Benefits of Yogurt

What is yogurt? How is it made? Why and how is it beneficial?

Yogurt also known as curd is a thick, custard or pudding-like food, made by the natural bacterial fermentation of milk. The process of making it involves culturing cream or milk with live and active bacterial cultures; this is done by adding bacteria directly to the milk. Commercially, it is made with a culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Streptococcus thermophilis (names of the bacteria used in the making of yogurt).

There are many kinds (plain and flavoured) yogurts found in the supermarket these days.

It can also be easily made at home by heating the milk to a little more that luke warm (say 45°C) and adding a little (1 Tbsp) of yogurt to it. Stir and keep it undisturbed in a warm place for 6-7 hours or until set. However if you don't have any at home, you can buy yogurt culture packs from the supermarket and follow the instructions given, to make a wonderful yogurt at home.

What makes curd very beneficial is the live cultures. Active live cultures are basically good bacteria that are necessary for the body to function at its best. These friendly bacteria prevent the growth of harmful bacteria that cause bacterial infections and diseases. Eating curd regularly can help restore your good bacteria levels.

Yogurt is the best and nutritive dairy alternative for anyone who is lactose intolerant, as the live culture in it reduces the level of lactose.

Yogurt / Curd and Good Health

There are many ways that yogurt is beneficial - the friendly bacteria are friendly indeed!

1) Friendly bacteria promote digestive health and boost the immune system. Curd With Active Cultures Helps the Gut.

2) Yogurt with active cultures may help certain gastrointestinal conditions like constipation, diarrhea, colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

3) Good bacteria prevent imbalances in the body's yeast levels, which can prevent various types of yeast infections.

4) Prevents urinary tract infections.

5) If you are taking antibiotics, they may be destroying the good bacteria present in your body. Eating yogurt regularly can help restore your good bacteria levels.

6)Prevents Osteoporosis

7) It is also a good source of protein, which helps give the body energy to keep you going throughout the day. Protein is an essential building block for many systems in the body, including your muscles. Protein is also good for curbing your appetite and helping you feel full for a longer period of time.

8) May Reduce the Risk of High Blood Pressure.

How to incorporate Yogurt in your daily diet

* Eat Yogurt as a dessert - Chop your favourite fruits in the yogurt, add a little honey or sugar and eat it chilled.

* Eat Raita (a yogurt dip) - Add fresh fruits or vegetables to the yogurt, flavour it with herbs and spices and eat it along with your food.

* Replace your regular mayonnaise with a yogurt based healthy mayonnaise.

* Enjoy cool Yogurt shakes or Lassi - Blend together yogurt, sugar, ice and mango (any other fruit or none at all). Chill out on a summer afternoon.

* Eat low fat yogurt as it is. No need to add anything to it. A bowl of low fat curd is healthy, filling and low in calories.

* Use it in your cooking - Instead of adding cream, add yogurt to make your curries and stews. It will make the food creamy and taste wonderful.

Yogurt based home remedies

1) Having Indigestion? Don't worry. Treat it with Yogurt.
Yogurt remedy for Indigestion or heaviness in stomach.

Indigestion

Mix ¼ teaspoon pepper powder, ¼ teaspoon of roasted cumin (jeera) powder to a glass of diluted yogurt (1/2 yogurt and half water). Have this 1-2 times a day.

2) To Subside Heart Burn

Take 1 tsp fenugreek seed (methi daana) powder along with diluted yogurt (1/2 yogurt and 1/2 water) twice daily for a few days.

3) To treat diarrhea

Crush 8-10 curry leaves (curry patta). Mix with a cup of diluted yogurt and have 2-3 times a day.

or

Mix 1 tsp Isabgol (Psyllium seed husks) in 1 cup yogurt and eat.

and

Eat only yogurt and boiled rice for a few days.

Topical uses of yogurt

* Cure your pimples and acne.

* Cures dandruff and itchy scalp.

* Treats dry skin and removes blemishes.

* Use yogurt for a soft, clear and supple skin.

Healthy Breakfast Recipes

Now is a great time to give some thought to healthy breakfast recipes. We often leave home in a stressed state, grabbing a cup of coffee and perhaps a slice of toast on the way. However, breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day. It is the meal that fires up the engines and gives us energy for the day. This couldn't be more important when it comes to children and teenagers - if we want them to concentrate to their maximum and perform on the sports field, we need to ensure that we give them something that will sustain them through the morning.

1 Granola Recipe

This Granola Recipe is a great substitute for commercial cereals - it is lower in fat and sugar and is easily made at home. It is also much more economical. You can ring the changes - substitute any of the dried fruits below with your own choice - goji berries, dried cranberries, dried mango or banana. You can chop the dried fruits in a food processor which speeds things up - process until they are just chopped and don't let them become a mush.

Ingredients:

2lb 2oz / 1kg rolled oats
quarter cup oil
half cup honey, melted
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped or whole
2 cups raisins (about 8oz / 250g)
2 cups chopped dried peaches
2 cups chopped dried figs
5 oz / 140g chopped dried apple rings

Method:

Heat the oven to 300 degrees F / 160 degrees C.
Pour the oats into a large baking tray. Combine the hot water, oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over the oats. Make sure that the liquid is well stirred in.
Bake for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Make sure that the mixture doesn't burn. It is ready when the oats are no longer wet and are golden in colour.
Remove from the oven and add almonds and dried fruit. Stir very well.
Allow to cool and then store in air tight containers.

2 Mango Lassi Recipe

Protein is important first thing in the morning, but you may not have the time or inclination to cook up eggs. Fruit Smoothed recipes are prepared in seconds and this Mango Lassi Recipe is both delicious and satisfying.

Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes - about 12 oz / 350g
2 cups yogurt
half cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)

Method:

Peel the mangoes. Cut the flesh off the pip.
Place the mango, yogurt and milk in a blender.
Sweeten the mango lassi with a little sugar if necessary. If your mangoes are very sweet you won't need to add sugar. This mixture is fairly thick, so you may want to add a little more milk.
Pour into 2 - 3 glasses and serve.

Making Creamy Cold-Fermented Kefir at Home Article

I like to make Kefir at home. You can find many resources that teach you how to make kefir, but I know a way to make it which is a bit different. This article assumes that you at least know the basics of kefir making. I will go over how I make it but I assume that you know all about how long to ferment it and what a properly fermented batch looks like.

Several years ago when I got started making kefir, my kefir grains multiplied to the point where I could ferment a gallon of milk at a time. The problem here is that since I am the only one who really drank it at the time, and it only takes 24-48 hours to ferment, I couldn't drink it fast enough. The other problem I had came in the summertime. Kefir ferments much faster when it is warm. I was living in an apartment where it would easily get to 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit, and I usually would go away to my parents' lake house on the summer weekends, so I didn't want to leave a gallon of explosively fermenting milk alone in the kitchen. Actually, we would turn the window air conditioners off when we went away for the weekend and it was a second floor apartment, so the temperatures would actually go much higher. I decided to try a cold ferment. The colder the temperature, the slower the ferment. Now, you can mix this any way you want. You can start it out at room temperature to get it going and then put it into the refrigerator when it has reached the proper "doneness" and leave it there where it will still continue fermenting but at a much slower rate. You can take your time getting to it and don't have to worry about it exploding or turning to cheese.

Let's go over the first part of the ferment, which is the basics of kefir making. Please wash your hands well before proceeding.

First you need kefir grains, which are little white rubbery texture tings that look like cauliflower florets. No one has been able to figure out where the first ones came from or by what mechanism they were first created. They grow larger and bit fall off the larger part and then those parts in turn grow larger in the milk until they have pieces that fall off and grow and it goes on and on and on. As far as anyone knows, all kefir grains on earth came from the first batches in the Russo-Georgian are of the Caucasus mountain range where Muslim tribesmen considered them a gift from God like the Manna that fed the ancient Israelites in the desert even before that.

