A Tasty Green Tea

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Tue May 20, 2008 10:52 am

Green tea is all the rage now, and if it does what they say it does for your health I can see why.

Lipton has put out a tea in plastic bottles that is to be refrigerated. It comes in a 1.5 litre bottle and a six-pack of smaller bottles. I only know of two flavors. One is "Green Tea with Citrus", and the other is white tea with raspberry. Both come in regular or diet. I find them refreshing, and a great way to get daily green tea into your diet. (Five cups is recommended per day.)

A while back, I had posted about a white tea I found in the store flavored "Perfectly Pear". I had read that white tea is the most healthy.

But recently on a tv show about tea, a nutritionist was saying to go for black tea now. She says that is the most healthy. What're we supposed to do?

Angel · Post by **Angel** » Tue May 20, 2008 11:24 am

Drink scotch.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Tue May 20, 2008 11:59 am

Well, you answered that question, Angel!

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:39 pm

Oh, I love the Lipton diet green tea with citrus! Since my kidney stones episodes, I've given up drinking diet soda which I read is a major contributor to the stones. So now I drink the green tea. I've even made some green sun tea, but, I'm still working out the amount of citrus juices to add for taste.

From what I've read, black tea is fermented, green and white tea are not. White tea has more of the good properties of green tea, so could be better for you. Green teas tend to have a "grassy" flavor while White tea tends to be lighter and sweeter in taste. White tea also has less caffeine if that is an issue for you.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:05 am

I don't know much about tea, but I sure would like to suggest people stay away from those plastic 'bottles!'

twinsrwe · Post by **twinsrwe** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:44 pm

I grew up on green tea. It has always been a favorite drink with my dinner.

If I have an upset stomach, then all I want is some chicken noodle soup and green tea. I find green tea tends to settle the stomach.

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Fri May 23, 2008 7:08 pm

I'm a big fan of the Lipton's green tea. Been drinking it now for about a year.

When I first started it was $1.00 at Wal-Mart for the 1.5 liter size. Then it went to $1.18 and now it's $1.28. Jeesh!

They do have it on sale occasionally at the $1.00 price.

twinsrwe · Post by **twinsrwe** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:01 pm

I favor the Lipton's green tea bags. I prefer to steep my own tea, then I can make it light or strong depending on which strength I desire at the time I make it. Another reason I like the tea bags is that one bag can be used for two to three cups of tea; although that depends on the strength of the tea you are steeping.

Perhaps the price of tea has been going up because more people are going to be drinking Iced Tea for the next few months. This is just a guess on my part. Then again, everything is going up in price!!!

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Fri May 23, 2008 11:47 pm

When I was a kid brown tea was all I ever heard of and we drank it by the ton. My dad is now into green tea for the supposed benefits so I think I will start drinking it myself.

Everything is going up in price, Judy. Except gas of course.

(Don't you just hate those oil executives sitting before Congress with those smug looks on their faces as they claim they have no idea why gas prices are going up while their profits are going to the moon?)

-1bigsteve (o:

twinsrwe · Post by **twinsrwe** » Sat May 24, 2008 11:21 pm

Well, Steve, yes - I'd like to wipe those smug looks off their faces! However, the gas prices are going to continue to go up and there isn't a thing we can do about it.

I do find it surprising that there are so many cars on the road with only one person in them; very seldom do I see multiple people riding around in cars now days. With the gas prices the way they are, you'd think more people would be car pooling.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sun May 25, 2008 5:30 pm

Big Steve - I don't think there is a 'brown tea'. Maybe it was black tea, or black tea with orange pekoe? The color of that is a brown.

I found a new diet Lipton green tea at K-Mart the other day. This one is 'Green Tea with Mixed Berry'. It is goooood!

Harry - your 1.5 litre green teas are still cheaper than here. A sale on it here is $1.50.

Kat - what is wrong with plastic bottles?

Susan - thanks for the info on the teas! This woman was on some morning show saying everything black is good for you and to always pick the black version, if there is one - like tea, bread ...

Ooh, sun tea! You can't get more natural than that!

Well, this is the "Stay to Tea" section - and we did!

Please give to the Edwin Porter grave marker fund.

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Mon May 26, 2008 12:24 am

I'm no expert on teas but it was just called "tea" and it was brown when it was made. Just ordinary "tea" I guess. Mom usually bought Lipton. I don't remember any fancy teas in the '50s and '60s like they have now. It did taste good on a warm summer day! Yumm!

