Tea and Exercise Connection

Every time the new year rolls around, gyms and fitness centers see a surge in new memberships. I don't find fault with this at all; I'm glad to know people are looking to make changes for the better. Sadly, most of the new memberships go from sizzle to fizzle in a very short time.

I have a suggestion.

Drink tea.

I'm serious.

A study in the American Journal of Physiology demonstrated that over a 10 week period, mice that were fed green tea extract paddled as much as 24% longer in a swim-to-exhaustion trial. They also burned more fat than their no tea companions.

Another study on postmenopausal women showed that pairing tea with exercise may have beneficial effects on bone density. The women drank 4-6 cups of green tea a day and did tai chi three times a week. After six months, improvements were seen in not just bone health, but muscle strength, and emotional and mental health. There was also a positive effect on oxidative stress (a precursor to inflammation). This pairs nicely with a similar study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, where participants consumed one cup of tea a week (black, green, or oolong) for ten years. The participants had higher bone density in all areas of the body.

To assist in the fat burning that usually accompanies exercise, a study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that people drinking five cups of oolong tea each day burned an average of 87 additional calories. Not just while they were drinking their tea, but throughout the day.

Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences determined that mice on a high-fat diet that consumed decaffeinated green tea extract and exercised regularly experienced sharp reductions in final body weight and significant improvements in health. After 16 weeks, high-fat-fed mice that exercised regularly and ingested green tea extract showed an average body mass reduction of 27.1 percent and an average abdominal fat mass reduction of 36.6 percent. And it gets better. The mice on the green-tea-extract-and-exercise regimen also experienced a 17 percent reduction in fasting blood glucose level, a 65 percent decrease in plasma insulin level and reduction in insulin resistance of 65 percent. This is significant because the mice that ingested green tea extract but did not exercise or those that exercised but were not given green tea extract experienced less significant changes in weight and health measurements.

Now, first and foremost, I am NOT suggesting anyone take green tea extract. What I am suggesting is drink tea.

Also, in all seriousness, I am not suggesting tea is the be all to end all in regards to your health, and by all means, please exercise. EVERY SINGLE HEALTH ISSUE I have ever read about, especially those that are lifestyle related, always have the same suggestion: exercise. Your body wants to move. If you have concerns, schedule a visit with your doctor before you start.

So, this new year, no matter what your resolutions are, or how good your record is for keeping them, do your body a favor and exercise. You don't need a gym or a fitness center. All you need is a good pair of shoes. Go for daily walks around your neighborhood or at a local park. It really is that simple.

And don't forget to treat yourself to a nice cuppa. The exercise does wonder for the body, but tea does wonders for the soul.

Bridal Shower Tea

My daughter got married last month. It was very exciting and a testament to geekdom. The honor attendants all wore dresses and tuxes to match the colors of their favorite superheroes. The music for the bride to walk down the aisle was the theme to Doctor Who. Wedding favors for guests were an array of books to choose from. I haven't had this much fun at a wedding, ever.

For the bridal shower, however, my daughter wanted something simple and lovely. She surprised me by expressing a desire for tea sandwiches. While her honor attendants put together a fabulous shower based on the honeymoon destination, I made sandwiches.

The honeymoon took place onboard the Queen Mary, with trips to both Disneyland and Hollywood. I used the Disney theme to decorate the table.

I made a selection of four different tea sandwiches, hoping to meet the needs and tastes of all guests.

Carrot and Pecan Tea Sandwiches

1 c. carrots, chopped
1 c. pecan pieces
1/2 t. salt
1-1/2 t. olive oil
1 t. lemon juice

Mix all of the ingredients together. Butter one side of two slices of whole wheat bread, and spread the mixture on the slices. Press the slices together gently, to make sure the mixture adheres to the butter. Cut into quarters.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

One cucumber, peeled and chopped
8 oz. vegan cream cheese
1/3 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/4 t. garlic salt
1 t. dill

Mix all the ingredients together and spread on two slices of bread, one slice white, one slice whote wheat. Assemble slices together, and cut into quarters.

