HEALTH BENEFITS OF RED ROOIBOS TEA

HEALTH BENEFITS OF RED ROOIBOS TEA

By organic facts.net

Health benefits of red rooibos tea include its use as a cure for nagging headaches, insomnia, asthma, eczema, bone weakness, hypertension, allergies, and premature aging. The tea is absolutely free from caffeine content and is also low in tannins. You can enjoy the refreshing beverage all day long with no possible side effects. Drinking rooibos tea can further ease severe stomach cramps, as well as bring relief to asthma and other related conditions. It also boosts the immune system of the human body.

The health benefits of red rooibos tea are abundant. This form of tea has traditionally been popular due to its great taste and unique color, while also boosting the health of the body. Rooibos tea or red tea is a medicinal, herbal beverage that is acquired from the Aspalathus linearis bush plant that is found in South Africa. According to the South African Rooibos Council, rooibos is not a true tea, but an herb. The fermented tea is red in colour.

Its medicinal attributes have been confirmed by The US Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC, which has affirmed that red rooibos tea is capable of reducing cancer, heart disease, premature ageing and other serious conditions.

Nutritional Value of Red Rooibos Tea

Red rooibos tea has no oxalic acid and therefore, it can be consumed by people who have kidney stones. Rooibos tea is rich in many mineral contents such as iron, calcium, potassium, copper, fluoride, manganese, zinc, magnesium and alpha hydroxy acid. It also contains antioxidants like aspalathin and nothofagin, and the extremely potent and versatile phenolic compounds.

Health Benefits of Red Rooibos Tea

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TOP 18 HERBS THAT PROMOTE LONG LIFE

TOP 18 HERBS THAT PROMOTE LONG LIFE

By wake-up-world.com - Melissa Burns

Of the hundreds of edible herbs, there are several that can be categorized as “life prolonging.” While some of the better known herbs have a reputation for boosting the digestive or immune system, or for helping people become more mentally alert or have better vision, there are some powerful herbs that specifically work to prevent serious diseases and illnesses, particularly in the area of heart health and overall cardiovascular fitness.

A general review of the medical evidence to support claims made for herbs was published in WebMD. It discussed many of the ways in which herbs help aid practically every known component of the human body, from cardio health to brain function. Keep in mind that many herbs have been around for more than a thousand years as remedies for common ailments. Garlic and Echinacea are just two examples of herbs that have a long, rich history as healing agents.

Any herbal plant that is able to make the heart work better or just achieve a better state of health can indeed prolong a person’s life. Heart attacks are one of the most common causes of death in industrialized nations. Likewise, herbs that work to boost the immune system can keep the body generally more healthy and go a long way toward increasing longevity. Here is a brief outline of the 18 best-known herbs that can help add years to a person’s life, either through better heart health or by addressing serious illnesses and the immune system. The name of each herb is followed by a short description of its medical effects:

1. Garlic

Garlic has been used for decades to help control high blood pressure and to prevent heart disease. In addition, some people use it because of its bacteria-killing properties and suspected role as a way to prevent certain types of cancer.

2. Hawthorn

This herb works to bring on lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate and open the arteries. It is reported that hawthorn takes several months before the benefits become apparent.

3. Guggul

A cholesterol-specific herb that chemically reduces “bad cholesterol” even before it is able to reach the blood.

4. Horse chestnut

This age-old remedy, long popular in Europe, strengthens veins and capillaries, thus reducing swelling. Healthier veins are an all-around form of protection against a wide array of heart ailments.

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12 REASONS YOU SHOULD KEEP DRINKING APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

12 REASONS YOU SHOULD KEEP DRINKING APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

By lifehack.org - Julie Dargan

Apple cider vinegar is a fruit vinegar with apples as the starting material. No surprises there.

What will surprise you is the following 12 reasons why you should be making apple cider vinegar a part of your daily routine.

1. Weight loss

Keeping in shape can be a hard task for many people, especially for women as they enter the menopause. Apple cider vinegar is one of these easiest additions to your daily routine that will help with weight loss by increasing your body’s metabolism and decreasing your appetite.

It also is excellent in stabilizing your blood sugar levels.

2. Improves Digestion

In its raw form, apple cider vinegar is an excellent digestive tonic, aiding the liver in breaking down fatty foods, proteins and minerals, as soon as foods enter your stomach.