You also need milk. You can use any kind of mammal milk but cow, goat, and sheep are most commonly used. I have personally made kefir with both cow and goat milk. I prefer the taste of goat milk to cow milk and I also like goat kefir better, but I make that in small batches due to the high cost of goat milk. To make a gallon just use cow milk as long as you are okay with it and there are no allergies to bovine mammary secretions (milk). Where I live I am lucky enough to be able to obtain organic, grass fed I presume, creamy non homogenized milk from Jersey cows, which is MUCH creamier and fattier than the more commonly available and more watery milk from Holstein cows. Unfortunately for most people they are stuck with BGH laced and homogenized Holstein milk from grain fed cows. Hey, you use what you have. The kefir will even make that milk fit to drink, but if you can go for organic milk from grass fed cows.

You will need some bowls and tools. I prefer Pyrex style glass bowls and plastic ladle and strainer. You need plastic and not metal tools for all of this. Also, try to use glass bowls, measuring cups, etc. I also use a Pyrex style quartz size pouring container with a handle. I put down paper towels to catch any drip-page but you don't have to. You want all of your stuff to be clean. You also need containers to store the strained kefir. I use old cleaned out plastic mayonnaise jars. They are made of food grade plastic. Use food grade plastics or glass. This one is optional but really adds to the drink-ability. A kitchen blender or a hand held electric mixer. You should also have at least two large gallon size glass jars with the lids that clamp on and the rubber gaskets. That's what I use. You can use any glass jar or food grade plastic jar. I recommend a large one to keep all of your milk and grains in one container, but I suppose that you can split it all into two smaller ones if the large one are for some reason too unwieldy. You will also need a large wide mouth funnel. This is also optional but we'll see where that comes in handy later on.

Lay out all of your stuff. This is all assuming that you already have enough kefir grains to make this large amount and that it was already fermenting at least once to make a batch. You should have put it all together and had it fermenting and then chilling in the fridge to slow it down or started it at room temperature and then had it in the cold for a larger amount of time in order to allow your consumption to catch up with your fermenting or maybe you just wanted to take a break from kefir making and drinking for awhile.

Take the jug out of the fridge which has been cold fermenting and, carefully over a spread out towel over a counter-top, give it a few gentle shakes or turns to mix the curds, whey, and fat which may have separated a bit. You want it as free flowing as possible for pouring into the strainer.

Put your plastic strainer, which should have large enough holes to allow the fatty mix to get through but not large enough to lose too many of your smaller grains into the kefir. If the holes are too small you will be standing there with a strainer full of kefir that never drains. You might want to experiment with a few, but they have to be plastic, not metal. The strainer should also be large enough that the rim of the strainer fits just over the rim of the bowl, so that you don't have to constantly hold it and that enough space is left under the strainer that strained milk can collect there.

Open the fermented jar carefully because there is carbon dioxide which will want to escape. Hold the large jar with fermented kefir with both hands and slowly pour as much as you can into the strainer so that it is full. There might be some splashing and plopping as grains and lumpy milk hit lumpy milk. This is normal. Put the jar down and pick up the strainer by the handle and gently rock or move the strainer back and forth to stimulate movement and the straining process. If all goes well you should have a strainer full of grains and a bowl full of kefir. Dump the grains in the strainer to the other bowl, or just keep them in the strainer but for now put the strainer into that other bowl to keep everything straight and orderly.

The next part is optional but if you don't do it your kefir will be lumpy and the lumpy gritty texture will turn many people, especially kids, off. Also, this step will slow down or stop the tendency for refrigerated strained kefir to separate into curds and whey. All you need to do to mix them is give them a light shake or turn the container over a few times, but still.

You can ladle the strained kefir into a blender, but I prefer one of those handy electric hand mixer things. Get a clean plate to lay it on between uses since I assume that all of the straining up to this point has to be repeated at least once, and it will drip. Simply insert the hand mixer into the bowl of strained kefir and give it a few mixes by pushing or pulsing the button. You can move the mixing end around to make sure you get it all but keep it pretty well submerged or you will end up with kefir all over the place. I know this from experience. Now you kefir will have a delicious creamy and silky texture. You can add mango nectar or some other fruit juice or something to it at this time to flavor it if you don't like the taste of plain tangy sour kefir. You can mix each container that you will fill with a different flavouring. If you do make sure you do not overfill it with kefir and leave enough room for the flavor component AND the mixer end. Also, if you mix in a plastic bowl or container be careful not to touch or rub the bottom with the mixing end. You don't want plastic shavings in your kefir. This is why I prefer to mix it in a glass bowl.

I want to take a small tangent here regarding flavouring. Once in an Indian restaurant with an Indian colleague, we had some lovely Mango Lassi, which is an Indian fermented milk beverage. It was pale yellow and delicious. It was mango flavoured. One day in the supermarket I found some Goya Mango Nectar. It comes in glass jars and is pretty reasonable. It is of Spanish origin and unless they don;t make a distinction, the sweet added component is sugar, not the toxic high fructose corn syrup which plagues sweetened beverages made in America. The light bulb went on and I remembered the tasty mango lassi from the Indian restaurant. I bought a few bottles and took them home and mixed some into the kefir until I found the right strength for my taste. It also had the awesome side effect of having my 9 year old son drink the healthy kefir beverage, which he won't touch plain. Chocolate syrup (organic from an organic market) is also a popular kid flavouring for kefir.

Well, after you fill the jars with kefir and the strained bowl is empty or nearly empty, repeat the pouring, straining, and mixing process for this batch. Once your jars are filled you can now finish up. I have two large gallon jugs, one which is cleaned from the last time and the one I just emptied. If you only use one then now is the time to clean the jug well and dry it out with paper towels. Your regular towels might have germs on them and you want to get any chlorinated water from the tap out. Then you put the wide mouth funnel over the top and use the ladle to scoop out your large bunch of kefir grains from the strainer and put them into the jug. When that is finished pour a gallon of fresh milk over them, close it up, shake it a few times to inoculate the milk well, and then put it on the counter-top to start the new ferment. In about 24 hours put it back into the back of the fridge for anywhere from a week to several months if need be.

There you have it, delicious cold fermented kefir. It is also worth noting that many times when I make it this way it is loaded with tiny carbon bubbles that truly make it the champagne of milks!

The Other Side of Stressed is Desserts

If you read or spell backward the word STRESSED, it is actually DESSERTS! That's right, when we are stressed, try to eat dessert, you will feel better. Whether you experienced it or not, the next time you are stressed, eat a piece of cake, or drink a cup of cocktail juice, you will see wonders!

Try this: after a hard day work, take a chilled drink, sit down and have a sip, you will feel at ease, as if all the body cells are relaxing now! In Japan, the first thing after work is not eat dinner but drinking a glass of chilled beer. In every Chinese wedding dinner, the last dish is always dessert, being it hot or cold, just to make sure all the guests bring back the good memories.

Top 10 Desserts in Asia that help to Stress Out are:

1. Tropical Fruits

Situated in tropical regions, Asia has various delicious tropical fruits that serve as daily desserts such

as papaya, banana, pineapple, guava. Seasonal fruits such as "Durian", "Rambutan" and jack fruit

are also popular.

2. Chinese Yam Paste

Peeled the yam, cut into small pieces, then steam it, after cooked, smashed it like mashed potato and cook it again with sugar until thicken; a very unique dessert in its own way.

3. Chinese "Longan" & "Lychee"

One of the favourite desserts of all time.

4. Thai "Thap Deem Cop"

A Thai dessert with coconut juice, water chest nut and jack fruit. Have it with ice.

5. Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream

My favourite of all ice cream. Make sure you taste the original green tea ice cream.

6. Indian Mango "Lassi" (yogurt drink)

"Lassi" is an Indian drink made from yogurt; though there are strawberry flavour, i like mango "lassi " the most.

7. Indonesian "Nagasari" Dumpling

A soft and fragrance dumpling made from coconut juice, fragrant leaves and special recipes.

