Natural Approaches to COVID-19From Dr. Andrew WeilAnd Center For Integrative Medicine

Supplements are part of a regimen to boost your immune system.

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Last Tuesday I listened to a live lecture with Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Randy Horwitz, Dr. Lise Alschuler and Dr. Esther Sternberg on Integrative Approaches to Covid-19. Let me try to summarize some of the knowledge they shared. The key theme was how to build your own immune system and strengthen your body's nature forces to fight off this deadly virus.

Dr. Andrew Weil 
Dr. Weil introduced the speakers and offered several suggestions of his own:

* Good nutrition, plenty of rest and sleep, and a positive mental state all contribute to building a strong immune system.

* Too much stress lowers your immunity and makes you more vulnerable to disease. One way to lower your stress is to do breathing exercises. He recommends the 4-7-8 breath.
Here's a link on how to perform his famous breathing technique. 

* Dr. Weil also highly recommends laughter. I know, it's hard to laugh during times like this but there are plenty of jokes flying around the internet these days so enjoy them!

Dr. Randy Horwitz
Dr. Horwitz explained a bit about the virus and the mechanisms of infection: 

* Although you can fit 700-1000 Covid-19 viruses across a human hair, it is considered rather large for a virus.  It is moderately highly infectious and virulent. The virus has one goal and that is REPRODUCTION and to take over the world. 

* The Achilles heal of the virus is its envelope. Made up of fats and proteins, it can be dissolved by soap. This is why we are being told to wash our hands with soap and water as it is very effective in destroying the virus.

Pre-Infection Stage
* The best thing to do to reduce the chances of being infected is to limit exposure. So sheltering in place and social distancing is very effective. 

* Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also key - get plenty of sleep as sleep deprived people are more susceptible to the virus. Good nutrition, lowering stress, and taking selected supplements are also very important (we will talk more about supplements later.)

Viral Infection Stage
Here's what happens during the infection stage:

* The Covid-19 virus sneaks inside your cell and shoots in the virus's blueprint. Each of your cells has its own blueprint of what it is supposed to be replicating but the virus hijacks your cell's factory to copy its blueprint and now has changed the instructions. 

* The virus infects the cells of the upper respiratory system. The hijacked cells of your upper respiratory system releases new virus and destroys the ciliary cells. This is what causes the cough associated with Covid-19. 

* There are several things that can happen from here: One, your strong immune system could stop it or a weakened immune system may not be able to stop it and the virus could enter the lungs, replicate, and lead to pneumonia.

* Once this happens, the immune cells in the lungs become activated and go into overdrive. Fluid fills the alveoli (the little sacs that that line the lungs that allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules to and from the bloodstream) and this prevents adequate gas exchange. 

* Now all hell is breaking lose. The macrophages in the lungs grab the virus and send out help signals to the body to send cytokines to help. 

* When the cytokines that increase immune activity become too abundant, the immune system goes into overdrive and starts to attack heathy cells. This is called a cytokine storm. The blood vessel walls get leaky and the lungs fill with fluid. Blood clots can also form throughout the body, further reducing blood flow. This leads to decreased oxygen and respiratory failure. 

* There is a fine balance to prevent a cytokine storm without inhibiting viral immunity.

Dr. Lise Alschuler
Dr. Alschuler discussed supplements. Although none of these recommendations are proven with respect to Covid-19, she recommended those with the highest likelihood of benefit and the lowest possible risk.

She discussed the 3 components to prevention. 1. Block viral docking, 2. Inhibit viral replications, and 3. Increase innate immunity.

Prevent Viral Entry and Docking
* The Covid-19 virus gets into human cells by targeting a specific receptor called ACE2 found on certain cells. Certain vitamins and supplements may be able to block ACE2 receptor binding:
    - Astragulus may be helpful in decreasing ACE2 receptor activity.
    - Quercetin binds to ACE2 receptors, taking the space that the virus is targeting.
    - Vitamin D3 reduces ACE2 activation
    - Elderberry inhibits viral attachment in a different corona virus and may do the same thing with Covid-19.