-1bigsteve (o:

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Tue May 27, 2008 12:34 am

Plastic Bottles:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/326 ... tic09.html

and, included copy/paste below:
http://health.usnews.com/articles/healt ... alarm.html

Living Well

USN Current Issue
Home > Health > Living Well

"Study of Chemical in Plastic Bottles Raises Alarm"
By Deborah Kotz
Posted April 16, 2008

Bisphenol A (BPA), a compound in hard, clear polycarbonate plastics, is getting official scrutiny—and things are looking less than rosy for the controversial chemical. The U.S. government's National Toxicology Program yesterday agreed with a scientific panel that recently expressed concern about physiological changes that occur in people when they ingest BPA that has leached from plastics into their food. The Canadian government is even considering declaring the chemical toxic, reports today's New York Times. This could set the stage for banning it from plastic baby bottles, water bottles, and food containers. At the very least, some people will be even more eager to buy foods and beverages in BPA-free containers.
Related News

* The Problem With Plastic
* Report Shows Dangerous Chemical Can Leach From Baby Bottles
* Heating Plastic Bottles Releases Potentially Harmful Chemical
* Plastics Chemical of 'Some Concern' for Fetal, Child Health
* Video: Conception to Birth

BPA has raised concerns because it appears to mimic the effects of estrogen, interfering with hormone levels and cell signaling systems. Previous studies have shown that people exposed to high levels of BPA have a greater risk of developing uterine fibroids, breast cancer, decreased sperm counts, and prostate cancer. Babies and children are thought to be at greatest risk from the exposure. In fact, the scientific evidence warrants "a higher level of concern than those expressed by the expert [scientific] panel for possible effects of bisphenol A on prostate gland, mammary gland and early onset of puberty in exposed fetuses, infants and children," the NTP report concludes.

Not surprisingly, sales of BPA-free baby bottles spiked after yesterday's news. "We tripled our sales overnight on the website and will be shipping an additional 300,000 bottles to Canada this week to meet an increased demand," says Ron Vigdor, president of BornFree, which manufactures BPA-free bottles. He adds that Babies "R" Us also indicated that it would be increasing its order to U.S. stores.

Beyond switching baby bottles, another way to lower exposure to BPA is to avoid heating foods and liquids in plastic containers that contain the compound. The amount of BPA that leaches out, the NTP says, may depend more on the temperature of the liquid, food, or container itself than on the age of the plastic bottle or dish. Check out this story on BPA and babies and this story on BPA and plastic containers for more tips on minimizing your and your family's exposure to BPA.

Now pretend your plastic bottle was made in China!

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Tue May 27, 2008 12:23 pm

I hadn't heard of that, Kat. Thanks for posting it! If the U.S. goes to BPA bottles, I wonder if they'll raise the price of the product.

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Tue May 27, 2008 5:57 pm

Years ago before I started buying water from these "U-fill it yourself" places, I was buying drinking water in those clear plastic 1 gallon jugs at the grocery store. Often times the water felt and tasted like liquid plastic as it was going down my throat. I often wondered if that taste was the actual plastic leeching into the water. It was horrible stuff.

-1bigsteve (o:

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Tue May 27, 2008 9:29 pm

Thanks for the eye-opener, Kat, thats some scary stuff there. I wonder if there is some way to tell what the particular plastic is that is used in the specific products we buy? Would it be listed on their websites maybe?

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Wed May 28, 2008 1:57 am

I've known about this for years. In fact, science and health has known about this for probably a decade.

Once Gerber switched to plastic baby jars from their wonderful glass jars, I figured they had *sold out.* It was very disturbing that Gerber would do that. I don't know if their plastic contains toxins tho. But heating plastic is never good and babies are so fragile. Why would they take a chance?

I buy weird drinks that I don't imbibe, just to get glass bottles. Whatever's on sale. Then I fill those with water which is all I drink.
We do have to drink the occasional plastic *bottled* water when we are out and about- but we're grown and can make that choice.

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:05 pm

It looks like it's turning out that things that aren't natural usually aren't good for you.

One of my dermatologists, when I had that 10-month rash illness instructed me to use tea on the back of my neck. The rash was especially bad there, and I would split it open with scratching. She said to make some green tea, just like you are making yourself tea. Let it cool down to where it's warm. Then get a washcloth and soak it up good (wring it out some if it's too drippy) and place it on the area for about 15 minutes. I think she said to do it like 3 times a day.

She said the tea draws up bacteria. She said to use any kind of tea, as long as it had caffeine in it. I don't know if the herbals would work, tho.

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:24 pm

augusta @ Sun Jun 08, 2008 10:05 am wrote:It looks like it's turning out that things that aren't natural usually aren't good for you.