8. Malaysian "Chendoi"

A famous dessert with red bean, spaghetti-strip made from fragrant leaves, immersed in coconut juice with ice.

9. Taiwanese Peanut Soup and "Wo Peng" (Wok Biscuit)

Peanut soup is hot, it is best savoured together with "Wo Peng ".

10. Home-made Cheese Cakes

Whether it is baked cheese cake, chilled cheese cake or mousse cheese cake, it is a must for any

happy occasions.

Why drink soda is harmful and increases your body fat percentage?

 

Water is a large part of human body: babies about 78%, one year old 65%, adult men about 60%, and adult women about 55%. Our lean muscles are about 75% water by weight, our bones are about 22% of water, and our body fat contains 10% of water. Even small changes in the amount of water in our body can make a difference in our health; therefore, the thirst mechanism in our brain, normally, signals the body to drink water when the body is dry.

We lose water daily, thus, we need to drink about 8-12 cups of fresh filtered water a day (each of 8 oz.) to replenish one lost through sweating (about two cups), breathing (two cups), urinating and bowel movement (six cups), and to keep all the body compartments with adequate amount of water. We lose even more water when we drink coffee and caffeine-containing soft drinks, alcohol, and when we exercise in a hot and dry weather.

Why Your Body Does Not Need Soft Drinks?

Besides of carbonated water, soft drinks contain ingredients that are not required for human body functions. They even interfere with these functions causing them fail over time, which manifests in obesity and diseases.

Let's take a look at the ingredients of the of a very popular Diet soft drink, as an example, as it is prepared in the US:

• Carbonated water
• Aspartame (or Splenda) (but in regular sodas, high fructose corn syrup - HFCS - is used instead)
• Caramel colour (E150d, most likely GM)
• Phosphoric acid
• Caffeine (46.5 mg. in a 12-oz can, but less caffeine, 34.5 mg., in a regular-coke can)
• Potassium benzoate (to protect taste)
• Natural flavours
• Citric acid

Guess how many sodas do we drink? - more than 450 pints, or 206 litters per person per year now according to the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA). Soft drink companies spend billions of dollars on advertising, also pursuing children through movies, cartoons, and, videos, playgrounds, toys, amusement parks, sweepstakes, clubs, plus radio, magazines, and the internet. As a result, soft-drink companies earned over $57 billion in sales in 2008 in the US.

A typical soft drink addict is a twelve-year-old child whose drug is a soft drink from a vending machine in his school. Thousands of children like him are sent to attend special classes sponsored by their schools to be warned about the dangers of drugs, tobacco and alcohol. However, they are not warned about the other drug - the soft drinks.

Aspartame - a synthetic sweetener in soft drinks - is a potent neurotoxin (nerve poison) and endocrine disruptor connected to lymphoma and leukaemia, as it was shown in a research in 2005. Aspartame is the main ingredient in sweeteners Equal and NutraSweet. The FDA approved aspartame for use almost 30 years ago, in 1981, and it is sold under different brand names such as NutraSweet, Equal Measure, and Spoonful. Aspartame can be found in over 6,000 products: sodas, juice drinks, flavoured waters, iced teas, jams, chewing gum, diabetic food, Metamucil fibber supplement, Fibber One breakfast cereal, and even in chewable vitamins and over-the-counter prescriptions such as Alka Seltzer Plus and several Tylenol medications.

FDA has recorded numerous consumers' reports on migraine headaches and dizziness, insomnia, joint pain, memory loss, hives, rash, abdominal cramping, hallucinations, seizures, and even deaths related to aspartame consumption. Over 900 studies have been published on aspartame. In 1998, a study showed that dietary aspartame bounds to protein in body cells, and it was found in liver, kidney, and blood. It accumulates over time without being excreted, causing more damage and hazard by contributing to formaldehyde-compounds formation. In human body, aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde that is a known cause of birth defects and allergies. It was also listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a probable human carcinogen in 1987 causing both lymphoma and leukaemia in lab rats and in humans.

In May of 2009, an article shared a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute investigating the association between formaldehyde and lymph cancer. It was noticed when cancer cells are exposed to aspartame they became more mobile. The original studies done by the G.D. Searle company also pointed out that lymphomas and primary brain tumours as well as tumours of multiple organs were related to aspartame. All of this signifies that aspartame is a powerful carcinogenic substance.

Many of the common yet shocking symptoms associated with aspartame according to FDA's records include:

• Tumours
• Eye problems such as protruding eyes, retinal detachment, blindness, and bleeding eyes
• Partial paralysis
• Spasmodic Torticollis (involuntary spasms in neck)
• Unsteady gait
• Skin problems and lesions
• Obesity
• Genetic damage and birth defects

Recent studies conducted at Princeton University showed that artificial sweeteners, e.g., NutraSweet present in many diet soft drinks, are considerably sweeter than natural sugars, making your body crave sugar more due to absence of the natural sugar. But being sweeter is not just the only harm of the artificial sweeteners.

Splenda sweetener, used in a few highly sold popular soft drinks is the trade name for sucralose - a synthetic compound containing aspartame. British scientists discovered it accidentally when seeking a new pesticide formula in 1976. It is true that Splenda molecule consists of sucrose (sugar), except that three of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule being replaced by three chlorine atoms. Independent researchers insist that Splenda has more in common with pesticides. That's because the bonds, holding the carbon and chlorine atoms together, are rather of a chlorocarbon property than a salt, and so most pesticides are chlorocarbons.

Once it gets to the gut, sucralose (Splenda) goes largely unrecognized in the body as food. That is why it has no calories. Many people do not absorb a significant amount of Splenda in their small intestine. The paradox is that your body tries to clear unrecognizable substances by digesting them so, it's most likely, the healthier your gastrointestinal system is, the more you absorb the chlorinated molecules of Splenda that might work as an endocrine disruptor. The manufacturer's own short-term studies showed that sucralose caused shrunken thymus glands and enlarged livers and kidneys in rodents. Observational evidence showed side effects of Splenda, including skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain.

A Duke University study, commissioned and funded by a sugar-industry lobbying group, found that doses of Splenda of between 100 and 1000 mg/kg, which contained sucralose at 1.1 to 11 mg/kg (when the FDA's Acceptable Daily Intake is 5 mg/kg), reduced the amount of good bacteria in the intestines of rats by up to 50%, thus, contributing to increases in body weight. The recent findings also agree that composition of intestinal bacteria plays a major role in body-weight regulation. Splenda increased the pH level in the intestines, caused histopathological changes in the colon. It also decreased total anaerobes and bifidobacteria (good bacteria), thereby increasing the expression of the intestinal chemical transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and two CYP450 isozymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2D1) at levels associated with reduced bioavailability of drugs and nutrients.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is used in regular sodas, in cookies, candy bars, and all baked products in preference to sugar. It is associated with poor development of collagen in growing animals, especially in the context of copper deficiency. High-fructose corn syrup derived from cheap corn is more economical because the domestic U.S. and Canadian prices of sugar are twice the global price, and the price of corn is kept low through government subsidies paid to the corn growers. Soft-drink makers giant companies use sugar in their drinks for consumption in other nations/countries, which refuse buying the HFCS-contained version. In U.S., however, the soft-drink companies switched to corn syrup since 1984.

High-fructose corn syrup is produced by milling corn to produce corn starch and later processing starch to yield corn syrup that is almost entirely glucose. Then by adding enzymes to it they change most of the glucose into fructose. Since fructose must be metabolized by the liver, animals (including humans) on high-fructose diets develop liver problems similar to those of alcoholics. Critics of HFCS say it is a "toxic chemical concoction" contributing to weight gain by affecting normal appetite functions. Genetically modified (GM) corn, which is not the corn farmers used to grow some 40 years ago, makes up one of the largest portions of all genetically engineered crops - about 80% in the US. When a label on a product you buy does not contain word "organic", that means the corn syrup, most likely, is made from the GM corn.

