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

Grass Fed Beef

Grass Fed Beef Distinction

To the casual observer it would seem like grass fed beef is like saying “water drinking human”.  Of course beef cows eat grass just like people drink water, but it is really not that simple.  Like almost all of our food producers have realized that how something is named can make a big difference in how it sells and what they can price it, so they come up with labels that seem to convey something nebulous but answer a concern of a segment of the population.   The grass fed beef label is just like that,  there are some people concerned about beef that is fed a high grain diet and how it impacts human beings health.  They think that corn fed beef may cause higher rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, and higher cholesterol and so they postulate that by switching to grass fed beef the meat is healthier for human consumption and will lower disease.  Another group of people is just against the small area that each cow has in a feed lot that crams thousands of head of cattle into a small area and gives them lots of corn and soy beans and they are standing knee deep in manure eating until they are slaughtered.  So some people say that by switching to grass fed beef we will push the farmers and beef producers to allow the cattle herds to roam on open pastures and the cows will be happier and healthier.

There is no certain science that can say with certainty that grass fed beef is better than corn fed beef, but you will find ardent supporters on either side of this argument.

Grass Fed Beef Benefits

So what are the benefits of grass fed beef.  If you are raising your own beef for your families consumption, grass fed beef can  reduce the cost of raising the beef and make your grocery budget smaller.   In addition by allowing your grass fed beef to forage on the pasture you are reducing the use of carbon fuels to harvest corn or soybeans with tractors and combines and contributing to a better environment and doing your part to reduce dependency on foreign oil.  There are benefits to grass fed beef, at this point we don’t know for certain if they include human health benefits.