Reducing Viral Replication
    - Zinc reduces viral replication.
    - Quercetin acts as a zinc chelator and helps facilitate bringing zinc into the cells.
    - EGCG, found in green tea, also acts as a zinc chelator.
    - Elderberry inhibits replication of a different corona virus and may do the same thing with Covid-19.

Improving Innate Immunity
    - Vitamin D activates innate immune cells but too much can cause an overactive inflammatory response (or a cytokine storm) and cause a damaging response in the lungs. (Test for 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Deficiency is less than 30 nmol/L. Potential deficiency is between 30 and 50 nmol/L and normal levels are between 50 and 100 nmol/L.)
    - Vitamin C regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines.
    - Curcumin can also help surpress a cytokine storm.
    - Melatonin may reduce lung damage during the viral infection.
    - 7 to 10 servings of vegetables a day provides immunity boosting flavonoids.
    - Other supplements that help boost immunity include garlic, ECGC from green tea, quercetin, and mycelium extract.
    
Dr. Esther Sternberg 
Dr. Sternberg discussed the impact of stress and making your home a healing place.

A certain amount of brain stress is necessary and beneficial for peak performance but excess stress can lead to disease. The stress response strongly effects the immune system and chronic stress increases the frequency of viral infections and accelerates aging.

Reducing Stress
Dr. Sternberg's suggestions on reducing stress:
* Take control as best you can even though we are in a situation where many people feel out of control.   

* Focus on your own expertise and take that stress energy and turn it into something to help others. For example, today, instead of freaking myself out watching the news, I'm spending time sharing this good information with you!

*  Have virtual social gatherings. The other night we had a virtual cocktail hour with some friends that we hadn't seen in a while and it was really fun catching up. And we didn't have to drive across town, clean up the house or dress up. This might become a thing!

* Get a good night's sleep. EVERY speaker discussed this so it's super important. Increased activity helps improve your sleep. Circadian lighting where you expose yourself to bright sun light sometime between 8am and noon and reduce exposure to light in the evening, helps the body produce melatonin and enhances good sleep. 

* Exercise is a great stress reducer. So if it's allowed, get out of the house for a walk or run while remaining socially distanced. I myself dance to zumba tapes.

* Do Mind Body activities such as meditation, yoga, and breath exercises like the 4-7-8 breath Dr. Weil suggested above.

* Maintain a healthy diet. I have over 600 posts of healthy recipes in this blog so you can start here.

* Spiritual activities can greatly help stress. These are not always tied to religion - mine involve plants and gardening and appreciating the beauties of the universe and each other.

I hope this summary helps you understand more about Covid-19 and ways to strengthen your body to help prevent and fight this deadly virus.

Vegan Green Tea LatteDelicious With Lots Of Health Benefits

Packed with the powerful catechin, EGCG.

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How I Start my Day
I need a little help getting started in the morning - who doesn't? I had to give up coffee years ago because it triggers my reflux. I still occasionally treat myself to a decaf almond cappuccino but I always start my day with a high quality Sencha green tea from Japan.

Green tea has been enjoyed as a health-promoting beverage since ancient times. Many of its health benefits are attributed to its most abundant catechin polyphenol, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate.) It has clear cognitive benefits and since I turned 69 this week, keeping my brain working is pretty important to me! It also has very strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, stabilize blood sugar, and boosts your immune system.  
I usually just drink a cup of Den's Sencha tea (using their pyramid tea bags) or make a cup of Matcha Green Tea. But for an easy treat, I make myself a green tea latte.

Compare to Starbucks Latte Macchiato

A Starbucks Grande whole milk latte provides:
230 calories
12 g total fat
7 g saturated fat
35 mg cholesterol
19 g carbohydrates
18 g sugar
12 g protein
160 mg sodium

A Sencha Green Tea Almond milk Latte provides
7.5 calories
1 g total fat
0 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
0 g carbohydrates
0 g sugar
0 g protein
40 mg sodium

If you substituted a green tea latte made with unsweetened almond milk and stevia for a Starbucks whole milk latte every day, you'd lose 23 pounds in one year!