Caramel Color in soft drinks (code E150a, E150b, E150c, E150d) can be produced from the genetically modified corn, thus, containing the genetically modified material not detectable by a polymerase chain-reaction. Many carbohydrates that are not derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can also be used to develop a non-GM caramel colour.

Phosphoric acid, used in cola and many soft drinks to acidify their taste and to create tingling sensations, is associated with calcium loss, thus, lowering bone density in epidemiological studies. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study, which using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) provided a sound evidence that drinking cola lowers bone density. A total of 1672 women and 1148 men were studied between 1996 and 2001. Using a food frequency questionnaire including the number of servings of cola and other carbonated beverages in diet, and differentiating between regular, caffeine-free, and diet drinks, the study developed significant statistics showing that women who consume cola daily have lower bone density. Although, total phosphorus intake was not significantly higher in daily cola consumers vs. non-consumers, the calcium-to-phosphorus ratios were lower.

Caffeine in popular soft drinks (69 mg in a 12-oz. Diet Max can) is a possible contributor to low bone-density due to the known effect of caffeine on calciuria (loss of calcium with urine). Consumption of caffeine containing soft drinks is associated with chronic kidney disease and kidney stones in a medical research. The preliminary results suggest that caffeinated soft-drinks consumption may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease. Studies have shown that regular soft-drink users have a lower intake of calcium, magnesium, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, and vitamin A. The caffeinated soft drinks are also criticized for causing physical dependence. Caffeine stimulates the adrenal gland without providing nourishment, which can lead to adrenal exhaustion, especially, in children.

Caffeine and its metabolites (paraxanthine, theobromine, and theophylline) are easily transferred across the placenta, with embryonic concentrations being just slightly lower than maternal levels. However, the amount of caffeine that may seem mild to the mother, could be much more significant for the embryo. It affects the embryo growth and heart development. Overall, an observation of a study has shown that exposure via dam of placenta to a single dose of caffeine, which results in circulating levels equivalent to 2 cups of coffee consumption in a human, can induce both acute effects on the embryo and long-term effects in adulthood. Recent data suggest that caffeine exposure during early pregnancy is associated with an increased miscarriage rate.

Benzene, categorized as a known human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is associated with soft drinks. Although, not being added to the drinks directly, the compound benzene is formed by a reaction of two preservatives in soft drinks −ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sodium or potassium benzoate in the presence of light and/or heat. Chronic exposure to benzene is associated with leukemia, aplastic anemia and other blood diseases. Children may, especially, be sensitive to benzene because their bone-marrow cells are highly active. Scientists at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and others have found that some soft drinks sold in the U.S. contain concentrations of benzene above the U.S. legal limit for drinking water. Therefore, scientists urge you and local school officials to cease the sale and marketing of certain soft drinks in public schools until they are shown to be safe and free of the toxic substance benzene.

Following is a list of soft drinks that contain both ascorbic acid and sodium or potassium benzoate (thus, potentially, benzene):

Wild Cherry, Fanta Orange, Diet Pepsi, Hawaiian Punch, Mug Root Beer, Pepsi Vanilla, Sierra Mist, Sunkist, and Tropicana Lemonade, and others.

On February 15th, Beverage Daily reported that recent tests had shown that some soft drinks contain benzene at levels "above the legal limit for water set by the US and Europe." According to Beverage Daily, independent tests at a laboratory in New York have found benzene levels in a couple of soft drinks containing two-and-a-half and five times the limit for drinking water set up by World Health Organization, which is more permissive than is the U.S. standard. On March 4th, the Times of London reported that just 100 of the 230 soft drinks tested for benzene met the standard for British water, "with some containing up to eight times the legal limit."

Sodium benzoate, besides of its contribution to the benzene formation in soft drinks, was found to break down mitochondrial DNA in living yeast cells. Research published for the British government's Food Standards Agency in 2007 suggested that sodium benzoate (E211) is linked to hyperactive behaviour and decreased intelligence in children.

If after reading this article you stop drinking soft drinks, your health will improve significantly, your body weight will drop significantly, and your mind will become much sharper.

Top 10 most popular drinks that can cause stomach bloating

 

If you suffer from bloating, you carefully examine all the foods you are eating but tend to overlook what you drink. Most popular drinks that you consume daily might just be the culprit in your no win bloating war.

Let's take a look which popular "health" drinks might contribute to your gas, bloating and indigestion symptoms.

1. Milk is the number one culprit for your bloated stomach that is ready to explode. Milk contains lactose that many people can't digest properly. Milk was initially intended for human and animal babies as a rich source for growth and nutrients; you will not see adult animals consuming milk anywhere in nature. Most individuals lose the ability to process milk with age triggering multiple allergies and sensitivities. If you favour chocolate milk on top of that, you supply your body with indigestible formula of lactose and sugar which adds to your indigestion problems.

2. Coffee contains large doses of caffeine and acid that irritates and over stimulates the stomach lining. Strong ingredients in coffee eventually cause intestinal spasms and colic. Instant coffee that is more popular in Europe but gaining popularity in America is even worse for your stomach than naturally brewed coffee.

3. Tea, especially strong black varieties, contains considerable amount of caffeine and similarly to coffee causes stomach sensitivities and indigestion.

4. Fruit juice is believed to be a health drink and is widely advertised by juice manufacturing companies to supply your body with essential nutrients and elements. However, once you rid a fruit of its vital fibers via a juicing process, you are likely to be left with a high concentration of water and sugar. High amounts of fructose can upset any stomach and trigger an acid indigestion or gas attack. Additionally, sugar is perfect food for Candida yeast to feed off.

5. Soda has to be the ultimate worst contributor to your bloated stomach causes due to high concentration of chemical ingredients. Sugar, artificial sweeteners, chemical additives and caffeine mixed together by the process of carbonation create a concoction that is so harmful to our bodies that no words can describe. Both diet and regular soda varieties are equally bad for you and can give you gas almost right away.

6. Energy drinks are among the worst killer brews for our health since they contain double sugar and double caffeine compared to sodas to give you the jolt of energy. However, the jolt of energy very often comes at a very high cost of your health, namely, poor digestion, gas and bloating.

7. Beer is one of the top contributors to gas and bloated belly along with many carbonated beverages. Additionally, it contains wheat and yeast remnants that some people do not tolerate very well.

8. Champagne usually accompanies many festive events and romantic occasions. However, the famous bubbly is going to give you the not so romantic flatulence and indigestion due to high concentration of bubbles and sugars.

9. Wine is a type of alcoholic drink manufactured by means of fermenting grape juice. The result is highly acidic and sugary composition that can irritate your digestive tract and result in gas. Some people are additionally allergic to sulfites that most wine manufactures use as wine preservative and an ingredient intended to stop further fermentation.

10. Heavy liquor is literally pure poison for any organ of your body and is a very strong stimulant wrecking havoc with your digestion. Consuming heavy alcoholic beverages is almost a sure way to give you bloating.

Hot Chocolate - Round the World Health

Hot chocolate (also known as hot cocoa, drinking chocolate, or just cocoa) is a heated beverage that typically consists of shaved chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar. While it is generally thought of as a drink consumed for pleasure, recent studies have suggested that it possesses health benefits due to antioxidants that can be found in cocoa. Until the 19th century, it was even used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases.

Around The World

The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayan peoples around 2000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 A.D. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then. Today, this hot, savory chocolate drink is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations including the very thick chocolate dense served in Italy, and the thinner hot cocoa that is typically consumed in the United States.

Americans have come to use the terms "hot chocolate" and "hot cocoa" interchangeably, obscuring the considerable difference between the two. "Hot cocoa" is made from powder made by extracting most of the rich cocoa butter from the ground cacao beans. On the other hand, the chocolate version of the drink is made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. Thus the major difference between the two is the cocoa butter, which makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than the chocolate version, while still preserving all the intrinsic health-giving properties of chocolate.

