What is All the “To Do” About Tea?

The history around tea is vast and spans centuries. Tea was often used as a “currency” for trade and has been bartered for centuries.

Where does it all begin? Who thought up the idea of brewing tea leaves? It was a happy accident! According to legend, in 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor Shen Nung was sitting beneath a tree while his servant boiled drinking water, when some leaves from the tree blew into the water. Shen Nung, a renowned herbalist, decided to try the infusion that his servant had accidentally created. The tree was a Camellia sinensis, and the resulting drink was what we now call tea.

What is your favorite tea? Do you know how it is harvested, how it is grown or what beneficial properties it has?

Many different types of tea, such as white tea, green tea, yellow tea, black tea, oolong tea and pu-erh tea, all come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis. (Do you recognize this from the history?)  The type of tea produced from this plant depends entirely on the way the leaves are processed after harvesting.

Tea “rituals” abound throughout the world. The British Empire long thought that the sun would never set on all the lands it controlled. The English were big tea fans and the love of drinking tea is well established and practiced because they traversed the world and left their tea legacy in many different countries.

It is common in countries that have British influence to routinely brew tea. A visitor to one’s home is immediately made welcome by the homeowner starting the tea and setting out biscuits to enjoy together.

The medicinal qualities of tea are also well known. Can’t sleep? Brew Chamomile tea. Upset stomach? Brew Peppermint or Ginger tea. The list for this goes on far too long for this article.  You can go to WebMD for further research to find a tea that helps you heal and feel good.

Well, I am off to brew some Sleepytime tea so I can sleep well and wake up refreshed. How about you? Care to join me in some delicious tea and good sleep?  

Written by Dr. Stephanie Stanfield who has a private practice in Glenwood Springs and enjoys drinking tea with her friends. You can find Dr. Steph at www.makingshiftshappen.com and on her weekly podcast at Blogtalk Radio.

How About a Good Cuppa?

The holidays are over?  No, not for our minds or bodies they aren’t.

The effects of stress don’t end when the stressors do.  And, the stressors haven’t ended!  There is the whole process of taking down and putting away the decorations; all of the January 1st chores like changing calendars, closing out 2015; thank you notes to write; AND January is typically the coldest month of our year.

While all these are normal for this time of year, they are also stressors – they generate stress.  (By the way, stress is defined as an organism’s reaction to its environment.  So, basically, that’s everything.)  The challenge to dealing with stress is to reduce it where we can, and nurture our Spirit, Mind and Body to help keep ourselves in good health.

The very best way is to NURTURE our Selves.  Primarily, that means – RELAX.  A cup of tea is one of the very best ways I know to do both of these.

The relaxing begins with the ritual of preparing tea.  Taking a moment to choose the tea that will feel just right, getting out all of the accompaniments that will make it perfect for you – honey, milk, lemon, perhaps a small snack to go with the tea.  Imagine, sitting with your hands wrapped around a warm cup. Feels good, doesn’t it?  Imagine the relaxing smell – you get to pick your favorites!  Feel the warm liquid warming your mouth and throat. YESSSSS!

When you use herbal teas, you bring a complexity to your experience.  You not only get the benefits of ingesting the herb, you also use aromatherapy by just smelling the fragrance.

Here are a few of my favorite teas

Need an energy boost along with your relaxing moments?  Try green tea.  The stronger you brew it, the more caffeine.

Chamomile is beneficial for anxiety, depression and digestion.  What a cool bunch of benefits – tastes good too.

Licorice is a soothing agent that helps digestion, acid reflux and indigestion – all of which go along with stress.

Pomegranate/Hibiscus - Pomegranate is rich in antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory and promotes good heart health.  Hibiscus studies show it may help lower blood pressure and reduce high cholesterol.  Together, they just taste good!

How do you choose which one your Spirit is asking for?  For me, it is simple.  I open the tea drawer and choose the first one that catches my attention.  You can absolutely trust your higher knowing to choose the perfect tea for the moment.