                    *                                *                                *

Green Tea Latte
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 1 serving]

Requirements
Espresso Aeroccino Plus or other milk froth maker
Mesh strainer (optional for topping)

Ingredients
1 cup of green tea
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
Stevia drops or 1/2 packet stevia, to taste 
Pinch of matcha powdered tea (optional topping)

Directions
Prepare a cup of green tea by pouring boiling water into a cup leaving room at the top for the milk. Let the water cool to 140 to 160 degrees F. You don't need a thermometer. Do this.

Make your froth by adding milk and stevia to your froth maker. 

Spoon into your tea.

You can top the froth with a touch of powdered matcha but put it through a fine mesh strainer so that it doesn't clump.

Latte with optional matcha topping

At less than 8 calories a cup, enjoy as many as you'd like!

Make Raw Vegan Gelato In MinutesWith Yonanas Elite, Nothing But Fruit!

Raw vegan cherry banana gelato.

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Look Inside my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen.

Creamy Frozen Dessert
Would you believe that you can eat a frozen dessert with the creaminess of gelato and the calories and healthfulness of raw fruit? No, this isn't an April fools joke. I just bought a new kitchen toy that allows me to do just that! It's called Yonanas Elite. It couldn't be easier. 

Basically, you freeze fruit and run it through this machine. The creamy texture comes from perfectly ripened bananas and you add other fruits, etc. to give it different flavors and textures. You can even make desserts healthy enough to enjoy during a raw food cleanse!

Yonanas Elite

Recipes
The machine comes with a recipe book with lots of fun ideas. The combinations are endless and you will no doubt be creating some of your own using your favorite fruits. For convenience, you can buy a lot of different frozen fruits, like pitted cherries, mangos, strawberries, raspberries, etc. in the supermarket.

You can also make sorbets with frozen berries, oranges, pineapples, cantaloup, watermelon, apples and more. It's all in the recipe book and it couldn't be easier!

I think my favorite combination so far is bananas and cherries with walnut pieces and a few dark chocolate chips stirred in at the end.

One of the recipes in the book is green tea ice cream where you simply sprinkle matcha green tea on frozen bananas and then run them through the shoot. 

Making matcha green tea frozen dessert

Make a Raw Vegan Pie
This machine makes the perfect filling for a raw vegan ice cream pie. Just make a pie crust with Raw Vegan Dessert Helper and fill it with the frozen dessert of your choice. Put it in the freezer for at least 4 hours and take out to thaw for 20 minutes before serving.

Raw crust from nuts, coconut, dates, raisins and cinnamon.

I'm excited about trying more of the recipes in their book and creating some of my own. If you come up with some winning combinations, please share by leaving a comment on the blog. Thanks and enjoy!

Watch videos on the Yonanas website for more instruction on how to use this machine.

Benifuki Green Tea - A Natural Way To Control Allergy Symptoms

Benefuki Green Tea contains Methylated Catechins.

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Developing Holistic Solutions
In the U.S., disease is addressed, for the most part, by pharmaceutical companies hoping to profit on the sale of drugs. Controlling allergy symptoms is a big business. Antihistamines, nasal sprays, eye drops, oral and nasal corticosteroids are just some of the medications sold to the 50+ million people who have some sort of allergy.  


I find it incredibly interesting and heart warming that in Japan they complement their pharmaceutical industry with government sponsored holistic research. They have an organization called the National Institute of Vegetable and Tea Science (NIVTS). This organization was given the task to determine if tea could help alleviate allergy symptoms. After conducting research from 1996 to 2000, they found something that worked!


The NIVTS invented a species of tea called Benifuki. Although it was originally created as a black tea, they discovered that if Benifuki was processed into a green tea, it developed compounds called "methylated catechins" that suppressed histamines. Histamines, as you know, are what causes allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, runny noses, etc. 