One of my dermatologists, when I had that 10-month rash illness instructed me to use tea on the back of my neck. The rash was especially bad there, and I would split it open with scratching. She said to make some green tea, just like you are making yourself tea. Let it cool down to where it's warm. Then get a washcloth and soak it up good (wring it out some if it's too drippy) and place it on the area for about 15 minutes. I think she said to do it like 3 times a day.

She said the tea draws up bacteria. She said to use any kind of tea, as long as it had caffeine in it. I don't know if the herbals would work, tho.

Thanks for the info, Augusta. I'll give the tea a try on the back of my neck. I have bumps that form there often. My dermatologist retired so I'm stuck.

-1bigsteve (o:

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu Jun 12, 2008 3:46 am

A friend of mine was told to put tea bags on a herpes outbreak. The person said it was a relief. It just calmed it down a bit. So it seems like it works somehow!

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:01 pm

Big Steve - Uh-oh. Those bumps on the back of your neck don't sound good! That's how my Rash from Hell started. Try not to scratch - it only spreads it. And tho it may feel good to scratch for the moment, it ends up itching all the more.

The tea compress I used was when the back of my neck became infected. But I sure don't think it would hurt to use it at this earlier stage you have, Big Steve. Have you ever broke out full-blown, body-wide? What did your old dermatologist say it was?

You might want to buy a natural shampoo, if you aren't already using one. And if you can, gel your hair that covers the back of the neck so that it's sticking up and not touching the rash - or put your hair up if it's long. And watch sweating.

There is one anti-itch product I am told I can use, and that is Cortizone spray. I don't know why I can't use the creams (maybe the creams are mixed with ingredients that are not in the spray). You might want to try using that.

Have you had a big patch test? I thought it was a bunch of hooey when my last ditch effort to get rid of my rash was to go to a skin institute where they had a bunch of dermatologists. My allergist recommended I go to where a bunch are at, so they could put their heads together about my case. Nobody knew what it was! But they found 9 allergins I had and need to avoid, plus printed me out a 19-page report on the products that were safe for me to use. I am basically on an all-natural skin product regime. I've read since that when this Rash from Hell happens to people, they are put on all organics, and they heal up, and they don't know why.

(BTW, my rash is coming back again. It's been in 5 different spots the past month, but I've been treating each area and so far have been successful. I read that the Rash from Hell is triggered by an allergin. The only thing I can think of is dogwood - those white fluffy things that float in the air in May and June that look like dandelion fluff. My Big Rash did start last year, also, in May. That has always been a bad allergin for me. I used to get so sick, I thought I had a really bad cold, every May/June since I've lived here, until I started allergy treatments. I don't know why I am being especially bothered by it now, since I'm taking shots & Zyrtec.)

Kat - Tea bags on a herpes outbreak! Well, that makes sense! I'm glad your friend got some relief from it. (And, no, I don't have herpes myself.)

I bought a paperback recently on herbal remedies, and it's interesting! I was never a health nut, but now that I have to be I'm amazed at the healing abilities of stuff. If you choose to take something herbal for a length of time, they say to tell your doctor because some can interfere with other medicines.

Found a new tea! Crystal Lite makes a 5-calorie Peach Tea. It's sold in the canisters, like their lemonade and stuff comes in, where each little container inside makes a 2-quart pitcher. It's a cold tea - sooooo good and refreshing.

I bought a few bottles of Special K's protein water yesterday. It's 50 calories and is flavored (I got berry) and is supposed to keep you full for a few hours, so you don't grab a Snickers bar when you get hungry between meals. Haven't tried it yet. Has anyone?

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 5:35 pm

Thank you Augusta for the insight. I'll give the ideas a try on the next outbreak.

BTW: I noticed that you don't use an avatar. I was wondering why. It's easy to set one up and trim it to size if you are not familiar with the process. If you would like any help let me know.

-1bigsteve (o:

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 2:24 am

Augusta/Sherry is in the back of the Hatchet as contributor every issue with an array of different pics - her choice!

Ya gotta get one BigSteve!

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 10:59 pm

I heard yesterday that Green Tea is supposed to be good for the heart too. Today they said Pomegranate juice is supposed to be the best juice we can drink because of all the anti-oxidants. CBS News dot com.

-1bigsteve (o:

1bigsteve · Post by **1bigsteve** » Sat Jul 05, 2008 11:08 pm

Kat @ Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:24 pm wrote:Augusta/Sherry is in the back of the Hatchet as contributor every issue with an array of different pics - her choice!
Ya gotta get one BigSteve!

Get what, Kat? Copies of the Hatchet or an avatar? I have an avatar. I should order the Hatchet. I saw a stack of them at the flea market last year. I should have bought them. Quick, someone kick me!

-1bigsteve (o: