Buckle your seat belt because I’m about to give you some truly amazing reasons to add green tea to your daily routine. I was reading up on some of the health benefits of green tea when I came across an article at one of my favorite websites - World’s Healthiest Foods. Before I direct you to their site for all the details, let me give you some of the truly amazing highlights of daily adding 2 cups of green tea.
22% less likely to develop breast cancer
62% less likely to die from a stroke
lowers LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid peroxides
46% less likely to develop high blood pressure or hypertension
fights cancer cells at the genetic level
up to 50% less likely to develop prostate cancer
46% lower risk of ovarian cancer
56% less likely to die of ovarian cancer if drinking green tea after diagnosed
hinders tumor growth
helps prevent cancer cells from growing, moving, and replicating
improves insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes
protects kidneys and liver
improves bone density and protects against osteoporosis
promotes fat loss - specifically visceral fat (76% decrease in 16 weeks!)
increases endurance for exercise by 24%
protects against Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases
If you’ve ever had a swimming pool, you understand the importance of the proper pH balance. There a similar delicate balance needed in your body’s pH levels. Certain foods, once digested, leave an acid residue and others leave behind alkaline. For optimum health, experts suggest eating 60% alkaline producing foods and 40% acid producing.
Here are just a few benefits of keeping our body in a pH balanced state:
increases ability to process vitamins, minerals, and nutrients
improves restful sleep and energy levels
improves hydration and oxygen to cells
provides a highly unwelcome environment for cancer cells
improves immune system and ability to repair damaged cells
Here are two websites that provide a wealth of information and charts to understand this concept and detail which foods are acid producing and which are alkaline producing, because they are not necessarily what you think. In general vegetables, fruits, beans, herbs, and nuts are alkaline producing. And meats, eggs, grains, coffee, sugar, highly processed foods, artificial sweeteners, and stress are acid producing.
I’m always looking for healthy products to enjoy and recommend. Yogurt, like many foods, can be very healthy or just another sugar laden dessert in disguise. It is surprising to realize that some yogurts have as much sugar as a serving of Frosted Flakes cereal, a Pepsi, or a Snickers bar with very little live cultures to benefit your digestion. For a closer look at yogurt and a comparison of some name brands, read ‘Getting a little culture - yogurt - Brand Name Comparison’.
Stonyfield Farms, on the other hand, has always had high quality organic products with lots of live cultures and plenty of flavors to pick from. Recently, I did some sampling of and a post about delicious Chobani Greek yogurt which is much thicker than regular yogurt because most of the whey is drained off.
The folks at Stonyfield Farms, who I also mentioned in that post, thought their product, Oikos - organic Greek yogurt, was also very good and sent me coupons for their 4 flavors to see if I agreed. I redeemed the coupons and held a “yogurt tasting” with a friend and Greek yogurt connoisseur.
Initially, my favorite thing about the plain variety was the ingredient list. First, it lists cultured pasteurized organic nonfat milk and second, it names five live cultures. That’s it. Imagine that, yogurt made only from milk and cultures. Simple and delicious. The plain variety would make a great substitute for sour cream as a topping, or to make a ranch type salad dressing. I thought it would make a great dip like cucumber and dill, artichoke and parmesan, or smoked salmon. It was delicious mixed with a little feta and herbs, spread on a pita, and topped with sliced olives.
I also tried their flavors - vanilla, blueberry, and honey. They all had a fantastic flavor and would be great as a snack or as a topping for fruit or cereal. The vanilla was not overly sweet which I appreciated. It would be perfect as a layer in a parfait of strawberries, blueberries, and bananas. The blueberry made a great topping for a whole wheat bagel. And the honey on a bagel with a few sliced almonds was truly dessert-like. I also used the honey to make a dip for fruit by stirring in a little natural peanut butter and topping it with a dash of cinnamon.
If you would like to replace cream cheese on a bagel - start with a Thomas brand whole wheat bagel (or mini-bagel) and mix 1/3 less fat cream cheese with equal amounts of either honey or blueberry Oikos. Each time you make it, use less cream cheese and more Oikos until you eating it straight. I personally could see myself taking hunks of a bagel and dipping it into (ok, honestly more like dredging it through) the straight Oikos for breakfast.
So, if you want to try a yogurt that is between 90 and 120 calories per serving, no fat, less sugar, fewer carbs, and twice the protein of most yogurts, then Oikos from Stonyfield is for you. You can even go to their website and get a coupon!
Fruit Dip Snack (serves 4):
Mix 2 Tablespoons of natural peanut butter into 1 (5.3 oz.) container of honey Oikos and sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon. On a tray, put 1 apple, cored and sliced; 1 banana, cut into chunks; and 8-10 strawberries. Dip and enjoy. 134 calories per serving.
Pita Appetizer (serves 4):
Mix 2 Tablespoons of President Crumbled Feta with Mediterranean Herbs into 1 cup of plain Oikos. Cut 2 whole wheat pita pockets into 16 triangles. (Cut each pita into fourths and split at back seam to make 8 triangles from each pita.) Can be toasted to crisp them if desired. Spread each triangle with the feta yogurt mixture and top with a few sliced black or green olives. You could easily use Triscuit Thin Crisps instead of the pita triangles. 102 calories per serving.
I’m a big believer in letting the foods we eat work for us, not against us - think of it as a beneficial sort of “food fight”. Most of us know someone who has battled with cancer. And that is definitely a battle we all want to avoid. One wise thing we can do is create an environment in our body where cancer cells do not thrive. Some keys to creating that environment are getting plenty of rest, eliminating stress, drinking water, and eating healthy foods.
There are certain foods that have anti-cancer properties. The folks at Cedars-Sinai Medical put together this great little chart to highlight these foods, their health benefits, and some tips to incorporate them into our diets. I hope you enjoy the chart as much as I did. Happy food fighting!
Buckle your seat belt because I’m about to give you some truly amazing reasons to add green tea to your daily routine. I was reading up on some of the health benefits of green tea when I came across an article at one of my favorite websites - World’s Healthiest Foods. Before I direct you to their site for all the details, let me give you some of the truly amazing highlights of daily adding 2 cups of green tea.