You can find Benifuki as a powdered green tea. It comes in individual servings and can be stirred into a cup of hot or cold water. 

These individual packets are convenient to take with you anywhere

They Really Help!
The ultimate test is my husband. He's a wine grape farmer and spends most of his days outside. He then spends the rest of the evening sneezing and blowing his nose as he's got pretty bad allergies. So I was thrilled when he agreed to throw out his zyrtec (which wasn't working anymore) and try Benifuki. Since he drinks about 8 cups of green tea a day anyway, substituting a few cups of Benifuki was a no brainer. 
After taking just 3 cups of Benifuki a day, his allergies symptoms improved. He was so pleased, he just ordered a bunch more! 


Update on Recommended Amount
We wrote to Den Shirakata, of Den's tea, to ask for the optimal amount of benifuki to control histamines. He claims that it takes 40 mg of methyl catechin to effectively suppress histamine. This would require 5 individual packets per day.


Where to Buy
My favorite on-line store for all my green tea is Den's Tea. You can buy their Powdered Benifuki  for $9.50 per 20 individually wrapped 0.4 gram servings.


How to Use
They recommend stirring one packet into 5 ounces of hot or cold water. I throw mine into my smoothie or just make a cup of hot tea with it. It has a lovely, mild flavor. If you suffer from allergies and love green tea, you should give it a try!

The Mother Of All Smoothies! Healthy And Delicious, High In Fiber And Omega 3. Also, How To Freeze Seasonal Fruit!

Fruits, veggies plus healthy additions make this the Mother of All Smoothies.
Contains almost half the daily requirement of dietary fiber and over 3 grams of ALA omega 3 fatty acid!

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Chemistry in the Kitchen
My morning smoothies are like a chemistry experiment. Every day, for the last week, I've been drinking and perfecting this recipe. It has a number of the healthful ingredients I've used in previously posted smoothie recipes.
I always start with some dark green veggies like kale, spinach or chard. Lately I've been adding other vegetables like cucumbers or celery. 
To make the smoothes sweet and delicious, I add a small banana and some big juicy figs that I still have in the freezer from my neighbor's last years crop. ( I also drop in a packet of stevia for added sweetness). To get lots of vitamin C and some "detoxing" pectin, I throw in an orange from my tree, skin and all! Sometimes, instead, I use an apple or pear, depending on availability.
And, of course, I always keep a huge bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer so I add a cup of them for their high antioxidant properties. Sometimes I throw in the tops of strawberries that I keep in the freezer too.
To make this the "Mother of all Smoothies", I add some healthy additions:
* Brazil nuts for their enormous selenium content. Selenium is a mineral with high antioxidant properties.
* Unfiltered Flaxseed oil for its ALA omega 3 fatty acid content.
* Vitamineral Green - my absolute favorite green "superfood"  by Healthforce Nutritionals.
* Matcha powdered green tea, known for its many health benefits.

This brand of UNFILTERED FLAX OIL provides 6.2 g ALA omega 3, plus 10 - 14 mg SDG lignans.
Lignans contain phytoestrogen substances which are associated with lowered breast cancer risk, heart health,  improved immune function and many other health benefits.
I noticed this product is manufactured in the same plant as wheat products so I don't think it is guaranteed gluten free.

VITAMINERAL GREEN contains a large collection of green foods like wheat grass, broccoli and kale juice, nettle leaf and many others.
From the waters are spirulina and chlorella.
 From the oceans are sea vegetables like kelp, dulse, laver, bladderwrack and more.
Each heaping tablespoon contains necessary digestive enzymes and probiotics.
If you experience beneficial cleansing reactions, start out with a lesser amount.
Latest formulation is vegan and gluten free.

Green tea is my favorite beverage. I enjoy hot Sencha tea and I use a powdered "Matcha" in smoothies.
MATCHA POWDERED GREEN TEA contains the potent cancer fighting catechin antioxidant, EGCg.
It has an ORAC rating of 1300 units/g (higher than blueberries and chocolate).
Its high chlorophyll content removes metals and chemical toxins from the body.
It contains L-theanine, a mood enhancing amino acid.