Ham Salad Tea Sandwiches

One package vegan ham, chopped
1/4 c. green onions, chopped
1/4 c. celery, chopped
1/4 c. vegan mayonnaise
1 t. brown sugar
1 t. lemon juice
1-1/2 T. parsley
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. vegan Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together and spread on two slices of rye bread. Assemble slices together, and cut into quarters.

Cream Cheese and Cranberry Tea Sandwiches

8 oz. vegan cream cheese
3 T. dried cranberries
2 T. pecan pieces

Mix all ingredients together and spread on two slices of whole wheat bread. Assemble slices together, and cut into quarters.

I also made a punch from tea.

Tea Punch

One bottle of orange juice
One bottle of pineapple juice
2 liter bottle of ginger ale
1 c. lemon juice

Brew 2 teabags in three cups of water and steep for an hour. Pour the tea and the remaining ingredients into a punch bowl. Serve.

The bride-to-be arrived with her intended and the two were giddy about the decorations and guests. The party game was a hoot, the gifts were splendid, and the food was enjoyed. It was a successful and exciting day! And a wonderful lead up to the wedding, and the start of a beautiful life together.

Very Vegetable Tea Sandwiches

I had the pleasure of having tea with a former Girl Scout of mine. We have been trying to get together for tea for a few weeks, and schedules have just interfered repeatedly. We finally managed to coordinate a time. Since we were meeting at her home, and she has small children, I decided to whip up some tea sandwiches that I thought even little kids would like. I think the jury is still out on that one.

Very Vegetable Tea Sandwiches

One package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. carrots, chopped
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/4 c. celery, chopped
1/4 c. cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 t. lemon juice
1 t. mayonnaise
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well mixed. Spread on bread of choice (I used a multigrain bread) and cut into quarters.

We enjoyed a passionfruit and coconut green tea, and her children enjoyed the cookies I brought. It made for a very pleasant couple of hours!

A Tea for Valentine's Day

A little late, but...

I decided at the beginning of the year that I would have at least one themed tea each month. Last month it was in honor of Twelfth Night and this month it is, of course, Valentine's Day.

Despite the fact that I have an entire room devoted to Valentine's Day, filled with lots of pinks and reds and hearts, I don't have much in the way of decorations to put on my table. I do, however, have a lovely heart decorated tea pot.

I bought a red tablecloth to set the mood, and got to work on my special tea sandwiches. I pulled out my Valentine themed cookie cutters and got to work.

For the sweets category, I went with a cherry and a strawberry sandwich spread.

Cherry Tea Sandwiches

One package vegan cream cheese
One jar of maraschino cherries
Slivered almonds

After the cream cheese has softened, add the cherries with just a little bit of the juice for color and the almonds. Mix well.

Strawberry Tea Sandwiches

One package vegan cream cheese
One box of strawberries, hulled and chopped
Chopped pecans

After the cream cheese has softened, add the strawberries and the pecans. Mix well.

For the savory category, I went with a classic cucumber with a twist.

Benedictine Cucumber Tea Sandwich

One package vegan cream cheese
One cucumber, peeled
One small onion

Chop the cucumber and onion. When the cream cheese has softened, mix in the cucumber and onion and mix well.

I slathered on the spreads to a couple of different loaves of bread. I used heart and lips shaped cookie cutters to cut the sandwiches out of the bread. I packed up the unused trimmed sandwich bits to nibble on at a later time.

For the tea, I decided upon a hawthorn tea. Good for the heart, you know!

I was gifted with a dozen beautiful roses from my equally beautiful daughter, and they graced the table.

Because it fell on a work night, the hubby and I decided to wait until the weekend to go out for a romantic dinner. I could not, however, let the day pass without something special.

A Tea for Twelfth Night

January 6 is Twelfth Night, or as some would call it, Epiphany. Since for some this signals the end of the holiday season, it seemed appropriate for the first tea party of the new year. I decided to keep it fairly simple, augmenting the food and tea with a viewing of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Tea party food typically includes bite size sandwiches, a savory and a sweet. Scones or biscuits are often served, as well.

My sandwiches were pimiento cheese sandwiches, made with Daiya cheddar and vegan mayonnaise.

My savory was pecan halves with a vegan cream cheese filling.

