Blue Agave as a Sweetner
The Blue Agave is a desert succulent, not a cactus as some have been led to believe. It is a species that is native to Mexico. There are many kinds of agave through out Mexico; however the Blue Agave flourishes in volcanic soil.
Organic agave nectar is a natural product that can sweeten any type of beverage like tea or food. It is derived from the carbohydrates present in the agave plant through a totally natural heating process with no chemicals involved. To produce organic agave nectar, juice is expressed from the core of the agave (the piña). The juice is then filtered to create agave nectar. The agave nectar has the natural solids removed through a fine filtration process, creating a liquid that can be used in recipes that require a more neutral base that can be colored.
The agave nectar is then heated, causing thermic hydrolysis which breaks down the carbohydrates into sugars. The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan. The filtered juice is concentrated to a syrup-like liquid a little thinner than honey.
Fructose is a simple sugar found mainly in fruits and vegetables. Due to the predominance of fructose agave nectar is much sweeter than sucrose. Thus, a smaller amount yields the same sweetness but fewer calories than sucrose. This gives agave nectar advantages in both the food industry and the health of the consumer.
The very low glycemic index of agave nectar make it suitable for diabetics and that why we use it as an alternative sweetner in some of our iced teas.
No commentsChamomile Tea May Ward Off Diabetes Damage
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) — Daily drinks of chamomile tea with meals may help prevent the complications of diabetes, report researchers in Japan and the United Kingdom.
The findings, published in the Sept. 10 issue of theJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, are based on feeding chamomile extract to a group of diabetic rats for 21 days. Those on the chamomile supplement experience a significant decrease in blood glucose levels. The extract also appears to inhibit ALR2 enzymes and sorbitol, whose elevated levels are associated with increased diabetic complications.
for the full story: Washington Post
No commentsSalada’s “Unbottle Your Tea” Campaign Shows Health, Cost & Environmental Benefits of Drinking Freshly Brewed Tea over Bottled Tea
LITTLE FALLS, N.Y., Sep 15, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Salada Tea announced today the launch of its national “Unbottle Your Tea” educational campaign to promote the consumption of freshly brewed tea as a healthier, less expensive and more environmentally friendly alternative to bottled teas. Consumers that switch from drinking bottled tea to freshly brewed tea made with tea bags will take in approximately 95 percent more antioxidants, help decrease pollution and greenhouse gases, and save money.
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water and over the last 10 years, sales of ready-to-drink tea have grown nearly 10 fold. The amount of plastic bottles wasted per year increased by nearly 1.5 billion pounds from 1998 to 2008, according to the Container Recycling Institute. Today, 200 million beverage containers are wasted each year, which is nearly double the amount recycled.
for the full story: Business Wire
No commentsCamomile tea ‘could help control diabetes
The herbal beverage has long been used as a remedy to alleviate stress and aid a restful night’s sleep, but now research suggests it can lower blood sugar levels.
This could help prevent complications arising from the condition, including blindness, kidney disease, and nerve and circulatory damage.
Professor Robert Nash, who lead the research, said: “It is quite fascinating, it seems to be doing a lot of different things all at once.”
The study looked at the effects of the tea on the health of rats with Type 2 diabetes.
Source: Telegraph Media Group Limited
for the full story: Telegraph Media Group Limited
No commentsCommonsensically, tea is better than water
IT was unexpected, but Unilever Nigeria Plc. could not have had a better endorsement of it’s acclaimed Lipton Yellow Label Tea than the one given by Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administartion & Control (NAFDAC), Prof Dora Akunyili.
The date was Tuesday September 2, 2008. Venue was the Banquet Hall of Lagos Sheraton Hotel & Towers. The event was the Lipton Yellow Label Tea partnership workshop designed by Unilever to bring to the fore benefits of drinking tea.
Akunyili who was Guest Speaker at the occasion confirmed to the audience that she was actually ignorant of the health benefits of black tea until a few days prior to the event when Unilever approached her to prepare a paper for presentation.
for the full story: Vanguard Media Limited
No commentsIndia, Sri Lanka tea boards sign import agreement
The Tea Board of India and Tea Board of Sri Lanka today signed a mutual recognition agreement for tea coming into each of the countries.
Basudeb Banerjee, chairman, Tea Board of India said, it was a comprehensive economic partnership agreement and the agreement would enable free flow of tea into each other’s country without having to go through the process of testing.
for the full story: Business-Standard
No commentsTea protects against heart disease, cancer: Study
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, researchers say, according to BBC News Online.
The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.
Tea not only re-hydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, U.K. nutritionists found.
Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.
for the full story: Metro News Services
No commentsQ-Tip Gettin Up
Oh yes. Q-Tip is back. Although he hasn’t left. Here is his first official single “Getting Up” off his upcoming album “The Renaissance”.
What a perfect song to start your day off to. Making a nice hearty breakfast. An egg white spinach omlette with a hint of cayenne pepper, two pieces of toast, a bowl of yogurt with fresh blueberries…a hint of honey…and of course…a fresh brewed cup of Organic Makaibari
No commentsHealth insurance for tea workers likely
GUWAHATI, Sept 1 – The Assam Government and the managements of the tea gardens of Assam are exploring the feasibility of bringing the labourers of the gardens under a health insurance scheme for providing them advanced treatment whenever required. If the scheme becomes successful, it will benefit nearly 5.50 lakh regular workers of the tea gardens.
for the full story: The Assam Tribune
No commentsTea prices set to shoot up
AHMEDABAD: Your cup of tea has just got dearer. And if tea packaging companies are to be believed, that’s not all. The prices will rise further. Reason: Countries like Russia and Iraq are nursing a newfound love for Indian tea.
While the slump in tea production in Kenya by 41 million kgs may have brightened the prospects of Indian tea in the overseas market, they are taking a toll on domestic market as tea packagers are being forced to increase the price of packaged tea to maintain profit margins. The reason is a sharp rise in the price quoted by the tea producers at auction centers, which is much higher than last year.
for the full story: Economic Times
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