So, brew a cuppa.  Play with the process.  Most of all, have FUN.

Carmen Iacino is an energy healer, psychotherapist and spiritual adventurer.  He is committed to living in Love and JOY and can be reached at 970-309-3467,  carmeniacino@earthlink.net,  or www.embraceascension.com

January is Hot Tea Month

Even a committed coffee lover (like me) can find a certain peace and comfort in sitting down with a cup of hot tea.  For many of us, it takes us back to mom serving us a warm mug when we were feeling unwell.  For others, it may bring memories of sharing a cup with grandma or another loved one on a cold winter's day.  Most among us can come up with a warm memory associated with a cup of hot tea.

In addition to the feel good, warm & fuzzy feelings that boost our mood and make us feel connected to more than ourselves, there are many cited health benefits of tea.  

The New York Times reports that tea is good for your liver:

 ...studies including more than 800,000 participants have looked at the association between tea and liver disease. Those who drank tea were less likely to have hepatocellular carcinoma, liver steatosis, liver cirrhosis and chronic liver disease. 

And, it eases depression: 

11 studies with almost 23,000 participants found that for every three cups of tea consumed per day, the relative risk of depression decreased 37 percent.

And heart health:

...drinking an additional three cups of tea a day was associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease (27 percent), cardiac death (26 percent), stroke (18 percent), total mortality (24 percent), cerebral infarction (16 percent) andintracerebral hemorrhage (21 percent). 

Tea is a more complex subject than you might think.  For example, this article, 13 Reasons Tea is Good for you, outlines the differences between tea and what we call herbal tea, as well as addressing the complexities of black, white and green teas. 

So the next time you are feeling blue, unwell or are looking for alternative ways to manage symptoms or chronic illness, you might reach for a cup of tea.  Which kind is up to you.... when it comes to hot tea, the options are seemingly endless and the internet is a wealth of information.


Kimberly Henrie is a coffee and tea lover that has many warm associations with hot beverages.  She is a yoga/fitness teacher, radio personality and local business owner who can put you in touch with some quality teas and fair trade organic coffees.  You can reach her at kimhenrie@vitalityforlife.com or by calling 970-930-1242.

Ginger!

Thank You Food Matters

Cucumbers!

"Cucumbers are 95 percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminate toxins. They have most of the vitamins the body needs in a single day. Don't forget to leave the skin on because the skin contains a good amount of vitamin C, about 10 percent of the daily-recommended allowance. Add to some water, along with lemons and sip throughout the day!" 

Thank You Food Matters

Glenwood Springs Saturday Farmer's Market Starting!

The first market of the 2014 season will be June 28th Saturday in the Rite_Aid parking lot!! Expecting a light run of early season fruits as the frosts this spring affected the supply but not the fantastic flavor of freshly picked produce. Spring greens, alfalfa clover and wildflower honey, Plum Daisy's award winning organic jams and home made breads including wheat, foccochias, and cinnamon raisin.

This is just a partial listing, updates to continue coming.....stop by and check us out for yourselves!

GLENWOOD SPRINGS FARMER'S MARKET

DIY Solar Food Dehydrator

Cool solar food dehydrator for the Do-It-Yourselfer. Click on the link below for step-by-step instructions.

RunnerDuck Resources

Simple Super Seed

Thank You Dr. Isaac Eliaz

Love, Love This Idea: Accessible Gardening

Thank You, Grow Food, Not Lawns

Five reasons to visit Glenwood’s Downtown Market Every Tuesday This Summer

The Tuesday farmers’ market known as Glenwood’s Downtown Market opens June 10, at Centennial Park at Ninth Street and Grand Avenue. Celebrating 10 years, the Downtown Market is a thriving summer staple in the hot springs town.

SOURCE

1.       Taste the season. Try olive oils, freshly baked bread, Colorado wines and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Vendors are eager to showcase and share their locally grown and lovingly made products.  Many offer samples to try. Top crops to try in the early months of summer are tender lettuces, arugula and apricots; as the season matures look for cherries, eggplant, green beans, basil and tomatoes.