STEVIA is a plant native to South America.
This natural sweetener has been used by the Indigo people for hundreds of years.
It's been used as a sweetener in Japan and Brazil for 3 decades.
It was only approved by the FDA as a food additive in 2008.
It's a good, natural sweetener for diabetics and others wanting to avoid sugar.

Freezing and Preserving Seasonal Fruits
In the summer, you may end up with lots of beautiful fresh fruit. You may have fruit trees or a generous neighbor with fruit trees. Or, you may find wonderful deals at your local farmers market. In any event, you will have to figure out what to do with it all! 
You may want to use some to make Low sugar jam but if you want to enjoy raw smoothies throughout the year, your best bet is to freeze it.
Just throwing fruit in a freezer bag doesn't work very well. In a matter of weeks you'll have freezer burn and the fruit may turn a different, unappealing color. To successfully freeze fruit you'll need a heavy plastic bag and a vacuum sealing machine. 
There are a number of products available. Since we bought ours a while back, I don't really know which is currently the best on the market. I can only say it was one of the best purchases we ever made. 
The trick to successfully freezing fruit is this:
1. Clean fruit and dry it.
2. Halve or quarter figs or slice peaches or apricots but make the slices big enough so that they can stand up on a cookie sheet.
3. Place fruit skin side down on a small cookie sheet that fits in your freezer.
4. Freeze the fruit until it is hard.
5. Place frozen fruit in the plastic bag that comes with the vacuum sealing machine keeping the fruit pieces in a single layer.
6. Seal the bag with the machine making sure the fruit remains in a single layer. 
7. Place in freezer.

A FoodSaver vacuum sealing machine that we bought years ago.

You can buy individual freezer bags or a continuous roll that allows you to adjust the size.

We froze these figs 9 months ago and they were still fresh and delicious in this morning's smoothie!
Notice how we kept figs in a single layer. That makes it easier to break off the frozen pieces as needed.

The Mother of all Smoothies
Vegan or Raw Vegan options
[makes 4 cups or 2 breakfast servings]
1 1/2 cups cold organic vanilla soy milk*
2 Brazil nuts
1 cup organic kale, stems removed, chopped
1 cup organic celery, chopped (or organic cucumber with skin)
1 small banana
2 medium figs, cut in half
1 small organic orange, seeds removed, with skin
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon unfiltered, organic, high lignan flaxseed oil
1 heaping tablespoon Vitamineral Green **
1 teaspoon Japanese powdered Matcha green tea
1 packet stevia natural sweetener


* For a completely raw smoothie, replace soymilk with 1 1/2 cups cold water, 12 soaked, raw almonds and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
** Cut down the amount to start with to avoid a possible cleansing reaction.


Add all ingredients to a Vitamix or high speed blender.
Process until smooth and serve immediately.


Per serving (with soy milk): 384 calories, 12.4 g fat, 2.3 g saturated fat, 3.2 g ALA omega 3 and 2.2 g omega 6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 11.2 g protein, 59.5 g carbohydrates and 10.9 g dietary fiber.


Per serving (with raw almonds, water and vanilla): 345 calories, 12.9 g fat, 1.8 g saturated fat, 3.2 g ALA omega 3 and 3.9 g omega 6 fatty acid, 0 mg cholesterol, 8.2 g protein, 54.3 g carbohydrates and 11.6 g dietary fiber.

Anti-Aging Smoothie - Raw Frozen Red Or Purple Grapes With A Shot Of Matcha Green Tea, A Good Combination Of Resveratrol And Catechins

Freeze cleaned, dry grapes in a plastic basket.

