9 Ways Tea Can Change Your Life

I love tea. Hot or iced, tea not only comes in a never-ending abundance of flavors, but it’s also incredibly good for you. The health benefits of tea have long been researched, and studies have found that tea’s benefits range from helping with diseases such as cancer and diabetes to encouraging weight loss and lowering cholesterol. With less caffeine than coffee, tea is a gentle mood and energy lifter.

In the words of Katherine Tallmadge of the American Dietetic Association, “There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea.” I sure can't think of any--can you? I'm so glad to have such a delicious and healthy drink available, especially during rainy Seattle winters like this one.

With all its positive affects on the body, tea has been touted in the East as the “key to good health, happiness, and wisdom,” according to WebMD. So, what are the ideal blends of tea for different moods or ailments? I was inspired to find out by both my love of tea and by Back on Pointe's lovely graphic below, which I discovered on Tumblr. Here's what I found out about the mental and physical health benefits different types of tea can bring.

The Effects of Tea
Image: Back On Pointe / Tumblr

Energy Boost—Black tea has a significant does of caffeine, less than coffee but still enough to perk you up. Plus, the bold flavor will help give you an extra jolt of energy. Spiced green teas will also give you a boost without the jitters.

Refresh—White tea has the most antioxidants of all types of tea, as well as the lowest caffeine content (other than herbal tea, which is caffeine free). Sip on some white tea for a mellow drink that will leave your body feeling refreshed and healthy.

Stress Relief—Green tea’s naturally leafy flavor and light dose of caffeine will help ease stress and refocus all those frazzled brain signals without wiring you for overload. Try to avoid black tea when extra stressed, as it has higher caffeine content. Roobios, honey bush, and herbal chai blends all help keep stress away, and ginger teas can get rid of those nervous jitters when they come a-knocking.

Creative Boost—To get those mind juices flowing, try a spicy blend like Indian Chai mixed with a little cream and honey or a rooibos tisane rich in electrolytes.

Immune System Boost—Get a dose of anti-sickness with fruity herbal teas like orange, lemon, or raspberry. The hot liquid will ease sore throats, and the lack of caffeine will help settle your stomach. Chamomile tea is also a great way to combat general winter blues.

Anti-Nausea—My personal favorites for settling an upset tummy include herbal mint and ginger teas. Mint and ginger naturally ease nausea and always leave me feeling much better. Try these with just a touch of honey if you want a little sweetness.

For Tranquility—Feeling frazzled and just want to relax? Try chamomile, lavender, roobios or lemongrass teas, which will help your body settle down. A steaming cup of any of these is wonderful shortly before bedtime.

Think Happy Thoughts—Need a mood elevator? Try lemon verbena and rooibos teas, which have natural mood-boosting qualities.

Focus—Sip on green tea or yerba mate to help with focus and overall productivity. Green and black teas help improve our cognitive function, alertness, attention span, and more. 

What's your favorite tea blend?  

Coconut Water: Famous For A Reason

Fad alert: drinking coconut water.
Image: Shutterstock

It seems like everywhere I look (especially in these warm summer months), people are drinking coconut water. When I was growing up, I had a few friends who loved coconut water, and when I was living in Costa Rica, we used to crack open fresh coconuts and drink it fresh through straws.

Lately there’s been this huge surge of people drinking coconut water. And while some might just be doing it because it’s the new healthy “fad,” coconut water has become famous for some very legitimate reasons.

It’s not for everyone (my boyfriend absolutely hates it), but if it tastes good to you, you can enjoy these benefits:

5 Healthy Eating Fallacies

Since I started actually doing my research about healthy eating, I’ve found out that a lot of the things I initially thought were nothing but common misconceptions or fallacies. I thought “low fat” was a synonym for “healthy” for a long time, but that’s not necessarily true. I also always just equated calories as the main cause of weight gain. Basically, I had part of the truth but not the actual facts or science.