2.       Learn something new. Cooking demos are a mainstay of the Downtown Market, gather round and learn how to prepare a variety of food that’s fresh, fast, healthy and most importantly -- delicious. Check out Christina Gore’s lesson on vegan cooking at the inaugural Market.

3.       Free music. Throughout the 14-week season the Market hosts musical entertainment. The season opener features award-winning songwriter and performer, Frank Martin playing everything from Texas swinging waltzes to Louisiana Zydeco.








4.       Because variety adds spice. There’s always something special going on at the Market. Find out what’s happening on a particular Tuesday at www.glenwoodmarket.com or just show up to see what’s going on. A highlight of June 10th Market is Glenwood Springs Garden Club’s annual plant sale. The Glenwood Springs Parks Department will also be giving away tree seedlings until they’re gone!





5.       Connect with the community. The atmosphere at the Market is low key and friendly. It’s a great place to connect with people – visitors and locals alike. Why not ask a local for recommendations on other great things do in Glenwood Springs?

Find out more about the 2014 Glenwood Downtown Market including a list of vendors, music lineup, demo schedule and more at www.glenwoodmarket.com.  Learn more about all of Glenwood’s summer events and activities at www.visitglenwood.com.

ABOUT GLENWOOD SPRINGS:
For more information and to book reservations please visit www.visitglenwood.com; 888-445-3696. Glenwood Springs is located between Aspen and Vail, Colorado, 160 miles (257 kilometers) west of Denver or 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Grand Junction on Interstate 70 off exit 116.

SOURCE

What is Green Tea Good For?

By Dr. Mercola

Aside from pure water, green tea is arguably one of the healthiest beverages around, with research pointing to impressive health benefits for your heart, bones, weight, vision, and even your brain.
Tea comes from the evergreen plant called Camellia sinensis. It's the processing that gives it its color and taste. For green tea, the leaves are unoxidized (not exposed to oxygen), and this minimal processing may help to keep the beneficial antioxidants intact.
If you're interested in improving your health, and specifically your brain health, green tea is definitely worth considering.

Green Tea Boosts Brain Health

In a new study of 12 healthy volunteers, those who received a beverage containing 27.5 grams of green tea extract showed increased connectivity between the parietal and frontal cortex of the brain compared to those who drank a non-green tea beverage.¹
The increased activity was correlated with improved performance on working memory tasks, and the researchers believe the results suggest green tea may be useful for treating cognitive impairments, including dementia. According to the study authors:²

"Our findings provide first evidence for the putative beneficial effect of green tea on cognitive functioning, in particular, on working memory processing at the neural system level by suggesting changes in short-term plasticity of parieto-frontal brain connections.
Modeling effective connectivity among frontal and parietal brain regions during working memory processing might help to assess the efficacy of green tea for the treatment of cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders such as dementia."

In this case, the researchers also suggested that the effects might have been strengthened if the volunteers had consumed a pure green tea extract, as opposed to a green tea-fortified beverage. And that is one of the great things about tea – if you don't enjoy it as a beverage (or if you only drink it on occasion), you can still get the health benefits by consuming it in supplemental extract form.

How Else Might Green Tea Benefit Your Health?

Your brain is only one part of your body that might benefit from green tea, which is recognized as an abundant source of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin polyphenol, and other antioxidants. So what else is green tea good for?
Reduced Mortality and Chronic Inflammation

Drinking green tea is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes, as well as mortality due to heart disease. Research also shows holistic benefits to green tea consumption, including lower blood pressure, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation.³

Heart Health 

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Planting in the Forest Garden

Come learn to plant vegetables with your children! Fat City Farmers offers one hour workshops for families at the Roaring Fork High School garden.

 

We will tour the greenhouse and garden, show children how to plant in the forest garden, share gardening tips, harvest something to taste and read a garden story. Please bring your water bottle and sun hats. All ages, all people welcome. Se habla español.
 