The pH of the stomach should be in the range of 1.5 – 3.5 making it an acidic environment. Malic acid and tartaric acid are both found in apple cider vinegar and help keep the acid content in your stomach in balance.

Improving your digestion aids in weight loss also. You are not what you eat, but what you absorb. If your body is not breaking down the nutrients from the foods you eat, you may not feel satisfied after eating a meal and are tempted to eat more.

Apple cider vinegar helps in breaking down the nutrients from the foods you eat, making them accessible to the cells of your body, the result being less cravings.

3. Keeps osteoporosis at bay

The manganese, silicon, magnesium, phosphorous and calcium found in apple cider vinegar help in sustaining bone mass, which is a common concern particularly for women as they reach menopause due to the decreased levels of progesterone.

If you are currently taking calcium/magnesium supplements, adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar to the water to swallow your tablets can assist the breakdown of these supplements in the stomach and improve their absorption factor.

4. Mosquito repellent

Daily intake of apple cider vinegar actually changes your perspiration odor. The good news is that people around you will not notice an unpleasant odor but the mosquitoes will certainly give you a wide berth due to the odor being unpleasant to them.

Apple cider vinegar also helps you cope with heat stress during the summer months.

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MUSHROOM AND LEEK FLATBREAD PIZZA - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

MUSHROOM AND LEAK FLATBREAD PIZZA - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

By onegreenplanet.org - Alison Marras

SERVES 4-8

Crust:

120g/1 cup cassava flour

120ml – 180ml/1/2 + 1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

60ml/1/4 cup olive oil, divided in half

1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed mixed into 3 tbsp water)

Sauce:

150g/1 cup soaked cashews

60ml/1/4 cup water

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp salt

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp coconut milk

Toppings:

170g/6 oz mushrooms, sliced thin

1 leek, cleaned and sliced thin

pinch sea salt

pinch dried oregano

optional: garnish with fresh parsley

Instructions

Soak cashews for at least 2 hours in water, drain and set aside.  Pre-heat the oven to 450F/225C and line a pizza stone or thin baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.  Prep the toppings, make the sauce by combining the soaked cashews and the rest of ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Set aside.  Clean the mushrooms with a damp paper towel, slice thin and set aside.

Prep the leeks by removing the outer layer and the green top and rinse in between the layers (you can save the top for veggie stock, but not for this recipe)! Then cut off the bottom bulb and discard, but keep enough to hold the whole leek together. Then slice into thin half moons by slicing the leek in half vertically and then horizontally. Place chopped leeks into a bowl of cold water and drain any excess dirt.

Now onto the dough! Place another piece of parchment paper on your counter, and toss a little more flour on there for rolling.  Measure flour and place into a bowl with baking powder, mix around with a fork. Then add the water and mix with a wooden spoon, next up is the flax egg or egg, keep mixing and then salt and HALF your olive oil. You can now use your hands to roll into a ball.  Put your dough on the floured parchment paper, kneading by hand first and then adding another piece of parchment paper to the top and roll out. The dough should be thin, but not to the point of falling apart!  Place the ready dough on parchment paper on top of your baking sheet or on your pizza stone and pop it in the oven for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, remove the pizza from the oven and get ready to top it off! Firstly, with your remaining oil, brush enough oil to cover the crust surface in a thin layer (you probably won’t use all of it).  Then with a spatula, spread the cashew cheese sauce, next top with leeks, and finally the mushrooms. With any remaining oil, sprinkle it over top and add a pinch of sea salt and oregano over top.  Place back into the oven for 15 minutes, rotating the pizza mid way. As an option, you can grill this for an additional 3 minutes or so just to get a little more colour! Your pizza is done and ready to be sliced and served!

9 REASONS YOU NEED TO BE GIVING AND RECEIVING HUGS EVERY DAY

9 REASONS YOU NEED TO BE GIVING AND RECEIVING HUGS EVERY DAY

By wakeup-world.com - Josh Richardson

Hugging helps the immune system, cures depression, reduces stress and induces sleep. It is invigorating, rejuvenating and has no unpleasant side effects. It is all natural, organic, naturally sweet, no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, GMO-free and 100 percent wholesome. There are no batteries to wear out, no periodic check-ups, low energy consumption, high energy yield, inflation proof, non-fattening, no monthly payments, theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting and, of course, fully returnable.

