It's easy going green: hormone balance and green tea
Posted by Andrea Nakayama
It’s not just what you eat. It’s how it gets there. Eater’s Digest, from Replenish PDX is one eater’s reflections on the journey of her food. this month: green tea |
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It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a moment to meditate on the migration of my meals and morsels on these pages you read. But as I prepare for the EstroZen Detox, I’m deep in thought of the physiology of food. Not just my food, but hopefully yours too! Which foods support your hormone balance and which thwart it? It’s all a careful correspondence as I articulated in the Tipping the Scale Webinar on Saturday. And I must confess that I love delving into the nitty gritty details to customize a dietary protocol that delivers the best results possible, while also creating a blueprint you can carry easily into your everyday. Today I want to make testament to the tea leaf ~ the green tea leaf.But before I do, don’t forget that the EstroZen Detox starts on Monday! Come play with me and green tea. . . |
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You’ve likely heard that green tea is good for your health. It’s not really “news”. What I’d like to look at with you is the WHYs and the HOWs of some of green tea’s goodness. Take a look at these three great benefits of green tea:
Let’s go ahead & bring our investigative eye to each of those points (and don’t forget to put the kettle on). GREEN TEA & YOUR METABOLISMGreen tea has thermogenic properties, meaning it helps to produce some heat in your body to burn fat and keep you warm. The antioxidants in green tea (noted below), have been found to extend the release of the neurochemical neurepinephrine in the bloodstream and keep it circulating for longer than any other caffeine containing source. More neurepinephrine circulation (say that three times!), means more fat burning potential. Bring it on!(Bonus note: Got cold hands & feet or Reynaud’s syndrome? Try the Green Chai Latte below and add one tspn coconut oil to the mix for taking your thermogenesis to the max!) GREEN TEA’S ANTIOXIDANT POWERGreen tea’s powers come from polyphenols that provide antioxidants to neutralize free radicals in your body. Inside your body you’re constantly manufacturing unstable molecules. It’s these unstable molecules that lead to internal inflammation and cancer growth. Those unstable molecules are called free radicals, and they cause harm to other cells in your body. Antioxidants, like those in your green tea, cruise through your body, looking for those free radicals. The antioxidants can not only annul the free radicals, but may even lend some repair to the damage they’ve already caused. Scavenge away!GREEN TEA & YOUR BRAINOne of my favorite forms of green tea is matcha green tea, which comes in a fine powder made from baby tea leaves. The young green tea leaves, which include those used for making matcha powder, as well as those in the Dragon’s Well tea, contain one of your most ZEN amino acids, L-theanine. The L-theanine creates a sense of relaxation and calm about 30 minutes after ingestion. It stimulates the same alpha waves you activate during meditation. These effects can help counter the jitters that many experience when consuming caffeine. At the same time, those great antioxidants (which are called EGCG by the way), help protect brain cells, keeping them alive and alert and in less danger of cell death. Power up. Drink up when stressed out!The benefits of green tea go on. But let’s digest these nuggets and start experimenting with some green tea for health, happiness and hormonal harmony. Warmly, |
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Chai Matcha LatteThis recipe incorporates the beauty of green tea with a host of other cancer-fighting, immune-boosting, hormone-balancing spices. An elixir for the gods and goddesses indeed! ingredients: 2 teaspoons matcha green tea powder 1/4 cup coconut (I prefer Native Forest brand Full-Fat) or almond milk (unsweetened) 6 whole cardamom pods 6 whole cloves 8 whole black peppercorns one 2-inch cinnamon stick 2 cups just-boiling water 2 dashes ground cinnamon 1 pinch allspice 1 pinch sea salt 8-10 drops liquid stevia (plain or vanilla) or 1 tsp. raw honey preparation: 1. Place the whole herbs (cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick), in a jar or glass measuring cup. Pour just-boiling water over the herbs and let it steep for a minimum of five minutes and up to overnight. (I like the latter steeping time as it allows the flavor of the herbs to truly come through.) 2. Pour milk of your choice into a mini blender like a Nutribullet or into another glass jar or measuring cup where you can whisk the ingredients together. Add the matcha green tea powder, ground cinnamon, allspice and sea salt and blend or whisk until well combined. 3. Pour the steeped water through a strainer and into the matcha-milk slurry. Add stevia or raw honey. Blend or whisk again. Taste for desired sweetness. 4. If you’d like your latte hotter, pour ingredients into a small pot and gently heat before drinking to your health! |
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Estrozen: The Detox Diet to Restore Your Hormonal BalanceWe often don’t realize that our hormones exist in a delicate balance to one another. When they get off balance, you not only feel it in your body, but you see it in the mirror. It’s time to be the Zen Master of your own biochemistry.Inlcudes three online classes to discuss the Whys & Hows of your Detox Diet. group detox start date: November 4th detox duration: three full weeks! In EstroZen you’ll learn how to. . .
Learn key information for your health while eating great food and living the best life possible to support not only your own wellness and aging, but that of your entire family. |
EXPERIENCE A FREE TRAINING SERIES WITH ANDREA NAKAYAMA TO HELP YOU
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