April 2023

Organic Black Tea – Naturally Wonderful

Organic black tea refers to the variety of black tea which has been grown without use of any chemical fertilizer, food additives, pesticides or plant growth regulator. This means that this variety of the world’s favorite beverage has all the wonderful nutrients that Mother Nature has to offer and none of the harmful man made chemicals.

Organically grown tea is available in loose black tea packaging as well as in bags for convenient usage. Grown on soil that has been free for at least three years of any chemical fertilizers or pesticides, the produce is oxidized extensively to attain a dark, almost blackish color and a full bodied strong flavor. It is extensively cultivated in India, Sri Lanka and China. The black tea benefits are many making it the most popular blend with highest consumption among all beverages across the world.

Some of the benefits are:

It is rich in anti oxidants and prevents occurrence of several diseases caused by free radicals.

Research shows that regular and controlled consumption can promote the health of heart and help in prevention of coronary diseases.

Delays aging process and helps in having a healthy and glowing skin. Many anti aging creams and lotions use extracts from the plants.

Contains fluoride which promotes healthy teeth and gums.

It is beneficial for people suffering from diabetes as it helps lowering glucose levels and aids in prevention of diabetes related complications like cataract and gangrene.

Organic black tea can be consumed in a number of ways. The most popular is the traditional method of brewing the dried leaves with hot water and adding cream or milk and sugar. The other popular method of consumption is an iced beverage in which freshly brewed hot concoction is cooled and served with ice.

There are many popular flavors like lemon, in which lemon juice is added instead of milk, amaretto, a velvety flavor brought by the use of almonds and ginger, which has added benefits of ginger and helps in preventing and curing common cold. There are several new age exotic flavorings which are fast gaining popularity like chocolate, apple spice, Brazilian guava and black currant. Apart from flavors, there are many blends of organic herbal tea in which dried or fresh flowers, roots, seeds or leaves are infused along with regular black tea leaves. Some of the common herbal additives are cinnamon, chamomile, cannabis, lemon grass, mint, rosemary and sage.…

Type 2 Diabetes – Foods For Diabetics To Avoid!

People diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are often misinformed as to what foods they are supposed to stay away from. Simply listing a category of food isn’t enough as it is not always such a clear-cut case. Sometimes it is better to be much more specific so that a diabetic isn’t limiting themselves unnecessarily.

Sugar, for example, is a definite enemy. But there are many other places white refined sugar can hide instead of in the obvious doughnut or brownie. Your favorite condiments, from mustard to ketchup and relish are loaded with it. White bread is notoriously high in sugar. (Also, any food such as bread made with white refined flour is bad for you… it starts out naturally brown and is whitened by a chemical process which forms another substance called alloxan, which is known to destroy pancreatic function!) In fact, white bread breaks down into pure sugar before it can even be swallowed. Crackers, waffle and pancake mixes are also full of the “white stuff”.

You were probably told to avoid foods with a high concentration of fat, but what does that really mean? Avoiding all saturated and trans fats would be good, but this would take a lot of policing to accomplish. It’s almost impossible to completely eliminate all saturated and trans fats from your food. The best way to handle fat in your food, is to limit it as much as possible. Look at food labels and take into account how much fat is in each serving… not the entire container. This is the key.

Vegetables are good for you, so they can’t be on the list of foods to avoid… right? Wrong. Having a free-reign on all vegetables is never a good idea. First, you have to see the way the vegetables are packaged. Canned vegetables can still be high in sugar. Frozen vegetables can be stripped of vital nutrients with harmful preservatives added back in.

Even in their raw form, there are some vegetables to stay away from. Corn, certain types of squash, sweet potatoes and the dreaded white potatoes all should be avoided whenever possible.

Are you eating sugar-free products? You may unknowingly still be consuming sucralose, an artificial sweetener not recommended for diabetics. Read labels if you want to find the hidden ingredient of sucralose or other artificial sweeteners. Also remember, many sugar-free foods are not healthy for people with Type 2 diabetes.

Foods can also have another hidden danger: salt. Otherwise known as sodium, salt can inflict an incredible amount of harm on a body in a relatively short amount of time. A major problem with salt is that it can be hidden in virtually any type of food imaginable. Frozen foods are laced with it as part of their processing. Canned foods, especially the seemingly harmless vegetables and canned meats, are filled with salt. This is what gives them their long shelf life.

Processed foods, no matter what kind you are talking about, are loaded with salt. The best way to identify the salt content is to look closely at the label. Remember to take into account the number of servings, and not just the salt content per serving.

If you want to limit salt, always go with fresh foods.…