"All-Natural" does NOT mean organic. In fact,
it doesn't mean much at all.
Image: Shutterstock

These days, I walk through the supermarket knowing better; but it’s painfully clear how seduced our society is by labels like “low fat,” “organic” and (my favorite) “all-natural.” Sure, there’s some merit in those things, but it’s not an excuse to ignore the label. And it doesn’t always mean what you think it means. Here are some common fallacies about healthy eating:

If it’s all-natural, it must be good for me. That’s the same as “organic,” right? Wrong. The FDA’s definition of “all-natural” is extremely loose. Basically, any food that doesn’t contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances can be labeled as all-natural. However, these foods can still contain processed sweeteners, lab-produced flavors and colors, and other additives and preservatives.

If I exercise, I can eat all the junk food I want. Definitely not true. My three-mile runs burn just over 300 calories, yet s medium sized Chocolate Cookie Dough Blizzard from Dairy Queen contains almost 1,000 calories, 36 grams of fat, and 157 grams of carbs. Ouch!

Image from dairyqueen.com
A medium Cookies & Cream Blizzard has 980 calories.

Buying organic is a must for all produce. While I prefer organic produce when I can afford it, I certainly don’t prescribe to the notion that all food should be bought organic. It’s most important when avoiding the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen,” or most contaminated foods. However, many foods are unlikely to contain contaminants even when you buy the non-organic option. Of course, locally grown can be a healthy medium here, since many local farmers follow organic practices but can’t afford official certification.

Energy drinks and protein bars are really healthy. Unfortunately, no. Check the back label of a bottle of Gatorade or a high protein energy bar and you’re likely to see that they’re full of sugar, often high in calories, and have lots of carbs (plus a TON of strange ingredients you can’t pronounce). These products are some of nutritionists’ biggest pet peeves. If you’re working out, you will burn off many of those calories, but if you’re not, eating an energy bar is just like eating a candy bar—just with more protein.

Image from bigsisterdiaries.wordpress.com
Bingeing on the weekends isn't healthy.

Eating healthy means never eating junk food. Prescribing to this view often ends up being self-destructive in the end. Never allowing yourself to enjoy your favorite “junk” foods can make us feel socially alienated at times and sometimes makes the cravings even worse. The key to healthy eating is to be in control of our cravings and indulge sensibly and in moderation. Eating healthy M-F only to break and binge on the weekend isn’t healthy for our bodies or our minds. Instead, don’t feel so guilty about the occasional slice of cake—just make sure “occasional” treats stay that way.

Juicers: Fab or Fad?

Fresh juice? Yes, please!
Image: Shutterstock

I’ll admit it: I’ve eyed them at the store. The only thing that’s stopped me from purchasing one myself is the cost. Even so, every once in a while I consider how long it would take me to pay one off if I bought it on my credit card. But I’ve also stopped to think about their sudden burst into popularity. Are they just a fad? Or are they really as great as they seem? I’m talking about juicers, of course.

Juicers have a cult-like following.
Image: Shutterstock

There’s no question about it—Americans generally don’t get as many daily servings of fruits and veggies as they ought to. Even those of us who try to always eat healthy, balanced meals might have a hard time fitting five servings of each in a day’s time. Whether it’s because we don’t like the taste or it’s just too much trouble to prepare, many of us are lacking sufficient servings, causing a full array of problems.

Juicers offer the simple option of throwing fruits and veggies in whole and spitting out the liquid and nutrients, leaving a dry pulp behind. People are swearing by the machines, attributing weight loss, healthier skin, and moreenergy to the extra vitamins and minerals they’re now consuming. But how true are these claims?

As it turns out, they’re pretty legitimate. Adding servings of juice to a regular diet can add lots of nutritional value, especially when people use dark green and deep orange vegetables in their juices. Kale and carrots may not be an enjoyable taste for everyone, but many are finding that they can easily palate them when they’re mixed up with a few sweeter fruits like pineapple or apple.

