 6 months now but I have missed gym as I would be sore and couldn’t make it to gym next day. I have gone 127lbs from 134lbs in all this time, but I don’t see much results with my tummy area. I really want to loose weight around this area and see some definition as well. As I work 8 hours a day, sometimes I don’t find time to cook food, and end up consuming same food same day.
Please suggest if I would go for the supplements you have mentioned would be help and don’t have any side-effects.
Thank you
Jasmine
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
Jasmine,
Being sore the next day after your workout is not what’s happening to people who workout consistently and at a high intensity. It happens to me rarely and I’m happy for that because I don’t like being sore. It’s not a good way to tell if your workout was effective. It’s the feeling you have during and right after the workout that matters. Did it feel hard? Did you get out of breath? Did you feel like you really gave it your all? If yes, then your workout was really effective and you should be happy that 20 minutes after the workout you feel full of energy again, and that you’re not sore the next day. As for getting more definition in your abs, you should try to follow my nutrition guide here: https://zuzkalight.com/category/nutrition/ and stay on low carb diet. Use the supplements only when real food is not available. Also make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep, because if you put your body through too much stress, your cortisol levels will increase which causes you to store fat in your midsection.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
Zuzka it depends on a person’s goals whether they have DOMS all the time or not. You aren’t trying to build muscle mass, but are instead maintaining a high level of athletism. People building muscle mass will suffer soreness all the time.
Private Member |
lake tahoe, nv, usa
We’re not talking about muscle building. She’s been trying to lose weight and get leaner.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
Point taken. But, in being leaner she is building muscle. You have reached a plateau which you are happy on. You aren’t trying to build more muscle or get leaner. You can sure make others leaner and more muscular without also doing it. You are our couch/trainer. Thank you for the reply.
Private Member |
I’m a fan of green tea too! Green tea and cinnamon is a great combo.
Private Member |
bad oldesloe, schleswig holstein, germany
I love teas too, especially green tea. First in the morning I´ll have a cup of coffee and for breakfast a matcha tea, that helps me to come down, relax for a few minutes to get energy for the day. For my way to my work I´m having a cup of strong black tea with a sip of milk (oat milk or soy milk) and then I´m allways fit the whole day, ha ha.
Private Member |
moscow, russia
I love-love-love green tea! Classic or with herbs or with peaces of dry fruit.))
Private Member |
ohio, usa
I love green tea, also I lile to treat myself to a bottle of kombucha on occasion, which is usually made with both black and green teas. I also get a dose of probiotics with the kombucha, but only on every once in a while, cause that stuff isn’t cheap. Other than that, I like lots of herbal teas, which are not nessisarily made with tea leaves.
Private Member |
My favorite is roobois. A south african bush, that contains lots of antioxidant and absolutely no cafein or theine. It is absolutely delicious whether warm or cold (with ginger, mint, little bit of honey with lots of ice cubes, it’s MY summer drink)
I have lots of different green teas as well, from Sri Lanka Burma and China. Very purifing drinks (and so good with a squirt of fresh lemon !!)
Private Member |
prague, czech republic
My most favorite one is green, I drink about two cups a day 🙂 then I also like peppermint, camomile, and black 🙂
Private Member |
jacksonville, nc, united states
So, I drink this medicinal mushroom tea from Alphay. I also drink their coffee which has medicinal mushrooms in it, but you would never know. And the great part is that it’s alkaline! I don’t know how they did it, but the coffee is alkaline and it doesn’t have the negative side effects of most coffees in terms of it’s acidity.