Come to any one workshop or all, the next 4 Saturdays: May 31, June 7, June 14, June 21
9:30-10:30 or 10:45-11:45
 

$5 donation to the youth gardening program, or free or whatever you can afford.
 

A forest garden (http://www.beaconfoodforest.org/ ) is a permaculture model that plants trees, berries, perennial herbs, and annual vegetables in a mix so that they each will grow optimally. It mimics a natural woodland.
People who come for a workshop orientation are welcome to adopt an area of the forest garden for their own use to plant and harvest what they wish in that area. It is essentially a community garden, and there is no charge. We want people to plant and use the space.
Call Illène: 274-1622 for more information

What You Can Tell By Looking at a Fat Person

Thank You Gender & Society

Inspiration

Thank You Grow Food, Not Lawns

No Bake Watermelon Cake

The perfect healthy "No Bake Watermelon Cake Recipe" for your summer get-togethers.

Ingredients:
•Whipped cream or Coconut Whipped cream (Paleo Version)
•1 Large Watermelon cut in a circle like a cake (see photo above)
•Blueberries
•Raspberries
•Almonds

Directions:
1.Cut your watermelon based on the photo tutorial in the post.
2.Pat the watermelon down with wipes to dry it.
3.Frost it with whipped cream
4.Add Almonds to the side
5.Decorate the top with fresh fruit of your choice. I like raspberries and blueberries.

Source: http://www.isavea2z.com/no-bake-watermelon-cake-recipe/

Nuts

Thank You Food Matters

Nuts and seeds are a powerhouse of nutrients and contain high forms of digestible protein, antioxidant Vitamins A,B,C and E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, selenium and manganese.

Fermenting Foods

By Dr. Mercola

Ninety percent of the genetic material in your body is not yours but belongs to the bacteria that outnumber your cells 10 to 1.  These bacteria have enormous influence on your digestion, detoxification and immune system.
Sandor Katz is a self-described “fermentation revivalist,” and has published two books on this topic, along with a third on the underground food movement. He’s a native of New York and a graduate of Brown University. Sandor currently lives in Tennessee, where he pursues his interest by presenting workshops around the world on fermentation.
Fermented food is something I too have become quite passionate about, and I firmly believe it’s an absolutely essential factor if you want to optimize your health and prevent disease. The culturing process produces beneficial microbes that are extremely important for human health as they help balance your intestinal flora, thereby boosting overall immunity.
Moreover, your gut literally serves as your second brain, and even produces more of the neurotransmitter serotonin—known to have a beneficial influence on your mood—than your brain does, so maintaining a healthy gut will benefit your mind as well as your body.
Fermented foods are also some of the best chelators and detox agents available, meaning they can help rid your body of a wide variety of toxins, including heavy metals.

“It wasn’t until I was in my 20s... that I first began to learn about and observe some of the digestive benefits of eating live culture fermented foods,” Sandor says.
“It was another decade after that when I left New York City, moved to rural Tennessee, and got involved in keeping a garden that I first had a reason to investigate the practice of fermentation. All of the cabbages were ready at the same time, and I thought I should learn how to make sauerkraut. I did a little bit of research in cookbooks and started making sauerkraut. Thus began my investigations into fermentation about 18 years ago.”

Starter Cultures versus Wild Ferment

When fermenting vegetables, you can either use a starter culture, or simply allow the natural enzymes in the vegetables do all the work. This is called “wild fermentation.” Personally, I prefer a starter culture as it provides a larger number of different species and the culture can be optimized with species that produce high levels of vitamin K2, which research is finding is likely every bit as important as vitamin D.
For this past year, we’ve been making two to three gallons of fermented vegetables every week in our Chicago office for the staff, which they can enjoy with the lunch we provide as an employee benefit.
We use a starter culture of the same probiotic strains that we sell as a supplement, which has been researched by our team to produce about 10 times the amount of vitamin K2 as any other starter culture... When we had the vegetables tested, we found that in a four- to six-ounce serving there were literally 10 trillion beneficial bacteria, or about 100 times the amount of bacteria in a bottle of high potency probiotics.
There are about 100 trillion bacteria in your gut, so a single serving can literally “reseed” 10 percent of the bacterial population of the average person’s gut! To me that’s extraordinary, and a profoundly powerful reason to consider adding fermented vegetables as a staple to your diet.
You don’t have to use a starter culture however. Wild fermentation is fermentation based on microorganisms that are naturally present in the food you’re fermenting. It’s just as simple as using a starter culture, but it will take a little longer for it to ferment.