Unfortunately, the method is not perfect and some nutritionists have urged people not to get too carried away. “You’re getting a higher quota of some nutrients, but not necessarily all of them,” cautioned Jennifer Nelson of the Mayo Clinic. Some nutrients can be lost in the process of juicing, so the practice shouldn’t necessarily completely replace regular, whole, fruits and veggies in meals.

Image from hungryhungryrunner.com

Juicers vary significantly in price, starting at about $50 for manual models that require chopping and produce very little juice and jumping to somewhere around $700 for more elaborate models. “Fast” Juicers produce juice in mere seconds, are generally loud, and get most moisture out of produce. “Slow” juicers take a few minutes to process but get more liquid out and don’t produce heat—which can deplete some nutritional value. “Whole food” juicers work much like a food processor or blender, grinding up the whole ingredient and leaving behind nothing.

Juicers jumped to popularity shortly after the release of “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,” produced by Australian filmmaker Joe Cross, who went on a 60-day juice fast and lost over 80 pounds, sending his autoimmune disease into remission. After it was released on Netflix, sales skyrocketed. Last year, sales hit about $215 million, a 71% growth over the year before. 

Spotlight: Energy Supplements & Vitamins

Stimulants are one way to get extra energy.
Image: 5 Hour Energy

Life moves quickly these days, and it always seems like there isn’t enough time in a day to get all the things done we needed or wanted to. We’re tired and run down sometimes, and going to the grocery store seems to scream a singular solution: energy bars, pills, drinks, and more. But do you really know what you need versus what you’re getting?

There are multiple types of energy supplements and vitamins available for purchase, and they accomplish different ends because they affect your body differently. And you might not even “need” one at all.

Stimulants basically rev up your metabolism. Stimulants include caffeine, guarana, yerba mate, kola nut, green tea, capsaicin (red pepper), Asian ginseng, and Bitter Orange (synephrine). These will help pick you up when you feel groggy or sluggish in the middle of your day. Caffeine is one of the most potent and effective stimulants. Many natural alternatives to caffeine still contain it or something similar to it; most have the same or similar effects as caffeine. They will give you a temporary boost in energy when you need it.

Green tea contains caffeine, which can give you a boost.
Image: Shutterstock

Substances that affect energy metabolism are a different kind of “energy” supplement. This category includes products like Coenzyme Q10, B vitamins, folic acid, thamine, niacin, Creatine, carnitine, and amino acids. Rather than temporarily boosting our metabolism, these products change the way our bodies process and convert nutrients to energy. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will generally get you the same effects as taking these supplements. Taking them on their own isn’t proven to increase energy except in those who are deficient in those substances. In those who are deficient, taking supplements could be of some benefit to your energy levels.

Calories are, simply put, energy.
Image: Shutterstock

Calories, much to the disbelief of many, are not the same thing as fat. Calories are, simply put, energy. Carbohydrates (including sugars) are easy for our bodies to break down and absorb as energy, and that’s generally what energy drinks, bars, and gels are full of. The problem is that with too much sugar, our bodies’ glucose levels get spiked and we experience an insulin surge—which can cause problems on its own. For athletes working their bodies hard, carbs can give them the boost they need to refuel or recover. But when you’re not exercising, that spike in glucose will likely quickly lead to a crash, which will make you feel sleepy. And those calories you don’t burn will get converted into fat.

Eating a healthy diet will help give you an energy boost.
Image: Shutterstock

When choosing whether or not to use a supplement, consider whether or not you have a medical condition that would affect you adversely. Some supplements could be dangerous for you. Remember that many of the “energy” supplements haven’t been scientifically studied—or they may just be straight sugar and carbs.

Consider whether or not you really need it before you try it, too. If you’re regularly going on just a few hours of sleep, constantly taking energy supplements could not only be less than optimally effective, it could be dangerous. As I’m sure you’ve heard before, the best way to boost energy is to get enough sleep and exercise and eat a healthy diet.