Green tea?

Anonymous

Am I late reading about this? What do you think?

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Green tea can be harmful in large quantities
10:00 05 May 2007
From New Scientist Print Edition.

Green tea is good for you, but only if drunk in moderation. While the polyphenols in green tea are credited with preventing heart disease and cancer, it seems they can cause liver and kidney damage if consumed in very large quantities, a review of studies into the toxicity of polyphenols has shown.

"People shouldn't be too alarmed by this, but those taking supplements may experience problems," says lead author Chung Yang of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

He stresses that up to 10 small cups of green tea a day is fine. Problems are likely in people who take supplements, which can contain up to 50 times as much polyphenol as a single cup of tea.

Yang's review cites experiments in which rodents and dogs died from liver poisoning when given very large doses of polyphenols. He also reports cases of people with liver toxicity after overdosing on green-tea-based supplements. Their symptoms disappeared when they stopped taking the pills, only to return when they started taking them again (Chemical Research in Toxicology, vol 20, p 583).

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JoanofArdmore

Thanks, Shirley!
Each morning a drink a large cup of triple green tea (3 tea-bags).
That's OK, I'm just not cool enough to keep making & drinking it through the day.
But lately I've added polyphenals to my suppliment routine.I take 2 caps.But will gladly cut back to one.
My wallet thanks you!

JoanofArdmore

PS-The reason for adding polyphenols?Edge has it as part of his CAM routine.
Oh, <sigh>.

Anonymous

Yes. Joan, that's why I was taking it. I'm still going to continue with at least on cap. I haven't tried drinking the "green stuff" cuz I heard it was horrible. I suppose I could camouflage ot. Maybe put some cinnamom in it (that's suppose to be good for us), lemon, slpenda (not good for us), or whatever I can think of. LOL
Shirley

stacey2930

Shirley try the flavored coffee creamer in your green tea and a little honey. It really taste good that way.

stacey2930

BTW the coconut cream and white chocolate macadamia nut together taste like an almond joy.

Anonymous

Thanks for the ideas, Stacey. I'm going to give green tea a try. I drink plenty of the "other" tea but without the same benefits.

JoanofArdmore

Yikes!!NOOOOO!That flavored coffee creamer is RIFE w/hydrogenzted oils!!Hey. you negate any benefits of green tea that way!!
Stacey, for the sake of your health, PLEEEEEZE read labels!It's VERY important today!

Shirley, green tea is very light, lovely, and refreshing.Try some from Celestial Seasonings.They have green tea with almost everything good flavoring it: acai berries, gojo berries, lemon,ginsing and honey, antioxidents(oranges & other citrus)what am I forgetting?
My 3 teabags are Celestial Seasonings.One white tea with plums, one green with acai berries, one original green tea.
I developed a taste for it years ago eating in Japanese restaurants.It's light-flavored, not bitter like black.And really doesnt even need sweetening.
I suggest you get about 3 varieties of CC green teas and check em out!

PS In Japanese restaurants, we learned that green tea should be made with hot but not quite boiling water.It's tender, because the little leaves arent roasted (to turn them to black tea.)In good Japanese rstaurants they just drop a few green tea leaves in a cup, pour water.That's how light it is.
(So I wouldnt use just ANY green tea.It might be mistreated, or even have additives.Tetley, Lipton, all the brands have gt now, but I would use CC or something organic.You'll be happy!)

stacey2930

I read labels and a little hydrogenated oil isnt all that bad. Most everything we eat has "something bad" in it. I try to excercise daily, I dont eat red meat, I eat my 5-6 servings of fruit and veggies daily, I dont smoke and I dont drink... SO if I want a little hydrogenated oil in my green tea to lighten up the bitter taste in it then I feel I've earned it. I will undoubtly die of something one day and if its from hydronated oil the OH WELL. Off to drink some green tea..with my flavored cream:)

BlindedByScience

I haven't found green tea to be bitter....as long as you don't boil it. Although, the Gunpowder variety (usually sold in tea shops) has lots of caffeine and a strong taste.

AFA the hydrogenated oil--to each their own. We all pick our own demons. I go to extreme measures to avoid hydrogenated oils because I have not found a single good thing to recommend them and several very compelling reasons to avoid them. In my personal hierarchy of evil foods, red meat is sainthood compared to transfats as long as it isn't charred on the grill.

Until recently, transfats were in nearly everything. If you ate anything out of a box, you were sure to get hydrogenated oils. Crackers, cake mix, taco seasoning, non-dairy anything (creamers, whipped toppings, frozen desserts). They add bulk to foods, increase the shelf life, create a creamy 'mouth-feel' and are the best use of rancid fat the industry has ever found. They are very slow to break down and very cheap. For anyone interested in this particular issue, I have a link to an article from 2002 below and a newsy little sound bite after it:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/01/30/FD40307.DTL


Hidden killer
It's trans fat. It's dangerous. And it's in food you eat every day.

