Green Tea

Here's what Jackie Warner had me eating each day for 10 days. (Not included are water and options for bars and powders.) Breakfast 1 cup of coffee with 1 packet Truvia or stevia and a dash of almond milk, or 1 cup of green tea 1/4 cup oatmeal with 1 walnut 1/2 grapefruit Snack 1 medium apple with 8 almonds Lunch 2 slices whole grain bread 1/4 medium sliced avocado 1 tablespoon mustard ...

HANGZHOU, China - Few cities in this vast, complex land rival Hangzhou in the hearts and minds of the Chinese. They rush in like pilgrims, more than 20 million a year, eager to drink in the classic scenery of mountains, pagodas and tea fields while reveling in the cultural grandeur of the vanished Southern Song dynasty. The Song, who believed Confucian values were best elevated through the arts, made Hangzhou their capital, appointing poets as governors who drew inspiration from the shimmering West Lake in the center of town.

Like all industries, the herbal weight-loss business moves in cycles. Less than a decade ago, the stimulant herb ephedra was one of the stars of the scene. It sped up metabolism and weight loss, but it also raised the heart rate and, in some cases, caused strokes and heart attacks. The Food and Drug Administration banned ephedra supplements in 2004, setting off an industrywide scramble to find another herb that could take its place. For now, the winner seems to be green tea. Its reputation as a healthful, revitalizing beverage goes back thousands of years, and it has recently started showing up in a wide range of weight-loss supplements.

Somewhere around the world, it has long been tea time. Few garden plants come with as long a history as tea ( Camelia sinensis ). For thousands of years, the caffeinated perennial was harvested for its medicinal uses, mixed with food and steeped as a drink. Tea originated in the hills of East Asia where southern China borders Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Nearly 300 varieties have spread globally: to Charleston, S.C. (home of what's billed as the only tea farm in the U.S.)

Somewhere around the world, it has long been tea time. Few garden plants come with as long a history as tea ( Camelia sinensis ). For thousands of years, the caffeinated perennial was harvested for its medicinal uses, mixed with food and steeped as a drink. Tea originated in the hills of East Asia where southern China borders Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Nearly 300 varieties have spread globally: to Charleston, S.C. (home of what's billed as the only tea farm in the U.S.)

Green tea granita Total time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time Servings: 4 to 6 1 quart water Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 cup sugar 4 tea bags of unsweetened and unflavored green tea 2 sprigs mint, crushed 1/2 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns, optional 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat. 2. Add the tea bags and mint to the pan and steep the tea for 3 minutes.

Coffee and Green Tea has proven to improve athletic performance. wonderful !

Green tea is often touted for its antioxidant properties, but a study finds that drinking the stuff -- even a lot of it -- may not protect against breast cancer. The study, released this week in the journal Breast Cancer Research , analyzed self-reported data on the green tea drinking habits of 53,793 women in Japan. During 13.6 years of follow-up, 581 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed among the women. Women's consumption of green tea varied; at the beginning of the study about 12% drank less than one cup per week and 27% drank five or more cups a day. Researchers found no link between drinking green tea and incidences of breast cancer, regardless of how much they drank, their menopausal stage, or the type of tea they consumed.

The next time you're looking for a good sunscreen, the answer may lie in your tea leaves. It seems that applying extracts of green tea to the skin helps reduce sunburn and protects some cells from the ravages of ultraviolet radiation. Dr. Craig A. Elmets and colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham applied the extracts to the skin of healthy volunteers 30 minutes before they were exposed to simulated solar radiation.

The Food and Drug Administration has warned producers of two popular brands of green tea drinks not to make unauthorized nutrient claims, continuing its clampdown on misleading food labeling. In a warning letter to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the FDA said the company's Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale improperly claimed to be "enhanced" with antioxidants. Because it's a carbonated drink and classified as a snack food, the beverage should not claim to be nutritionally fortified, the FDA said.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Rand Paul ended a marathon filibuster of John Brennan's nomination to lead the CIA early Thursday after holding the floor for nearly 13 hours, focusing on concerns over the constitutionality of the administration's use of drone strikes to target suspected terrorists. The Kentucky Republican began speaking at 11:47 a.m. Wednesday and yielded the floor at 12:39 a.m. Thursday. A self-described champion of constitutional liberties, Paul said he simply wanted the White House to assure him that it had no authority to target an American within the United States under the drone program.