“It’s very predictable when you salt and submerge vegetables [in their natural juices or brine]. The bacteria that will initiate at fermentation are always Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Then it’s a successive process whereby, as the pH changes and as the environment changes, different strains of bacteria come into dominance...” Sandor explains.
“Typically, in a mature sauerkraut, the late-stage bacterium that’s dominant is Lactobacillus plantarum. It’s a very predictable succession, what happens with raw vegetables, [but] the specific strains will always be somewhat different depending on the vegetables you’re using and the environment that you’re doing it in.”

To Salt or Not to Salt?

Whether or not to use salt also largely comes down to personal preference. While it’s not a necessity, Sandor does provide some compelling reasons for adding a small amount of natural, unprocessed salt—such as Himalayan salt—to your vegetables. For example, salt:

• Strengthens the ferment’s ability to eliminate any potential pathogenic bacteria present
• Adds to the flavor
• Acts as a natural preservative, which may be necessary if you’re making large batches that need to last for a larger portion of the year
• Slows the enzymatic digestion of the vegetables, leaving them crunchier
• Inhibits surface molds

Again, natural unrefined salts are ideal as they contain a broad spectrum of minerals, and the fermentation process makes the minerals more bioavailable—a win-win situation!

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10 Surprising Statistics About Honeybees

By Maryam Henein (Honey Colony)

Find out the buzz on one of the hardest working insects on the planet!

1. Honeybees can fly up to 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) from their nest in search of food.
   
2. Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.
   
3. Honeybees, from a typical hive, visit approximately 225,000 flowers per day.
   
4. In her lifetime, a honeybee worker will travel about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles)!
   
5. In her six-week life span, one worker bee will only make 1/10th of a teaspoon of honey.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Honeybees must consume about 17-20 pounds of honey to make one pound of beeswax.
   
7. A typical foraging honeybee will work herself to death in about three weeks.
   
8. Queen bees will lay as many as 2,000 eggs on a good day or an average of one every 45 seconds.
   
9. Honeybees have five eyes but see very few colors; they cannot see red.
   
10. A honeybee produces beeswax from eight paired glands on the underside of her abdomen.
    

Want To Find Out More About The Disappearance Of Our Honeybees? CLICK HERE FOR MORE!

Foods That Reduce Breast Cancer Risk

The statistics can seem scary when it comes to breast cancer. Not only is it the second most common cancer among American women, but it’s also the second leading cause of female deaths attributed to cancer in the United States.

Despite those frightening figures, you have the power to beat the odds and reduce your breast cancer risk. In addition to exercising and maintaining a healthy weight, research shows that incorporating certain foods into your diet decrease your risk of developing breast cancer. Here are KnowMore.tv’s Nutrition Expert Erin Palinski-Wade’s top 10 cancer-busting foods, along with how much and how often you should eat them.

 

Food #1: Broccoli

Turns out kids aren’t the only ones who should heed that age-old advice to “eat your broccoli.” Research shows that sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, can stop the growth of breast cancer cells. “That specific compound has actually been shown to help inhibit cancer cells from multiplying and might be able to kill off cancer cells,” says Palinski-Wade. Recommended dosage: Incorporate a cup of broccoli into your diet at least three times per week to get the full benefit of their cancer-fighting properties.