Some of the nation's leading medical researchers, including many in the Bay Area, also believe that the trans fat that marbles the modern American diet may be why kids are so fat, diabetes is at record levels and why some people develop cancer. They say trans fat is a big player in Syndrome X, a cluster of health problems characterized by a beer belly, high blood pressure and out-of-whack blood fats and sugars.

"There should be a warning on food made with this stuff like there is on nicotine products. It's that bad for you," says Dr. Jeffrey Aron, a University of California at San Francisco professor of medicine and one of the nation's leading experts on fatty acids and their effects on the body.

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Probably in moderation, this stuff isn't too bad. It's just hard to avoid it!

mcgaffey

I had the most delicious glass of iced green tea at my local Italian cafe. I am going to make some and keep it in the fridge now that summer approaches.

JoanofArdmore

Trader Joes has small bottles of powdered green tea.You pour in ice water and whip it with bamboo whisk.I think Japanese call it macha.
It's heaven in summer.(Just remember not to put a heaping spoonful in your glass!That was the ONLY "bitter" green tea I've ever had!
Shirley, I'm sorry.I know you have no TJ's.
YET>

Anonymous

I don't have Trader Joe's yet, but we do have Asian stores. But, I can geet the Celestial and try it.

I gave my daughter for Christmas this nice little tea maker that you can put tea leaves in (or open a tea bag or use the tea bag). It makes the tea just right. You use hot water like you were talking about. I think I'll ask her if she's using it (I doubt it..but what do you get a kid that can get anything she wants) and if she's not I WANT IT BACK! LOL BTW, she got other presents for Christmas too.

BBS, I try very hard to avoid transfats. I used to be very fanatical about it. When reading a label if it had partially hydorgenated or hydrogenated oils I'd slam it back on the counter. I still try to avoid it as much as I can. I like pop corn once in a wile. Smart Balance makes a decent one without the transfat. Don't get me wrong. I'm the worse eater on this board. I think I'm going to grill me some Salmon tonight on the little counter grill and DH can have his hamburger.

My husband doesn't read about his stuff, nor does he listen to me!

JerseyGemini

Hi --

Someone told me that if you buy decaf green tea it isn't as good as with caffiene. I bought green tea with natural peach and another one with natural strawberry-orange. They were both organic and right at stop and shop. But then i noticed they were "naturally decaffinated using only water". Is that bad?

Speaking of popcorn, I also found organic microwave popcorn at stop and shop...only ingredient is organic corn and salt. I thought that was good...though everything I seem to buy that i think is good, could be better. Arrgh.

Jersey

Anonymous

I've been on a quest for flavorful green tea for awhile now and have been moderately successful. Since I'm just not passionate for it though, I was thrilled about Stacey's advice to use flavored creamer and I think it's solved my dilemna. I looked at the ingredients though and can't see any mention of hydrogenated oil. Here'sa link to the website that claims it doesn't have any...what's up with that?

http://www.internationaldelight.com/faqs_health.php

I do know it's got other crap in it, but if it helps me drink green tea....?

Marin

BlindedByScience

I didn't check the product in the store, but Amazon.com sells the InternationalDelight and lists these ingredients:


http://www.amazon.com/International-Delight-Low-Carb-Hazelnut-Creamer/dp/B00032CROC
Ingredients
"(Non-Dairy Product) Water, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Contains Less Than 2% Of Each Of The Following: Sucralose, Carrageenan, Mono And Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate (A Milk Derivative), Natural And Artificial Flavors, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum."

Maybe the product is in transition. It's also a strange twist in the food regulatory sector that sodium caseinate can be labeled as 'non-dairy' even though it's a milk protein. The ID site explains that it's been altered so significantly that it no longer consider as dairy. That sounds like complete bs to me-- Unless they've broken it down into amino acids and it ceases to be a protein at all, then I'd say it wasn't a dairy component....

Rosemary44

Ok, I bought some green tea bags. I have an automatic ice tea maker, I put in 4 bags, I got what looks like light green water. Not much taste at all. I'm doing something wrong. Does all the green ice tea taste like nothing?

JoanofArdmore

Ok, I bought some green tea bags. I have an automatic ice tea maker, I put in 4 bags, I got what looks like light green water. Not much taste at all. I'm doing something wrong. Does all the green ice tea taste like nothing?


Yes, pretty much.That's why I'm urprised people find it "bitter" or not good-tasting.Maybe they are, what they call in Emngland "stewing" their tea.
Rosemary--you've got it right.
And it's very surprising how you come to crave the stuff!
If you actually want more flavor, buy one of Celestial Seasonings Green Teas.Most of the flavor is from the added fruit:acai berries, lemons, etc.
Green tea is light, refreshing, and NOT heavy or bitte.

Lhunhen

I love my green tea. I put honey and Stevia in it. It can be bitter if I don't do this. I also put some soy milk in it...or rice milk what ever I have on hand.