After years of telling us to eat our fruits and vegetables, companies are increasingly suggesting that we also put produce on our faces. From apple eye cream to raspberry serum, skin-care products contain whole-food ingredients - along with claims that they reduce puffiness, erase redness or smooth wrinkles. In theory, adding plant ingredients to creams and moisturizers makes sense, experts say. Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidant compounds that afford them natural protection from sun, pollution, smoking, insects and other damage - and if they work for plants, why not for us?

Ushering a visiting friend into Intelligentsia in Venice in order to get out of the sweltering afternoon sun, I ordered the two of us iced lattes. At the back of the airy space, coffee geeks settled on the bleachers with their laptops (uniformly Apple) open in front of them, companionably sipping coffee and writing or surfing the net. Perusing the tea selections while waiting for my latte, I came across a small porcelain bowl used for whisking green tea. I loved the color, palest green with some craquelure in the glaze.

Here's what Jackie Warner had me eating each day for 10 days. (Not included are water and options for bars and powders.) Breakfast 1 cup of coffee with 1 packet Truvia or stevia and a dash of almond milk, or 1 cup of green tea 1/4 cup oatmeal with 1 walnut 1/2 grapefruit Snack 1 medium apple with 8 almonds Lunch 2 slices whole grain bread 1/4 medium sliced avocado 1 tablespoon mustard ...

If losing weight was one of your New Year's resolutions, you might already be growing weary of counting calories and working out. Wouldn't it be great if you could slim down without so much effort? Anyone looking for a shortcut to weight loss might be tempted to try one of many supplements that claim to burn fat and boost metabolism. These products often contain a not-especially-exotic ingredient that's already a staple of the American lifestyle: caffeine. The morning coffee drinkers at Dunkin' Donuts notwithstanding, caffeine has a strong reputation as a weight-loss aid. The stimulant is one of the key ingredients of Zantrex-3, the popular weight-loss supplement from Zoller Laboratories, based in Salt Lake City.

Green tea granita Total time: 20 minutes, plus freezing time Servings: 4 to 6 1 quart water Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 cup sugar 4 tea bags of unsweetened and unflavored green tea 2 sprigs mint, crushed 1/2 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns, optional 1. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat. 2. Add the tea bags and mint to the pan and steep the tea for 3 minutes.

All tea--black, green or oolong--comes from the same evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. Green tea leaves are the least fermented. How it's available: Mostly in the form of loose leaves, but it also comes in tea bags and as an extract in capsules. The crux: Health interest in green tea focuses on ingredients called antioxidants, which are plentiful in fruits and vegetables and help neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals that are byproducts of metabolism.

The Japanese fondness for green tea may explain why Japanese men can smoke more than American men yet are less likely to get lung cancer, researchers said Monday. Their laboratory study found that consumption of green tea cut the lung cancer rate by 45% in mice exposed to one of the most potent cancer-causing agents in cigarette smoke.

Villains Tavern in downtown L.A. has introduced its new spring cocktail menu featuring fresh options for sunny days. A standout tipple is the lovely Loki created by mixologist Dave Whitton. Cold vodka infused with earthy green tea is tempered with silky-sweet honey peach syrup, tart lemon and a hint of fragrant sage to create a light and refreshing drink that is best consumed after a day spent in the open air. Lucky for you, Villains has one of the most comfortable outdoor patios in L.A., so stopping for a drink doesn't mean going indoors.

David Martin was in the mood for raw fish, and he liked the deal offered by a Studio City sushi restaurant: all you can eat for $28. He took a seat at the counter and started ordering. But it turned out that Martin didn't really want sushi, which includes rice; he wanted all-you-can-eat sashimi, which is just fish. He began picking the seafood off the top and leaving the rice. Restaurant owner Jay Oh told Martin that if he wanted the all-you-can-eat price, he'd have to eat the rice too and not just fill up on fish.