Matcha Tea Versus Coffee: Should You Switch to Matcha?

Matcha is the new buzzword in coffee shops, with many places offering everything from matcha lattes to iced matcha drinks. There’s more to this millennial tea than its unique color. It’s packed with caffeine and healthy antioxidants. Is matcha tea better for you than coffee?

What Is Matcha?

The first thing I learned is that matcha isn’t just another name for green tea. While it’s true that matcha comes from tea leaves, it’s very different from your normal cup of green tea.
People make green tea by steeping tea leaves (many brands include stems too) in water. On the other hand, matcha refers to the tea leaves themselves ground up into a fine powder. When you drink a cup of matcha tea, you’re not getting a watered-down version of the nutrients in tea leaves; you’re getting all of the antioxidants possible.

How Much Caffeine Does Matcha Tea Have?

First, a confession. I NEED caffeine. My daily dose of caffeine keeps me focused and gives me energy when I feel myself tiring out. Moms with kids, you know exactly what I’m talking about, especially when little ones keep us awake at night.
How does matcha compare to coffee in the caffeine department? It’s phenomenal. One shot of matcha contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. However, matcha tea’s caffeine boost lasts longer! If you’re looking for a way to stay energized and alert at work or at home, matcha tea is a great choice.

What makes the caffeine in green tea powder special is that it doesn’t produce the nervous buzz or energy crash that you may experience with coffee. Matcha packs a one-two punch by combining caffeine (a natural stimulant) with L-Theanine (a natural relaxant). L-Theanine is an amino acid that calms you down without making you sleepy.

What Are the Benefits of Green Tea Powder?

Green tea leaves are a true superfood bursting with healthy antioxidants called catechins. Here are a few of the things these spectacular phytonutrients can do for your body:

Protect your cells
Help prevent cancer (according to some studies)
Keep your liver healthy and reduce risk of liver problems
Lower cholesterol levels and protect your heart
Increase your mental performance
Encourage weight loss and fat burning
Make it easier to sleep at night

To get the same amount of antioxidants as one cup of matcha tea, you would need to drink 10 cups of green tea and many cups of coffee! I can’t believe the difference in energy and mood that it gives me, and I love the taste.

How Do You Make Matcha Tea?

To prepare a basic cup of green tea using matcha powder, you just need to add 1 1/2 teaspoons of matcha tea to your cup and slowly pour 2 ounces of almost-but-not-quite boiling water over it. Then whisk the blend until it’s frothy. Viola, matcha tea!
Actually, this green powder is incredibly versatile. Sipping on piping hot matcha tea isn’t the only way to enjoy it. Try adding matcha powder to your favorite smoothie or snack on tasty Greek yogurt with matcha, bananas and almonds for an afternoon shot of energy.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing bad about loving coffee (I do!). It’s just that matcha gives you more bang for your buck when it comes to health benefits. On that note, I recommend choosing high-quality matcha powder – it’s slightly sweet instead of bitter.

June 29, 2020

3 Helpful Remedies for Spring Allergies

As you may already be well-aware, spring allergies are the absolute worst. Sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, itchy skin, and congestion can all really wreak havoc on your quality of life during the warm weather months. And while being tested is a must to get on a reliable antihistamine regimen, this alone may not be enough to quell bothersome symptoms.

The good news is there is much you can do to prevent your spring allergies from taking over your life. Here are three effective methods of relief so you can have a fun, relaxed, and most importantly, allergy-free spring and summer.

Remedy #1: Pay Attention to Pollen Counts

The outdoor pollen count fluctuates from day to day depending on the weather conditions. On days when the pollen count is high, your allergy symptoms are bound to be much worse. Fortunately, you can actually check on pollen counts where you live so you can take steps to prepare. A simple online search of "pollen" and the town you live in should pull up useful information, or even point you to an air quality tracker.

Pollen counts tend to be highest from morning through midday. In this case, schedule any outdoor activities for early morning or late evening on days when pollen counts are extremely high. You can also take your allergy medication before you experience symptoms if you anticipate a bad pollen day. Be sure to take medications according to the dosage recommended by your doctor or pharmacist. And if you find that your medication regimen is not effective, you may need a different medication or dosage.

Remedy #2: Change Up Your Bathing Routine

When you're out and about, pollen can cling to your hair, your skin, and your clothing. Upon returning home for the day, it's very easy to track this pollen into your home with you, where it will continue to inflame allergy symptoms. Tweaking your personal grooming habits can provide highly beneficial, in this case. Even better, it's such a simple fix for allergy issues.