Once you get used to it, it's not too bad.

Cathy

Jaybird627

FYI, if you steep green tea too long (or with too hot of water) it gets bitter.

Jaybird

Rosemary44

Joan,

I was going to try to make it stronger tomorrow just to see if I can get more taste out of it. Green tea in Japan is very tasty but I think they use more leaves then what is in these tea bags. I'll try your brand the next go around.

mcgaffey

I have found different brands vary. Some are awful, bitter, dull! Some are light and tasty. You have to find one that works for you.

Lhunhen

"Cathy,

Green tea is heart healthy but you take the heart benefits out of it if you use
milk with it."


Even if I use Rice Milk in it? It's not dairy.
Cathy

Rosemary44

That I don't know. It could be just milk from cows. But the box that I have says don't add sugar or milk. Sorry.

nowheregirl

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Green tea in Japan is very tasty but I think they use more leaves then what is in these tea bags.

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Nope I don't think we use too many leaves when we brew green tea. I'm not really sure how strong is strong for you but generally green tea is much yummier when you use loose leaves than teabags. In fact, we hardly use teabags and they don't sell many varieties of teabags in the first place. You can enjoy more flavor from loose leaves.

Joan, go and look at this. They are one of the major tea companies here in Japan and you can buy a bottled green tea from their online shop. Put it in the fridge like I do and see how different it is than what you made.
http://www.itoen.com/index.cfm

Rosemary44

Fumi,

That cup of tea I remember had bright green leaves in the bottom of a large cup. It seemed like a lot of tea at the time, but I didn't know I was suppose to add more water. It was strong and delicious. Our green tea doesn't hold a candle to what you have in Japan.

I'll keep looking here for loose tea. I think that will make a big difference. If not I'll have to look on-line for some. Thanks.

JoanofArdmore

Fumi, they sell bottles of Tea's tea at my Whoile Foods market.I have had it.I LOVE it!
But that is very special stuff.And I do seem to remember that it is slightly sweetened.
I do love plain green tea (and must have it when I wake up--hot!)IWhen I was a potter I made myself tea bowls, both summer and winter.

Great site!I see Dr Weil has tea out.I bet THAT's great too!

Thanks!!
joan

JoanofArdmore

Rosemary, you can buy loose green tea in any Chinatown or Asian market...
I have a nice tea strainer to pour the water over, but truely like to just drop the loose tea into a teapot or bowl.(Then you can read your tea leaves!)

saluki

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Green tea in Japan is very tasty but I think they use more leaves then what is in these tea bags.

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Nope I don't think we use too many leaves when we brew green tea. I'm not really sure how strong is strong for you but generally green tea is much yummier when you use loose leaves than teabags. In fact, we hardly use teabags and they don't sell many varieties of teabags in the first place. You can enjoy more flavor from loose leaves.

Joan, go and look at this. They are one of the major tea companies here in Japan and you can buy a bottled green tea from their online shop. Put it in the fridge like I do and see how different it is than what you made.
http://www.itoen.com/index.cfm

Timtam,
Thats the brand I've been picking up in our Korean Supermarkets. I've been getting OI-OCHA GYOKURO-IRI RYOKUCHA and I like that one alot. Its not bitter at all.
I use the loose tea and believe it or not I make it in a French Press. It works very well.

For Breakfast I love the Genmaicha with the roasted brown rice. Its very soothing.



My sister loves the sweetened Ice Green tea and when I say Green--It is shockingly so--I have to agree with her. It is very good on a hot day and as simple as instant tea to make since its powdered and doesn't have to be brewed.


Teaism has it. I can't tell you which other companies have it since I only recognize it by looking at the package.

Here are a few quality mail order companies. Once you start
finding ones that you like you will be spoiled and unable to go back.

I also put a thread to chow that talks about the best way or utensil to use.

http://www.teaism.com/TeaShop/ProductDetails4-103.html
http://www.teaism.com/TeaShop/Categories4.html

http://www.adagio.com/

http://greentealovers.com/greenteaproductssteapots.cfm

http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php?main_page=index

http://www.luhyutea.com/main.asp?page=event3

http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.php?sec=gaiwan&item=920

http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/product.php?productid=5189&cat=25&page=1



http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/gaiwteaprep.html

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/360379#2350290

nowheregirl

Rosemary, just because I live in Japan doesn't mean I can always buy good loose leaves. When I really want to get good ones, I do shop online. That way I can buy them directly from the farm. They don't have really good stuff at the grocery stores. I used to live in the most famous tea-producing site in Japan so maybe my expectations are just too high.

Joan, the ones saluki and I are talking about aren't sweetened at all. Like saluki, you should try and look for them at the Asian shops etc or shop online.

Hugs,

Rosemary44

Found it:

http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/product.php?productid=5247&cat=4&page=1

This is the tea I remember drinking in Japan and it was delicious and full of flavor. Thanks Saluki and Fumi