Again, when comparing the chocolate and cocoa versions, the chocolate version of the drink is made with dark, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate, and chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar. In contrast, American hot cocoa powder often includes powdered milk or other dairy ingredients so it can be made without using milk. In the United Kingdom, "hot chocolate" is a sweet chocolate drink made with hot milk or water, and powder containing chocolate, sugar, and powdered milk. "Cocoa" usually refers to a similar drink made with just hot milk and cocoa powder, then sweetened to taste with sugar.

In mainland Europe, most forms of this delightful drink are very thick due to being made directly from chocolate. In the United Kingdom, however, it is often of the thinner variety. Some types of powdered chocolate drinks in the UK are actually as thick as pure chocolate varieties. As Europe was where it was first popularized, many different forms exist.

Among the multiple thick forms of hot chocolate served in Europe is the Italian chocolate dense. German variations are also known for being very thick and heavy. In Spain churls is the traditional working-man's breakfast. This style can be extremely thick, often having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding. In the Netherlands, it is known as chocolademelk, and is often served at home or at the cafes. In France, it is often served at breakfast time, and sometimes sliced French bread or croissants, spread with butter, jam, honey or Nutella are dunked into the chocolate drink; there are also brands specially formulated for breakfast time, notably Banana.

Even further variations exist. In some cafes in Belgium and other areas in Europe, one who orders a "warmed chocolate" or "chocolate chad" would receive a cup of steamed white milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk.

Potential Health Benefits of Hot Chocolate

While generally consumed for pleasure, this drink has several potential health benefits associated with it. Studies have shown that the chocolate drink form contains large amounts of antioxidants that may be beneficial to one's health. From the 16th to 19th centuries, it was valued as a medicine as well as a drink. The explorer Francisco Hernández wrote that chocolate beverages helped treat fever and liver disease. Another explorer, Santiago de Val Verde Trice's, believed that consuming large amounts was helpful in treating chest ailments, but in smaller amounts could help stomach disorders.

When chocolate was introduced to the French in the 17th century, it was reportedly used "to fight against fits of anger and bad moods", which may be attributed to chocolate's phenyl ethylamine content. Today, hot chocolate is consumed for pleasure rather than medicinally, but new research suggests that there may be other health benefits attributed to the drink.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3314356

Mangosteen Juice

It is called mangostan by the Spanish, mangostanier, mangoustanier, mangouste, or mangostier by the French, mangostao, mangosta, or mangusta by the Portugese, manggis or manggistan by the Dutch, mang cut in Vietnam, mesetor in Malaysia, and mangis or mangostan in the Philippines. With all these different names, what exactly is mangosteen?

Mangosteen, belonging to the family Guttiferae and carrying the scientific name Garcinia mangostana, is an edible tropical fruit in deep reddish purple. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with mangoes. It is universally known because of its rich taste that may be compared to the taste of a strawberry and sweet orange. Mangosteens are oftentimes served and eaten fresh as desserts.

The fruit, contained in a seemingly tough and hard shell, measures about four to six cm in diameter with small petals underneath it. The fleshy fruit, about three to five centimeters in diameter, can be obtained by cutting through the shells which are actually soft and easy to open. When opened, the red husk produces a purplish juice that can stain fabric. The number of fruit pods inside is the same as the number of petals on the bottom of the shell. On the average, a mangosteen contains five fruits (and petals, for that matter). The mangosteen fruit has seeds but they are not edible and are actually bitter.

This tropical fruit is believed to have originated from the Sunda Islands and the Moluccas. It was then propagated in Thailand, Southern Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. The mangosteen was introduced in Europe in the middle of the 19th century. The Department of Agriculture in the United States received the tropical fruit's seeds from Java in 1906. However, as the Americans started planting the seeds, the tree did not become well-acclimatized in some parts of the country. The plants did not do well in the soil and the climate.

Although it has become available preserved, frozen, and in cans, Western countries rarely sell mangosteen fresh. The fresh ones are sold only in some Asian grocery stores. Due to fears of acquiring Asian fruit fly, the United Stated prohibits the importation of whole mangosteen fruits that, they say, could devastate US crops.

Mangosteen is considered to be ?Asia's Queen of Fruit? because of its elegance and feminine appearance. Moreover, it is more widely known and consumed in Asia than in any other parts of the world.

Benefits of Coconut Water for Flu Treatment

Flu season is here, so it's time to discuss the benefits coconut water can have for treating dehydration, nausea, and upset stomachs. Flu, is short for influenza and is a virus that causes dehydration, stomach pain, nausea and aching all over the body. Having the flu is an awful experience, especially for young children. This article showcases how coconut water alleviates the symptoms mentioned above and also has flu treatment recipes to get you on your way to a speedy recovery.

For your body's immune system to work at it's most efficient, your body has to stay properly hydrated. Coconut water has all five electrolytes your body needs to do this. Potassium is the main electrolyte needed, because one, 8.5 oz serving has 15 times more potassium than other sports drinks, like Gatorade or VitaWater.

Because you'll be more hydrated, you'll be feeling better and, it'll also get you cured, faster, because your immune system will be operating more efficiently.

It also has lauric acid, a mineral that benefits you while you have the flu because it helps alleviate the stomach irritation that accompanies the virus. Nausea is another symptom of the flu, because the stomach irritation limits your stomach's ability to hold down food.

An old school flu remedy my mom used to help me re-hydrate when I had the flu, was to give me ice chips.

With what we know about the benefits of coconut water, today, why not take this flu remedy one step further and make ice chips using the water from coconuts? It'll rehydrate you faster than water and calm your stomach. There's also several flavours, with natural fruit extracts, that you could make popsicles with.

Even though I didn't have the flu, I did get food poisoning about 3 weeks ago, that was accompanied with violent stomach pains and frequent trips to the restroom (sorry for being too descriptive). There was one box of coco water left in the house with about 6 ounces in it and I prayed it would help ease my pain.

For the 2 years I've been drinking water from coconuts, it was the first time I'd used it to alleviate some type of medical symptom, besides a hangover. It always helped my hangovers, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how much better it made my stomach feel when I had the food poisoning.

Within 15 minutes, the pain was tolerable and continued fading until I fell asleep.

If you decide to give coconut water a try, keep in mind that it offers all kinds of other health benefits bedsides being a natural flu remedy.

Kratom 15X Is Used In Therapeutic Doses

Kratom is scientifically known as Mitragyna Speciosa. It is a medicinal leaf extract from a tree in the family Rubiaceae and is native to Southeast Asia. The Kratom tree is also easily identified by its height of between 3 to 40 meters depending on the age of the tree. For the Kratom to grow into a fully mature tree requires rich fertile soil and a lot of sunlight, both of which are found in abundance in Southeast Asia.

Kratom is known by different names and spellings around the world including kratom, ketum, cratom, kakuam, Ithang and thom. Botanically it is related to the corynanthe, cinchona and uncaria plant genera, which puts it in the same class as coffee. When the leaves of the Kratom tree are boiled in water and reduced to a concentrate, they form a very glossy, thick dark green extract.

Kratom 15x is a standardized powdered extract, which is dry and very fine in its appearance, similar to a high quality talc powder. It is so fine that it could be mixed into any drink or put into gel capsules easily. Kratom 15x is one of the strongest forms of Kratom and is active at about half a gram dosage. It is widely used in therapeutic doses as a painkiller, mood enhancer and to help former addicts recover from their addiction to opiates.

Kratom 15x extract can be taken in a wide variety of methods including preparing it in tea, stirred into fruit juice or shaken into a bottle of water. In addition, it can be swallowed by mixing the Kratom 15x into yogurt, honey, chocolate syrup and other foods. Kratom 15x is similar to the Thai lyophilized Kratom extract but has comparatively more euphoric effects.

