Did you know that aside from water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world? Sweet, warm, and soothing, each cup of tea is unique and has its own advantages. For centuries the people of Japan, China, India, Thailand, and many other countries have been drinking green tea, but why? What is so special about a cup full of leaves and water? Well, aside from tasting delicious (when made properly) Green tea has many health benefits, and is very inexpensive. I have been drinking green tea for several years, and I love how healthy it makes me feel. But I’m sure you’re wondering, what exactly is green tea? What makes it different from other teas? Where did it come from? How does it benefit you? Well, let me start with what it is.

Ito En (Oi Ocha) Japanese Green Tea, 16.9-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)

Green Tea is simply tea leaves that are not processed the same way that other teas are. Tea comes from the leaves of a plant called Camellia Sinensis (kah-MEAL-e-a sy-NEN-sis) The leaves are harvested and dried, with a different drying process for each kind of tea. Green tea, is not fermented the way Black and Oolong teas are. Instead, the leaves are simply steamed. This process allows the leaves to retain more of their healthy properties than the fermenting process would.

Though no one is sure where green tea originally came from, it has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Some people believe Green Tea was first discovered in India. Some people believe it was first found in China. The Japanese legend, according to Yukihiko Hara, author of the book “Green Tea Health Benefits and Applications (Food Science and Technology)” is that in 2737 B.C. Emperor Sheng Nung discovered the plant and taught his people how to brew it into a medicinal drink.

So why should you drink green tea? Green Tea is Beneficial to your body and your mind. Green tea protects and strengthens your body in several ways. Green Tea contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols that protect against potentially damaging free radical compounds that naturally occur in the body. Green Tea can also aid digestion, assist weight loss by boosting metabolism, protect against heart disease, reduce the risk of cancer.
Though there is not much clinical research on the medicinal properties of green tea, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports that in population based clinical studies green tea seems to prevent coronary artery disease and protect against cancer. Another study by the University of Maryland showed that men who drink green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol than men who do not.
Harvard Medical School reports that green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins, which are more powerful than vitamins C and E in stopping oxidative damage to cells
The U.S. National Library of Medicine states that green tea is even possibly effective for reducing the risk or slowing the onset of Parkinson’s disease, and preventing bladder, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.
Green Tea is also good for your mind. Though it does contain caffeine, Green Tea has a smaller amount than most other caffeinated beverages. The small amount of caffeine can reduce headaches and improve mental alertness. Also, because the caffeine content is not high, Green Tea does not have the side effects of other highly caffeinated beverages such as jitters, withdrawal headaches, dizziness, or nausea.

Green Tea is a readily available and inexpensive way to protect against many potentially expensive health problems. A box of green tea at Wal-mart is about 2 dollars for 20 tea bags; that is only 10 cents for each cup of tea. Making a cup of tea takes less than ten minutes. To make a cup of green tea you simply heat boil water and let it cool for about 4 minutes, and pour it over a tea bag. Let the teabag sit in the hot water for three minutes, then take it out and add sweetener if you like. Our health is one of the most important things we have, and drinking one cup of green tea a day is an easy way to preserve such a valuable asset.
Kirkland Signature Ito En Matcha Blend (Green Tea), 100% Japanese Green Tea Leaves, 100 Tea Bags

Gluten Free Veggie Burgers

Our adult daughters decided to go vegetarian several years ago and for the first few months they were indiscriminate about eating any of the multitudinous choices for vegetarian meat substitutes. The grocery store offered a huge selection and we even frequented Burger King often for their veggie burger. Unfortunately they started to have the side effects of eating a diet that was extremely high in wheat consumption and so it was necessary for us to find other options for them to round out their diet. In addition to avoiding a diet so concentrated on wheat, I was also concerned with finding substitutes that had high protein and weren’t all made for soy products.

My Gluten Free Vegetarian Burgers

I have come up with a recipe for gluten free veggie burgers that has diverse function. The girls frequently have a veggie burger patty for their lunch. However, I also frequently crumble up one of the burgers and fry it for serving with Tacos or Spanish rice or any other meal that calls for ground beef.

Recipe for Gluten Free Veggie Burgers

1/2 pound Black Quinoa (grain that is high in protein) rinse well to remove bitter flavor

1/2 pound Black Beans Soak the black beans overnight in cold water or add beans to boiling water remove heat and soak for one hour.

Cook beans at medium heat until extremely tender. Cook Quinoa in 6 cups of boiling water for 30 minutes.

Drain beans and quinoa and put in Vitamix blender and blend until beans are mostly smooth.

Add 2 eggs (for vegan version leave out egg and add 1 tsp. xanthan gum)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. liquid smoke (you can substitute other spices or seasoning to make more of a sausage flavor)

Form into patties and freeze for individual use.

Homemade Veggie Burger

Weight Watchers Free Registration with Monthly Pass

Currently Weight Watchers Free Registration is available when you sign up for their monthly pass program.   Monthly Pass is an excellent program that offers you a myriad of online tools as well as a wallet size card sent to you every month that allows you to attend meetings for free.  Currently if you sign up for monthly pass you will get weight watchers free registration and then your credit card will be billed each month until you are ready to end your weight loss.

Weight Watchers Sign Up For Free

A similar but slightly different plan is also being offered along the monthly pass free registration offer from Weight Watchers.   They are also offering a three month savings plan and if you sign up by March twelfth two thousand eleven you will have no sign up fee.  This plan is a purely online plan that does not involve any of the meetings.

Weight Watchers Free Registration Success

Clients who sign up for the monthly pass and attend meetings at least weekly are forty five percent more successful at weight loss than those who just follow the program on line.  There is tremendous help from having accountability to a group of people who are struggling and want to see you succeed.  The other point of Weight Watchers Free Registration is that they offer it with longer term commitments.  They have seen that over the years people who stay with it at least ninety days are much more likely to be successful at weight loss.

Weight Watchers Free Registration Menu