My sweet was cake balls. Leftover rum cake pulsed into crumbs, mixed with a vegan cream cheese frosting, chilled then rolled into balls.

I offered a variety of teas so that participants could choose their favorite.

An alternative to watching a performance of Twelfth Night is to have your guests assigned roles and read. It's okay to double or triple up on roles, depending on the number of guests. As always, the important thing is to keep things light and fun and enjoyable for everyone.

You can learn more about ways to add to your celebration here.

Green Tea and Your Metabolism

This morning as I sat enjoying my grits with garlic and vegan sausage (hey, I AM from the south, y'all!) and sipping my China Green Tips tea, I came across a brief article about revving up the metabolism and a few ways to achieve this. The article listed about six easy ways to do this, mostly tweaking your diet and, of course, exercise. However it was the part about caffeine that caught my attention.

Mostly about coffee, the article, in a wee mention in that section, casually mentioned that if one was not fond of coffee, a good substitute was green tea. The salient point was this: while green tea has about one-third the caffeine as coffee, other metabolically active substances, called catechins, compound the actions of the caffeine. "Caffeine activates metabolic pathways that release stored body fat from your fat cells into your bloodstream," says Paul Arciero, PhD.

To get the most benefit and the strongest fat burning effects from the caffeine in your green tea, drink when your body doesn't have much caffeine in its system, and without milk or sugar added (they negate the effects). Drink one cup in the morning and one in the afternoon, to get separate spikes. Don't overdo it; your body can build a tolerance after too many cups, and thwarts the calorie burning benefits.

So a nice hot cuppa in the morning, and then another later in the day (afternoon tea, anyone?) will not only soothe your soul, but will additionally help you rev up your metabolism! Win-win!

Fall Means Time To Drink More Tea!

Thank goodness fall has arrived! This summer may have been better than last year, but it was still pretty hot here. We have a few more days of heat yet to come, but knowing that cooler temps are just around the corner makes everything better!

We celebrated the fall equinox with some light fare - salad greens over pumpkin pie spiced cornbread croutons, fruit soup and a cranberry/raspberry sorbet. If you are interested, you can find those recipes here. But more than good food, fall means more hot tea drinking! Summers require iced tea. Fall, winter and spring all cry out for curling up with a cup of hot tea and a good book. In fact, hubby and I were out shopping today and I bought two brand new teas that I can't wait to brew! A chocolate ginger and a hazelnut chai.

Today, however, I began my fall equinox morning with a cup of spiced apple chai in a farm themed mug. Seemed appropriate!

There are so many types of tea out there, and often I get asked to explain the differences. I'll try to explain some of it.

Black tea - mature and fully fermented. Has the highest caffeine content
Oolong tea - fermented half as long as black. Rests in between black and green, caffeine wise.
Green tea - dried, but not fermented. Half the caffeine of black.
White tea - dried but not heated or fermented. Light and delicate and low in caffeine.

Herbal - not really a tea. It's true!

Black, oolong, green and white tea all come from the same plant - Camellia sinensis. When it is picked and how it is treated determines if it is black, oolong, etc. Tea contains catechins, a type of antioxidant.Catechins are highest in concentration in white and green teas, while black tea has substantially fewer due to its oxidative preparation. However, research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture has suggested the levels of antioxidants in green and black tea do not differ greatly.

Herbal teas come from flowers and fruits, but not the Camellia tea plant. They typically do not contain any caffeine.

So what the heck is chai tea? Usually a black, but now can be found in green, white and red teas, that is spiced. The most common spices are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. You may have heard of a chai latte? That's chai tea with milk. I don't care for it myself, but a lot of people do.

And now I've thrown in red tea. What is red tea? It comes from another plant entirely, and contains no caffeine. It is also known as rooibos and redbush tea.

Brewing time can make a difference in how much caffeine you get, as well. A two minute difference can double the amount of caffeine. Brew whites for a shorter period than greens, brew greens for a shorter time than oolong, brew oolongs for a shorter time than blacks - otherwise the tea can develop what I call a *bite* and for some people, that is unpleasant. If you've encountered someone who didn't like the taste of tea, this could be the reason. Herbal teas can brew as long as you like.

Now, go find a new tea to try!