After consuming Kratom 15x, a user will notice its effect within five to ten minutes and the effects - both stimulating and sedative - can last for several hours.. If taken in lower doses, kratom typically acts as a stimulant while in higher doses, it most often becomes a sedative. Some of the major effects of kratom, including pain killing, seem to be quite similar to opiates. If about 1 gram of kratom is dissolved in water, its soporific effects may last for 4 to 8 hours while in lower doses, it induces a mild euphoria and reduces fatigue along with greater energy and the ability to concentrate better.

Kratom.Pro offers clients a wide variety of kratom extracts and forms. Kratom.Pro also offers extensive information on the medicinal benefits of using kratom frequently and includes a complete section on various health benefits and risks of this tropical plant. Kratom.Pro is the only website providing its customers with the array of products including powders, leaf, tincture, resin, extracts and live kratom plants, to name just a few. To learn more about kratom's amazing powers, please visit http://www.kratom.pro.

The Different Teas

Ok let's talk about Tea today. In Malaysia we called it "teh tarik" which mean "pull tea" which is our Indian's milk tea. Well the reason it was called like that is it because the way they make the tea.

They will use a larger metal container and mix the tea and milk together and hold it with one hand and another hand with a glass tea cup and both hands went the opposite vertical direction and pour it out like waterfall. And it creates a foamy or bubbles effect surface. It gives it a smooth feeling in the tea texture when you drink it, you will feel the tea is smoother than the normal one. Try order two and see, one with the pulling and one without you will definitely feel the different.

This morning I ordered one and asked for less sweet. Too bad it didn't taste as good as usual. Today the tea content is a bit too much, too strong. That makes it kind of bitter and feels like it is biting your tongue. The colour is slightly dark and dull compare to a real good nice "teh tarik". Chinese restaurant and Malay restaurant both their tea are different from Indian restaurant. Chinese milk tea is slightly different from Indian in term of texture and taste. Both have their unique taste. I like both.

Why I didn't mention Malay's tea basically is the same with Indian. But I have yet to come across any nice Malay restaurant that make nice tea they are either too sweet or hardly got any taste of tea in it. We Malaysian have lots of 24 hours Mamak (which is our Indian Restaurant). We like to hang around and have a nice cup of tea which is about a $1 each. The price is ten times cheaper than Star Buck or Coffee Beans. Hope they wouldn't sue me by doing such bad advertisement for them. ;)

So if you are in Malaysia please have a cup of nice "teh tarik" sure you will fall in love with it. Hmmm... going for my second cup, this time I will have my "Teh O Ice Limau" which is more or less like "Ice Lemon Tea". But instead of lemon now we use lime instead. You should try this too. If they give enough lime in it, it taste heavenly. Especially drinking it under a long hot sunny day, is really refreshing, it refresh your throat and all the way down your internal organs and your soul. I notice almost every table has a cup of "teh tarik" on it! O wow! This is so refreshing my "Teh O Ice Limau" that just came. It is so tasty! With the right portion of tea, sugar and lime blended nicely together it gives the perfect tastes that linger in your mouth. Ahh......... nice!

O I forget how about English tea than. I will try to use music term to describe them. As a singer myself.

I like English tea [http://www.faithfoo.com/Tea!.html] too. English tea like Earl Grey it gives a beautiful fragrance that stay in your mouth and tongue. You can breaths in the fragrance as the air flow through your mouth. To me English tea is like a Coloratura singer, it gives a, high, light, elegant, sweet, smooth, flooding and nothing rough about it feeling. As compare to Indian tea is like a Spinto or a Heavy Mezzo soprano, it gives a full body, a powerful kick, a strong boast kind of feeling. English tea has lingering effect where else Indian tea have a satisfying feeling it makes you feel full.

Ok so much about tea. I am actually trying to write something around me so I choose the cup of tea that is next to me.

So do you enjoy my tea sharing?

Vitamin Water - A Health Drink That Enhances the Benefits of Drinking Water or Silly Sales Gimmick?

Many people drink vitamin water and believe they are consuming a health drink, but that's like believing cotton candy is good, fat free food. Let's look at the small print on a bottle of vitamin water. The flavor we'll investigate for this article is kiwi-strawberry, which the label suggests will improve your "focus".

The first thing we notice about the ingredients is that there is not one mention of kiwi or strawberry, only "natural flavor", which could be anything from sugar to MSG. In fact, on a bottle of supposed kiwi-strawberry "nutrient enhanced water beverage" the label states that this health drink contains less than 1% fruit juice. What is really in this vitamin water and is it a health drink? Upon closer inspection we see that it is really a bottle filled with distilled, de-ionized water, sugar, isolated vitamins and minerals.

One nutrition fact to note on the label of the vitamin water is that each bottle contains 2.5 servings. This is where the amount of sugar can be deceiving because the label reveals only 13g of sugar, but that's per serving. Multiply 13g times 2.5 servings and you've got a whopping 32.5 grams of sugar in each bottle of vitamin water, that's more than most sodas. You see, the first ingredient listed on the label, after the dead, de-mineralized water, is crystalline fructose, which might best be described as liquid cotton candy. That's what this bottle of pink vitamin water tasted like-liquid cotton candy, only with less flavor and more of a chemical aftertaste. I could only handle a few sips before beginning to clearly "focus" on how very bad this product is, and how sneaky the manufacturer is to make it look like a health drink.

Now, let's take a good look at the "vitamins" that are in this "nutrient enhanced beverage" of kiwi-strawberry vitamin water. According to the label, each serving contains 10% of your daily requirements for Vitamins A, B3, B6, B12, and B5 and a hefty 40% of your daily allowance of Vitamin C. The problem is that these "vitamins" are not attached to any whole food like strawberries or kiwis.

Remember, those whole foods were missing from the ingredients. Therefore, the live enzymes needed to help your body absorb the vitamins into your cells are not there. It is a nutrition fact that whole foods like fruits and vegetables contain live enzymes, which act as catalysts for vitamins and minerals to work in your cells. Without those whole food properties, isolated vitamins are not easily absorbed by the body and are more than likely eliminated in the toilet. So, how many of those vitamins in the vitamin water are actually being put into use by the body? Probably about as many as you could get from eating cotton candy.

If you really want good tasting health drink formulas that truly enhance the benefits of drinking water, then you need to search the Internet. There are some excellent all natural health drink formulas that contain live enzymes, real whole food vitamins, and more nutrients than you could ever get from a case of vitamin water, but you won't find those superior health drink products at the convenience store. You have to look past the sales gimmicks, read labels carefully, learn about live enzymes, whole foods, and how the body absorbs nutrients. You can find all of this information on the net. If you are serious about your health and fitness and want something more than a gimmick, search the web. Look for nutrition facts about whole foods, all natural foods and health drink products to truly enhance the benefits of drinking water, or anything else you are putting in your body.

The Best Green Tea Drink - 3 Elements

Time and again I am asked which is the best green tea drink. I'm well aware of the various types which include Matcha, White Tea, Sencha, Gyokuro, Sencha Red, and others.

I am often tempted to say that the best one is the one you drink consistently - but that would be incorrect.

I say that because I always think of excellent tea when I think of drinking tea.

Because this beverage is a relatively new experience here in the United States, people have yet to learn a number of key distinctions between buying what is readily available - and something which will actually gives them the green tea benefits they're really looking for.

Make no mistake about it, the difference between quality green tea and 95% of the tea that consumers are using is literally night and day.

The best green tea drink is 'young'

Scientists and nutritionists tell us that for your tea to actually deliver its world-famous benefits it should be consumed within six to eight months of the tea leaf coming off the plant.

After being harvested, well-known, 'household' brands only get to the supermarket shelves after numerous stops. From the warehouse in Asia, it's loaded onto cargo ships which lumber across the Pacific. Once it makes it to a distributor's warehouse it eventually gets shipped to the manufacturer's processing plant, then to another warehouse, then to the supermarket's warehouse, and finally to your Grocer's shelf.