Resveratrol and Anti-aging

You may have heard about resveratrol, the compound found in the skins of red grapes and various other sources like berries and peanuts. It has been accredited, by some, for explaining the French Paradox (the ability for the French to eat a rich diet and not suffer high incidences of cardiovascular disease because of the red wine they consume). It also has anti inflammatory, antioxidant and cancer preventive properties. The phenomenon most discussed, however, is how resveratrol has anti-aging benefits by activating sirtuins, a class of longevity genes in the body. Sirtuins can reduce cellular decay and promote cell repair. (I'm so excited about this compound, it is one of the few supplements that I take on a daily basis). Raw red and purple grapes are one of the best sources of resveratrol. Once heated, the amount of resveratrol in grapes drops dramatically.

Grape seeds also have many health benefits due to their antioxidant properties. They are associated with improving blood circulation, lowering blood pressure, improving blood cholesterol levels and preventing hardening of the arteries. So if you have a high speed blender that is capable of grinding seeds, you can make this smoothie with seeded grapes.

Matcha Green Tea

Green tea, with its rich catechins called EGCG (epigalloctechin-3-gallate) also have been associated with anti aging health benefits. I particular like Matcha Green Tea which is a green tea powder, especially when making smoothies. Green tea has a little caffeine so putting it in your morning smoothie certainly helps you wake up and gives you a jolt of energy. I'm pretty sensitive to caffeine and had to give up coffee years ago but I'm very tolerant to the caffeine in green tea. Another benefit of green tea is that it can lower blood sugar.

Frozen Grapes - A Good Weight Loss Tip

Besides putting them in smoothies, frozen grapes make a great little dessert. If you are trying to lose weight and want something sweet, pop some frozen grapes in your mouth. The frozen texture and sweetness of the grapes are very satisfying and may keep you from eating that bowl of Ben and Jerry's!

***

Anti Aging Smoothie

[serves 2]

2 cups red or purple grapes, frozen

1 large or 2 small bananas

2 teaspoons powdered matcha green tea

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

2 cups cold water

6 to 8 drops liquid stevia (or other sweetener,optional)

To freeze grapes, rinse and dry well and place in a basket like the one pictured above. You can also place them on a plate or cookie sheet that has some edges to prevent them from rolling off. Once frozen, you can store them in a ziplock bag until needed.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 183 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0.8 g ALA omega 3 and 0.3 g omega 6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 43.5 g carbohydrates, 31.5 g sugar from fruit, and 4 g fiber.

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How To Make Matcha Green Tea - The Health Benefits Of Green Tea

Sift the powdered matcha green tea into the cups.

Add 180 degree water and whisk until the Matcha is suspended.

A bamboo"Chansen" is traditionally used to whisk matcha.

Matcha Green Tea

Recently I purchased some matcha tea in order to experiment with making green tea ice cream. It had been a while since I had enjoyed this delicate beverage so I carefully studied the instructions on how to properly make it.

Unlike the typical leaf tea you are familiar with, matcha tea is a powdered green tea. Traditionally it is the tea used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Its sweet taste comes from the tea plants being shaded for about one month before being harvested. I love the deep green color, an indication of its many intense and healthful plant chemicals.

The History of Matcha

According to Den Shirakata, owner of Den's tea , a Buddhist monk introduced matcha to Japan in the 13th century. The monk, named Eizai, studied in China and upon his return to Japan, he brought back a new type of tea. This tea was made from raw leaves which were steamed than then milled into a fine powder.

Eizai also authored the first tea book in Japan named, "Maintaining Health by Drinking Tea". Matcha became part of Zen training for Zen Buddhism, also spread by Eizai. It also became part of the "SADO" tea ceremony.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols. The one most important is EGCG which is a powerful antioxidant. Green tea also contains the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E although it is said that EGCG has 25 to 100 times stronger antioxidant properties than vitamins C and E. Since Matcha tea contains the entire leaf it has the added benefit of providing fiber.

Many health benefits have been attributed to the frequent consumption of green tea. Here are a few of them:

* inhibition of cancer cells

* stabilizes blood sugar

* improving cholesterol profile

* helps prevent cardiovascular disease

* fight colds and flu as it has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties

* prevents tooth decay

* acts as a relaxant due to its content of the amino acid, theanine

* like berries, polyphenols in tea may prevent and reverse age-related memory loss

Enjoying Matcha Tea

Matcha is a powdered tea which doesn't dissolve in water. The Matcha is actually suspended in the water.