Hugging is practically perfect, with the only exception that it can’t recreate the wheel.

A famous quote by psychotherapist Virginia Satir goes: “We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” Whether those exact numbers have been scientifically proven remains to be seen, but there is a great deal of scientific evidence related to the importance of hugs and physical contact.

Reasons You Need Hugs Every Day

1. Stimulates Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter that acts on the limbic system, the brain’s emotional centre, promoting feelings of contentment, reducing anxiety and stress, and even making mammals monogamous. It is the hormone responsible for us all being here today. You see this little gem is released during childbirth, making our mothers forget about all of the excruciating pain they endured expelling us from their bodies and making them want to still love and spend time with us.

New research from the University of California suggests that it has a similarly civilising effect on human males, making them more affectionate and better at forming relationships and social bonding. And it dramatically increased the libido and sexual performance of test subjects. When we hug someone, oxytocin is released into our bodies by our pituitary gland, lowering both our heart rates and our cortisol levels. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for stress, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

2. Cultivates Patience

Connections are fostered when people take the time to appreciate and acknowledge one another. A hug is one of the easiest ways to show appreciation and acknowledgement of another person. The world is a busy, hustle-bustle place and we’re constantly rushing to the next task. By slowing down and taking a moment to offer sincere hugs throughout the day, we’re benefiting ourselves, others, and cultivating better patience within ourselves.

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VANILLA PEAR MUFFINS - GRAIN FREE

VANILLA PEAR MUFFINS - GRAIN FREE 

By healthfulpursuit.com

Serves: 6 muffins

Wet

3 eggs

2 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoon coconut milk

3 tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract

Dry

30g/¼ cup sifted coconut flour

¼ teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping

¼ large pear, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon coconut/coconut sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C and line 6 muffin tins with muffin cups. Set aside.  Place wet ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well with a hand mixer.  In a small bowl, combine coconut flour with baking powder and nutmeg. Drop into the wet ingredients and mix until there are no lumps.  Drop batter into muffin cups and place sliced pears on top with a sprinkle of coconut sugar.  Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes.  Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 1 minute before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack to cool.

15 THINGS YOU DO EVERY DAY THAT SERIOUSLY RUIN YOUR METABOLISM

15 THINGS YOU DO EVERY DAY THAT SERIOUSLY RUIN YOUR METABOLISM

By lifehack.org - Sumaiya Kabir

Let me start off with why our metabolism is important for us. In plain words, our metabolism controls how we break down the nutrients we get from the food. In order to break the food down, we need energy. That’s where metabolism comes in. Metabolism allows organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.

There are certain things we do that, without our knowledge, help to damage our metabolism. You will be surprised to learn that your regular habits can be very bad for your metabolism. If we want to stop ruining our metabolism, then we must avoid such activities. I know it will be tough, but it’s worth a try!

Here are 15 things you do every day that ruin your metabolism.

1. Your body doesn’t get enough water.

Don’t stay dehydrated, especially after waking up. When you are sleeping, your body receives no water for 6 to 8 hours straight. Our body is made up of 60% water — we need to fill up our body’s tank with around 2 liters per day. However, during the night time, it’s likely that you hardly wake up to drink even one glass, which leads to dehydration.

The best thing to do after waking up is to drink at least 2 glasses of water. This will result in more energy, less bloating, and a lower appetite.

2. You drink too much caffeine.

More or less, we are all somehow addicted to caffeinated drinks, be it coffee or soft drinks. Even I need coffee to keep me going for the duration of the day. But, according to nutritionists, caffeine subdues our appetites. Drinking too many caffeinated drinks may make you feel full throughout the day, and by the time you realise you haven’t eaten much, it is already too late. Even if you consume dinner, the body won’t be able to break down the nutrients immediately. Cut down on your caffeine. Make it one mug of coffee, and a maximum of two small caffeinated drinks per day. Gradually decrease these, too.

3. Too much alcohol slows down your metabolism.

Drinking hard drinks, or any form of alcohol, results in the slowing down of your body’s ability to burn fat. For example, a couple of shots can reduce fat burning by 73%. The reason for this is because alcohol is being used as fuel instead of fat. So, make alcohol a weekend-only beverage. If you really need a drink, then keep it to a single glass.

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