If you normally take showers in the morning, consider adding a second shower to your routine at night during the spring and summer months. Bathing helps remove pollen from your skin and hair, which is crucial before hopping into bed, where you will likely spread it around. When outside for long periods of time, wash your clothing immediately when you get home. If possible deposit clothing into your washer and hop right into the shower for the best results.

Remedy #3: Make Sure Indoor Air Quality Is Good

Pollen can also make its way into your home in other ways if you're not careful. An open window during spring and summer is practically just inviting pollen into your house. That's why it's best for allergy sufferers to rely on their home air conditioner when the weather is hot and pollen counts are high. In addition to creating a cool, comfortable environment, air conditioners also contain filters, which trap pollen and other allergens found in outdoor air and prevent them from getting into your home.

Keep in mind that your air filter will only be effective if you perform proper maintenance on your cooling equipment. In general, air filters should be changed every three months or so. However, people with allergies are encouraged to change them every twenty days, or at the very least once per month. You can also invest in a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. These filters are designed to trap up to 99.97% of all contaminants. While they are a little more expensive than your average air filter, they're a must for allergy-sufferers.

Allergies don't have to ruin your summer. By taking these simple steps every day, you can feel great and not miss out on a moment of summer fun and excitement!

June 18, 2020June 22, 2020

5 Habits for Healthy Ageing

Ageing is one of those things we are all doing, but no one wants to talk about. Of course ageing is better than the alternative, so how can we find a healthier, happier way to grow older? There are some proven habits you can adopt to encourage health, mobility and vigor deep into your older years.

1. Stay Active

Research shows that staying active can help us stay healthier as we age. Keeping our body moving is important for our muscles and joints, but also for our minds. Studies have shown that regular physical exercise cuts your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 50 percent. And while keeping our mind sharp, it also helps us fight weight gain and keeps our muscles and joints moving and lubricated. It can be as simple as going for a daily walk, but cardio exercise is key in keeping our bodies young. Stretching exercises like yoga are also helpful in keeping the body flexible. If you make physical activity part of your daily routine, you will keep that momentum going as you move into older age.

2. Eat Healthy

It’s no big surprise that eating healthy is another key in ageing healthy. It makes sense that the more nutrients we feed our body, the easier it is to stay at our optimal health. Many of the nutrients found in green leafy vegetables, nuts and fruits are necessary for body functions that help us age healthy, like our immune system and our eyesight. A diet of whole foods helps us fight off disease and decreases our chances of long-term conditions like chronic inflammation. Skipping processed foods is important because eating less junk means we consume less harmful chemicals. Many additives used in processed foods (even sugar!) erode our health over time.

3. Protect Your Skin

Unfortunately, as we age, our skin gets thinner and looses elasticity and smoothness. Wounds tend to heal slower, and dark spots can start to form. That’s why it’s important to protect our skin from any additional damage. Harmful UV rays from prolonged sun exposure is a major factor in skin ageing. Making sunscreen and moisturizer part of your daily routine is a great way to protect yourself from unnecessary skin damage due to sun exposure. Smoking cigarettes also exposes you to harmful chemicals that can make your skin look older than it is. Quitting smoking can be a great step towards protecting your skin in the long term.

4. Stay Social

Getting engaged in your community and staying social are also great ways to help you age healthier. Whether visiting with friends at the coffee house, or taking the grand kids to the park, staying social is a vital part of keeping the brain active and sharp. Starting new hobbies or taking some new classes can be a great way to meet new people and learning new skills. Volunteering is also a great way to get involved in your community and earn some good karma while you’re at it. The more you get out of the house, the easier it is to stay current with trends and styles as well. Updating your style is always a great way to look and feel younger!

5. Get Enough Rest

Getting enough sleep is another important way to age healthy. Stress and lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your system over the long term, and can really speed up the physical signs of ageing. Building a relaxation routine into a busy life can make a big difference in combating stress. Establishing a good sleep routine without the distraction of electronics can also help calm the mind and find rest. As we age, our bodies generally need less sleep, but maintaining a good sleep schedule of 7-9 hours a night is still key in healthy ageing. Our bodies need this time to regenerate and recuperate from our busy lives. Without this critical down-time, your body quickly starts to show increased signs of ageing.

June 18, 2020June 18, 2020

Are You Making Your Chronic Inflammation Worse?