Unfortunately, the vast majority being consumed here is far older than six to eight months. This means the vast majority of it's nutritional benefits have already been lost so it's not even close to being the best green tea drink.

Bottled Tea is certainly not the best green tea drink either

I used to drink a bottled version that everyone is familiar with. That was until I was set straight from a Japanese woman whose family owns a 600-year-old tea farm. Once I learned what real green tea was all about I went back and studied my 'New Mexico' tea brand and got pissed off.

What I discovered was that instead of doing something healthy for my body the tea I was consuming was actually doing more harm than good.

Aside from all the 'extra' ingredients which had been included to sweeten its taste and to extend its shelf life for the next millennium - I learned that it also been pasteurized which further removed much of the remaining nutritional value.

The vast majority of people drinking this beverage seemed to be either using it as a weight loss tool or for its world-famous nutritional and cancer fighting properties.

These folks typically think that those amazing properties are available in the tea products manufactured by these 'house-hold' brand names they are buying just because the label says 'Green Tea'. It's sad to say but more often than not, the additives and sweeteners used in these name brands are actually adding to their health problems...

It's not until people gain a little education on what genuine high quality green tea is all about that they have a chance to use your common sense in your tea buying decisions.

Here are a few things to look for in buying and preparing the best green tea drink.

• Seek out sources which are natural - preferably from Japan (Dr. Mercola, a very well known American osteopathic physician and nutritional expert, warns his clients to stay away from tea coming from Pakistan, India, and China).
• Determine the amount of time it took to get your tea from the farmer's field to your kitchen cabinet (the fresher the tea the better it is for you).
• Consider drinking one that has been stone ground into a power form (with powdered tea you are consuming the whole tea leaf and getting far more nutrition than from a tea bag or even loose leaf tea).

I used to believe that the best green tea drink was the one that tasted the sweetest or was the one most convenient to find - I've learned a lot since then and I'm healthier for it.

Full Throttle Energy Drink- A Coca-Cola Creation

You know the energy drink market has gotten big when Coca-Cola enters the picture. They've introduced their own mega energy-inducing beverage known as Full Throttle. It comes in a midnight-black can with an intense demon/brimstone-like logo; certainly a far cry from the neutral, family-friendly logo of Coke.

I guess it was just a matter of time before Coca-Cola got into the energy drink sector. It's booming and the time is now to capitalize on it.

I consider the Full Throttle energy drink to be a hybrid of Monster and Red Bull. It's serving size (16 oz.) and logo is eerily similar to Monster, while the flavor and ingredients are basically the same as Red Bull.

The advantage it has over most other energy drinks is the fact that it comes from Coca-Cola. That means you'll be able to purchase the Full Throttle energy drink in many locations you wouldn't find any other brands like Red Bull, SoBe, or Monster. A perfect example would be vending machines all across the country.

Currently, Full Throttle has 7.8% of the energy drink market. I wouldn't be surprised to see that number increase substantially in the near future. A company like Coca-Cola is just too influential to remain minor players in this area.

Full Throttle Energy Drink Ingredients and Nutrition Facts:

Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sucrose, citric acid, taurine, natural and artificial flavors, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (to protect taste), ginseng extract, caffeine, carnitine fumarate, maltodextrin, niacinamide (vitamin B3), yellow 5, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), guarana extract, cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12).

Serving size 8fl oz; servings per container 2; calories 100; total fat 0g; sodium 70mg; total carbs 28g; sugars 29g; protein 0g; niacin 205; vitamin b6 20%; vitamin B12 10%

Delicious Drinks to Enjoy in Winter

In the dark days of winter, we pile on layers of extra clothes and turn up the fire in an attempt to banish the cold. We are warm on the outside, but why should our insides do without? They deserve to be warmed up too!

The perfect thing to remedy this is a hot drink, made up of your favourite ingredients; they are delicious, warm and also satisfying. Here are a few may like to try that are both tasty and warming.

Hot chocolate with marshmallows or cream is a perennial favourite, that dark, delicious liquid looks good, smells good and boy does it taste good. The added sweetness that these two extra ingredients bring to the drink will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.

If you love mint, adding peppermint or something similar, will really perk up your hot chocolate. That classic combination of chocolate and mint, seamlessly blend together to make this a true winter warming drink, try it with a candy cane in it to add a subtle mint tone.

Real hot chocolate doesn't come out of a jar or a packet, it is hot milk and pure chocolate mixed together to produce a creamy richness that no amount of powder can give. Heat the milk then pour it over the chocolate and stir, that's all there is to it; simple to make, and simply amazing.

Fruit drinks are very tasty when hot, and a hot, mulled Cider really is a delicious and very warming beverage.

This is just Cider that has been heated up and had some spices added. If that sweet tooth of yours needs satisfying, try some Caramel in it.

A very sweet drink that gives the impression of being a dessert is easily created by adding Nutella to your coffee. Coffee with Hazelnuts is a well known beverage, and the inclusion of chocolate into the mix is surprisingly good.

Women Who Drink More Coffee Have Less Stroke Risk

A woman’s cup of “Joe” may save actually her life. According a new study published in Stroke, a journal from the American Heart Association, women who consume more than 1 cup of coffee per day have a 25 percent less chance of having a stroke than their counterparts.

Coffee Drinkers Have Less Strokes

Up until now there have been many studies which have looked at the relationship between coffee and stroke; however the findings have been inconsistent. So, researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, designed a large-scale study to help clarify whether or not a connection between the two truly exists.

There were nearly 35,000 women who participated in the study. In 1997 each of these healthy women were evaluated for their amount of coffee consumption per day. After 10 years researchers followed up with the participants’ hospital records to determine who experienced a stroke during this time period. When all other stroke risk factors such as smoking, drinking, weight, diabetes and blood pressure, were accounted for the women who drank the most coffee were found to have experienced the least strokes.

What About Coffee Is So Good?

Experts believe that the health benefit of coffee is not the caffeine, but the high levels of antioxidants contained in each cup. Antioxidants are scavengers which help fight off free-radicals, or harmful substances, in our bodies as well as repair cell damage. 

Other studies conducted on the effects of coffee on overall health have also found relationships between coffee consumption and decreased risks for diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. 

While the relationship has been drawn with all of these health factors, it is important to note that it does not necessarily prove causation. Researchers are still working to understand how the properties within coffee affect the human body. 

James D. Lane, PhD, professor of medical psychology and behavioral medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. explained to WebMD that, “It has not really been shown that coffee drinking leads to an increase in antioxidants in the body. We know that there are antioxidants in large quantities in coffee itself, especially when it’s freshly brewed, but we don’t know whether those antioxidants appear in the bloodstream and in the body when the person drinks it. Those studies have not been done.”

Non-coffee drinkers need not to run to Starbucks. However, those who do drink coffee can enjoy their cup of “Joe” with the pleasure knowing that it may be giving them a more than a morning jump-start.

Drink Healthy Sweet Drinks

Most of us at some time or another are trying to lose weight. Even those who aren't try and stay as healthy as we can.

The majority of health conscious shoppers have always checked the fat content on labels, and are finally starting to check the sugar content as well. It is gradually becoming known that the amount of sugar and other sweeteners in food is as important as the fat it contains. These hidden calories add to our weight problems.

The first thing we do when trying to lose weight is change our eating habits, nutritionists think that changing what we drink is of equal importance.

The news coming from the health experts is far from good. Our bodies are being overloaded with the unnecessary sugars hidden in these drinks and our health service is having to deal with a huge rise in sugar related health issues. The drinks market is incredibly misleading, that healthy looking carton of juice could be anything but. Don't be fooled by the various ingredients such as sucralose, corn syrup and sucrose, these are all sweeteners and sugars that make this drink one to avoid.

So nothing with these misleading ingredients ever finds its way into my shopping cart. If I want juice I am happy to pay a bit extra to get 100% pure fruit juice. I do also enjoy carbonated drinks too.