The four most important things to do to optimize your enjoyment of this delicious tea are:

1. Using 180 F degree water to make the tea

2. Sifting the Matcha

3. Whisking the tea properly to create a suspension

4. Drinking it before the powdered tea settles to the bottom

How to Make Matcha Tea

What you need:

* Boiling water

* An interim container (I use a 2 to 4 cup glass pyrex)

* A small bamboo scoop or 1/2 teaspoon measure

* A small strainer to sift the tea

* One or more tea cups

* A whisk (you can use the proper bamboo whisk called a "chansen" or any small whisk)

Making Matcha

1. Get out one or more tea cups.

2. Sift one gram, or 1/2 teaspoon of Matcha into each cup.

3. Pour boiling water into an interim container (tea pot, cup or pyrex).

4. Pour 3 ounces of water from the interim container into each of the tea cups. This extra step will get the water to the proper temperature if done immediately.

5. Whisk the Matcha and the water using the bamboo "chansen" or a small whisk until the powdered tea is suspended in the water.

6. Enjoy before the Matcha settles to the bottom. If it does, give it a swirl.

You can find a good assortment of Matcha tea at Den's tea . Amazon also sells the tea as well as the tea whisk (Chansen), the small scoop and glass Matcha bowl.

Strawberry Banana Green Tea Smoothie With Chia Seeds

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea contains catechins, powerful antioxidants that have a role reducing free radical damage which can lead to cancer and heart disease. Because green tea receives minimal processing, its catechins are very concentrated, especially their unique catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). In the laboratory, EGCG has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth. Some human studies have shown a link between increased green tea consumption and lower recurrence of breast cancer after surgery and a lower risk of developing stomach, esophageal, prostate, pancreatic, lung and colorectal cancers. Other human studies showed a correlation between green tea consumption and reduced risk of heart disease.

Other Ways to Consume Tea

Besides just making a cup of tea, there are other ways to receive the health benefits of tea. Try adding green tea to soups or using green tea as the liquid in your morning smoothie. There is some caffeine in green tea so be sure not to drink it or cook with it too late in the day or it may disturb your ability to sleep. However the amount of caffeine in an 8 oz. cup of tea is only around 20 mg compared to 60 to 120 mg in brewed coffee or 40 to 50 mg in black tea.

My Favorite Green Tea

By far, the best green tea is from Japan. It's sounds obvious, but green tea should actually be green! So many of the large corporate tea companies make green tea products that don't look or taste anything like real, Japanese green tea. You can buy genuine green tea online from Den's Tea company. You can buy loose tea or these very cute and convenient pyramid tea bags. My favorite is the Pyramid Tea Bag Sencha.

Here's a smoothie recipe that provides all the advantages of green tea, chia seeds and fresh fruit.

***

Strawberry Banana Green Tea Smoothie with Chia Seeds

[makes 2 servings]

2 cups strong green tea (cooled)

1 cup vanilla hemp milk or soy milk

2 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 large banana

1 cup fresh strawberries

3/4 cup ice

few drops of liquid stevia or sweetener of your choice, optional

The night before, put one or two green tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water and steep for 15 minutes. Remove the tea bag and put the tea in the refrigerator to cool overnight. Put the chia seeds in the vanilla hemp milk and stir vigorously. Wait 15 minutes and stir again. Wait another 15 minutes and stir one more time and put the chia mixture in the refrigerator overnight. It will become the consistency of pudding - (in fact, it will become "chia pudding". I usually make this smoothie when I have left over Vegan Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding .)

In the morning, place the chilled green tea, chia pudding, banana, strawberries, ice and optional sweetener in a VitaMix, blend and serve immediately.

Per serving: 190 calories, 8.0 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4.5 g protein, 37.8 g carbohydrates, 9.8 g fiber, 3.6 g omega 3 and 2.9 g omega 6 fatty acids.