A few years ago, I found out that some of the inexplicable aches and pains I was always feeling in my body were caused by chronic inflammation. After many months of constantly taking pain killers and not really knowing what to do about it, I also started to hear about other conditions and diseases that long-term inflammation can actually cause in the body. The next time I reached for that bottle of pain killers I really had to wonder if I was ignoring a problem that I really needed to fix. I wanted to find out what was going on and became determined to find a natural way to heal my chronic inflammation.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is your immune system’s natural response to infection and injury. Your body increases blood flow to the area in order to deliver more healing and “invader-fighting” agents to the area. This can temporarily make the area more swollen, red and warm because the body is bringing more of the components needed to heal the wound and fight off germs. Without this process, the tissue would not get enough healing and protective agents, and the wound would not heal properly and get infected more easily. In this way, inflammation saves us from having major complications from cuts or injuries because it keeps infection from forming and heals the skin.

Normal Inflammation

Normally, the inflammatory response is a relatively short process of a few hours or days (depending on the size of the wound and the surrounding conditions). Once the body has sent more healing and protecting agents, the skin is repaired and the wound closes. The redness, swelling and tenderness usually go away soon after the process is complete.This is the acute immune response that reacts to anything from a mosquito bite to a broken bone. While localized swelling, redness and tenderness may be painful, they are a necessary side effect of the body’s healing response.

Long-term Inflammation

Yet in some cases like my own, this acute immune response went rogue. I was having persistent inflammation that lingered without truly repairing anything. This is called chronic inflammation, and it can persist for months or even years. It can become a very painful and debilitating condition all in itself. Some days I felt like I was “rusting” when I tried to walk up the stairs! The swelling can have a wide variety of effects on the body, including problems with digestion, cognitive function and joint mobility. As more research is being done, links have also been established between chronic inflammation and many diseases such as

Cancer
Heart Disease
Daibetes
Arthritis
Depression and/or Anxiety
Metabolic Syndrome
Hyperlipidemia
Alzheimer's disease

It is becoming ever more clear that long term inflammation can be quite destructive in the body.

Foods that Cause Inflammation and Why

There are several factors that can contribute to chronic inflammation, including long term exposure to irritants like certain foods or chemicals, autoimmune disease, and underlying infection in the body. Once major disease or infection have been ruled out as a cause, I found that your diet is the best place to start looking for answers!
It turns out that overly processed, greasy and sugary foods can cause the body to release inflammatory messengers called cytokines. These messengers will encourage the body to build inflammation without a real injury or infection. Over time, this can turn into chronic inflammation. Studies have shown that changing what you eat can be an effective way to heal chronic inflammation and start to correct the body’s immune response. There are several foods which can cause chronic inflammation in the body:

Red meat like burgers and steak
Sugary drinks or foods like sodas or chocolate bars
Fried foods like fries or doughnuts
Refined carbohydrates like breads and pastries made of white flour
Margarine, shortening or lard
Processed snacks and treats like chips, cookies or crackers

Unfortunately, these culprits seem to be repeat offenders when it comes to being bad for our health. Many nutritionists have already had these foods on their “naughty” list for years. I know I was guilty of indulging in more than just a few!

Foods that Heal Inflammation

The good news is that many of the foods that have anti-inflammatory properties are also dense in nutrients and have many other positive side effects on your health. These rock-star foods include:

Spices high in polyphenols and antioxidants like turmeric and clove
Green Leafy Vegetables like spinach, kale and chard
Olive oil (not mixed with other oils)
Tomatoes
Nuts like almonds and walnuts
Fruits and berries like blueberries, cherries and oranges

The foods on this list are high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols, which together, act in the body to reduce inflammation and protect the tissue of the body. This means that over time, these compounds can help heal chronic inflammation and protect the body from further damage.

Targeting Inflammation with Supplements

I found that while changing my diet was a vital part of finally combating my chronic inflammation, I could only eat so much kale in a day! In order to really target my inflammation in a natural way, I started using a concentrated form that is high in polyphenols to kickstart my healing process fast. Research shows that one superstar supplement can help combat oxidative and inflammatory conditions like chronic inflammation, chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, anxiety, hyperlipidemia and more.

This superfood is Turmeric. It’s a yellow spice often used in Asian cooking, and it happens to be an extremely high source of the polyphenol curcumin. This active ingredient has been shown to target the inflammatory response in the body and help reverse chronic inflammation. Because it can be easily concentrated into supplement form, it was finally easy to get enough active ingredient to target my chronic inflammation in a natural way!