Sparkling fruit drinks can also be misleading so always check the ingredients. Three of the best that I've found are made by Fizzy Lizzy, Izze and R.W. Knudsen.The latter also make delicious fruity spritzers.

The mixture of pure fruit juice and water that has been carbonated is all that's in these drinks, none of that stuff that we now know to avoid. The natural juice is also giving your body an extra boost of fruit.

The History Of Coffee

Coffee - THE Drink of Choice

Did you know coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. How did coffee get this ranking? What country first figured out coffee was safe for consumption? When was the first drink of coffee prepared? Where did the first coffee shop come in being?

There are many questions about the starting point of drinking coffee. It has been so long ago no one really knows all the facts. But, one thing is for sure, coffee is the most consumed beverage on the planet.

The Beginning of Coffee

It looks as if the first trace came out of Abyssinia and was also sporadically in the vicinity of the Red Sea around seven hundred AD. Along with these people, other Africans of the same period also have a history of using the coffee berry pulp for more than one occasion like rituals and even for health.

Coffee began to get more attention when the Arabs began cultivating it in their peninsulas around eleven hundred AD. It is speculated that trade ships brought the coffee their way. The Arabs started making a drink that became quite popular called gahwa--- meaning to prevent sleep. Roasting and boiling the bean was how they made this drink. It became so popular among the Arabs that they made it their signature Arabian wine and it was used a lot during rituals.

After the coffee bean was found to be a great wine and a medicine, someone discovered in Arabia that you could also make a different dark, delicious drink out of the beans, this happened somewhere around twelve hundred AD. After that it didn't take long and everyone in Arabia was drinking coffee. Everywhere these people traveled the coffee went with them. It made its way around to India, North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean, and was then cultivated to a great extent in Yemen around fourteen hundred AD.

Other countries would have gladly welcomed these beans if only the Arabs had let them. The Arabs killed the seed-germ making sure no one else could grow the coffee if taken elsewhere. Heavily guarding their plants, Yemen is where the main source of coffee stayed for several hundred years. Even with their efforts, the beans were eventually smuggled out by pilgrims and travelers.

Coffee Shops Appear

Around 1475 the first coffee shop opens in Constantinople called Kiv Han two years after coffee was introduced to Turkey, in 1554 two coffee houses open there. People came pouring in to socialize, listen to music, play games and of course drink coffee. Some often called these places in Turkey the "school of the wise", because you could learn so much by just visiting the coffee house and listening to conversations.

In the sixteen hundreds coffee enters Europe through the port of Venice. The Turkish warriors also brought the drink to Balkans, Spain, and North Africa. Not too much later the first coffee house opens in Italy.

There were plenty of people also trying to ban coffee. Such as Khair Beg a governor of Mecca who was executed and Grand Vizir of the Ottoman Empire who successfully closed down many coffee houses in Turkey. Thankfully not everyone thought this way.

Coffee Tips Arrive

In the early sixteen hundreds coffee is presented to the New World by man named John Smith. Later in that century, the first coffee house opens in England. Coffee houses or "penny universities" charged a penny for admission and for a cup of coffee. The word "TIPS" (for service) has it's origin from an English coffee house.

Early in the 17th century, Edward Lloyd's coffee house opens in England. The Dutch became the first to commercially transport coffee. The first Parisian café opens in 1713 and King Louis XIV is presented with a lovely coffee tree. Sugar is first used as an addition to coffee in his court.

The America's Have Coffee

Coffee plants were introduced in the Americas for development. By close to the end of the seventeen hundreds, 1,920 million plants are grown on the island.

Evidently the eighteen hundreds were spent trying to find better methods to make coffee.

The Coffee "Brew" in the 20th Century

New methods to help brewing coffee start popping up everywhere. The first commercial espresso machine is developed in Italy. Melitta Bentz makes a filter using blotting paper. Dr. Ernest Lily manufactures the first automatic espresso machine. The Nestle Company invents Nescafe instant coffee. Achilles Gaggia perfects the espresso machine.

Hills Bros. begins packing roasted coffee in vacuum tins eventually ending local roasting shops and coffee mills. A Japanese-American chemist named Satori Kato from Chicago invents the first soluble "instant" coffee.

German coffee importer Ludwig Roselius turns some ruined coffee beans over to researchers, who perfected the process of removing caffeine from the beans without destroying the flavor. He sells it under the name Sanka. Sanka is introduced in the United States in 1923.

George Constant Washington an English chemist living in Guatemala, is interested in a powdery condensation forming on the spout of his silver coffee flask. After checking into it, he creates the first mass-produced instant coffee which is his brand name called Red E Coffee.

Prohibition goes into effect in United States. Coffee sales suddenly increase.

Brazil asked Nestle to help find a solution to their coffee surpluses so the Nestle Company comes up with freeze-dried coffee. Nestle also made Nescafe and introduced it to Switzerland.

Other Interesting Coffee Tidbits

Today the US imports 70 percent of the world's coffee crop.

During W.W.II, American soldiers were issued instant Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits.

In Italy, Achilles Gaggia perfects his espresso machine. The name Cappuccino comes from the resemblance of its color to the robes of the monks of the Capuchin order.

One week before Woodstock, the Manson family murders coffee heiress Abigail Folger as she visits with her friend Sharon Tate in the home of filmmaker Roman Polanski.

Starbuck's Hits the Coffee World

Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle's Pike Place public market in 1971. This creates madness over fresh-roasted whole bean coffee.

Coffee finally becomes the world's most popular beverage. More than 450 billion cups are sold each year by 1995.

The Current Coffee Trends

Now in the 21st century we have many different styles, grinds, and flavors of coffee. We have really come a long way even with our coffee making machines. There's no sign of coffee consumption decreasing. Researchers are even finding many health benefits to drinking coffee. Drink and enjoy!

Tiger Blood Drink for Sale

A very smart company has "invented" a Tiger Blood Drink so now even you can quench the thirst of a warlock. That's right people, someone is making some serious capital on the train wreck that is Charlie Sheen.

After the former Two and a Half Men actor was spotted taking swigs out of a glass bottle that read (and looked like) "Tiger Blood," people started wondering where they could get their own Sheen-juice and alas it has happened.

"Tiger Blood Energy Potion is made from 100% passion specifically to make your brain fire in a way that's not from this particular terrestrial realm," the company proclaims. The "drinks" are sold for $4 each and come in plastic packages that look like actual blood bags. It was only a matter of time before someone jumped on the Charlie Sheen wagon and tried to make a profit off of his eccentric babbling.

The maker of the new drink, Harcos Laboratories says, "You're welcome to take more drugs than anyone can survive. Be different, have a different brain, and a different heart. When you feel Tiger Blood in your veins, you'll realize dying's for fools and that can't is the cancer of happen."

It's too bad Sheen didn't copyright those words... no word on if he will receive a kickback from the profits, but he probably should right? If the guy isn't crazy than he is bloody brilliant and his people should be doing everything they can to market him. T-Shirts, pencils, iPhone cases, drinks, the possibilities are endless! #winning

Japan Charges Electric Cars With Soft Drink Vending Machines

There’s no reason you shouldn’t allow yourself a little recharge when it comes time to power up your EV. To cut overall costs, ten Japanese companies will begin installing electric vehicle chargers at the sites of beverage vending machines. So far the plan calls for 10,000 vending machines to be installed with chargers, but backed by Forking Co., a major vending machine operator, there is the potential for up to 1.2 million machines (half the national total) to do double duty.

In addition to Forking Co., the plan’s consortium includes Panasonic Electric Works, who will develop and produce electric vehicle chargers with rivals. The first stage of the project is slated to begin on Monday, and the charging machines will be installed where soft drink vending machines already exist. In addition, SoftBank Telecom and SoftBank Mobile are due to provide telecom services to connect the charging systems.
The new initiative is without question a positive sign that gas guzzlers are on their way out and EVs are the future.