 

Food #2: Cabbage

Don’t save the cabbage just for Saint Patrick’s Day; regular servings of this leafy vegetable can greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer. “There’s a really interesting study that found that young women who ate four or more servings of cabbage per week during adolescence were 72 percent less likely to develop breast cancer as adults than those who only ate about one and a half servings per week,” notes Palinski-Wade. The same study found that adult women can also reap the benefits of this food’s anti-carcinogenic compounds, which include glucosinolates and myrosinase enzymes, so adding it to your diet at any age can be helpful. Recommended dosage: Aim for a cup of raw or a half cup of lightly-cooked cabbage at least four times per week.

 

Food #3: Carrot

Much more than just a colorful addition to salads, carrots are loaded with beta carotene, an antioxidant that gives these veggies their orange color and also helps lower breast cancer risk. “There has been a lot of research showing foods that are rich in beta carotene, such as carrots and sweet potatoes, seem to protect against cancer,” says Palinski-Wade. One such study found that African-American women who have a disproportionately higher rate of deaths from breast cancer were 17 percent less likely to develop the disease if they consumed three or more servings of carrots a week. Recommended dosage: Eat a cup of raw or a half cup of cooked carrots at least three times per week. Can’t stomach carrots? Try another orange option instead. “Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and even summer squash are all really great sources of beta carotene,” suggests Palinski-Wade.

 

Food #4: Tomato

Slathering your spaghetti with marinara isn’t just a treat for your taste buds, but also a powerful protectant against breast cancer, thanks to the antioxidant-rich tomatoes used to make this sauce. “The biggest benefit of the tomato is the lycopene which has been found to inhibit tumor growth and help neutralize the free radicals that can damage and mutate cells,” explains Palinski-Wade. Recommended dosage: Incorporate tomatoes into your meals at least three times a week by slicing them up and adding them to salads or consuming them via spaghetti sauce or even ketchup. Choose your condiments and sauces wisely, though, as you want the fewest preservatives possible. “When you’re looking at cancer prevention the more natural you can go the better.”

 

Food #5: Garlic

A pungent addition to many dishes, garlic offers more than a mere kick to the palate. This bulbous vegetable also delivers a knockout punch to breast cancer since it contains beneficial compounds such as ajoene that can help stave off the disease. “Garlic has been shown to help kill off cancer cells in test tube studies which is promising,” notes Palinski-Wade. Recommended dosage: Use a quarter to a half teaspoon of fresh garlic to flavor your food at least twice a week. “In order to really maximize the beneficial compounds in the garlic, you want to chop it and then let it sit for 10 minutes before you cook with it.”

CLICK TO THE SOURCE TO READ ABOUT 5 MORE AWESOME FOODS

Awesome Simple Gardening Idea

"This worked well for me for many years - it's a simple, weed-free way to grow lettuce, spinach and even radishes. Take a 2 cubic feet bag of potting soil (I used Miracle Grow), rumple it around quite a bit to loose the soil, poke quite a few holes in the back side for drainage, then lay the bag on a smooth surface that will allow drainage and not get too hot, and cut out the top, leaving about a 4 or 5 inch border all around. Lightly rake through the soil to even it out and loosen it even more, then carefully, and evenly sprinkle the seeds around. I put my salad green seeds in an old spice bottle with large shaker holes, added some cornmeal, shook it all up to mix well and sprinkled them out of it. I put the cornmeal in there to allow me to see that I had covered the soil evenly. If doing radish seeds or spinach, just make lines the depth mentioned on the seed pack, plant the seeds and cover appropriately. For salad greens I sprinkled a lite covering of soil over the cornmeal and seeds and then spray-misted to water them in. I put my bags on metal sawhorses and grates to make them waist level. This kept the bags off the hot concrete and I didn't have to bend over when cutting my salad. When harvesting, just use a pair of scissors and cut what you need - don't pull the plants out. Same goes for spinach - they will grow back almost magically overnight, and you can't tell where you cut. Spray mist the seeds and plantlings at first when watering, until they are established, then you can water more vigorously as the plants mature. You will probably need to water more often, since the depth of the bags are not as deep as a regular in-ground garden. I just kept mine moist, but not sopping wet." Ashley Rasmussen.