Cranberry Juice And Dark Chocolate: Two Easy Ways To Boost Good Health

By: Connie Limon

Recent studies done at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health reveal that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack. Diane Becker, M.P.H., Sc.D., a professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health says that these findings are not intended as a prescription to eat large amounts of chocolate candy.

Large amounts of chocolate candy also contain large amounts of sugar, butter and cream. However, as little as two tablespoons of dark chocolate a day may be beneficial to our health. Dark chocolate is the purest form of the candy and is made from dried extract of roasted coca beans.

Eating a small amount of chocolate or having a drink of hot cocoa as part of a regular diet is probably good for your health. Be wise and do not eat too much chocolate, especially too much of the kind with lots of butter and sugar. Dark chocolate in small amounts is acceptable and beneficial to good health in persons who practice good health habits otherwise.

The body part most benefited by small amounts of dark chocolate, according to these researchers? findings is the ?heart.? The results really point out that a modest dietary practice can have a huge impact on blood and potentially on the health of people at a mildly elevated risk of heart disease. Researchers emphasize the fact that one single healthy dietary practice cannot be done alone. We must balance our small daily amounts of ?dark chocolate? with exercise and other healthy lifestyle practices to reap the rewards of a healthier heart.

Another easy way of boosting good health is the daily consumption of cranberries. Cranberries are among the top foods with proven health benefits, according to Amy Howell, a researcher at Rutgers University. Cranberries are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are instrumental in protecting cells from damage from molecules called ?free radicals.?

Research on the cranberry?s effects on heart disease, yeast infections and other conditions such as cancer, stroke and viral infections has so far found that drinking cranberry juice can block urinary infections. A compound called ?proanthocyanidine? prevents plaque formation on teeth. As a result of this finding mouthwashes containing the compound proanthocyanidine are being developed to prevent periodontal disease.

Studies have also shown that in some people regular cranberry juice consumption for months can kill the H.

Cranberry Juice And Dark Chocolate: Two Easy Ways To Boost Good Health
Cranberry Juice And Dark Chocolate: Two Easy Ways To Boost Good HealthBy: Connie Limon Recent studies done at The Johns Hopkins University School of M...

Cranberry Juice And Dark Chocolate: Two Easy Ways To Boost Good Health
Cranberry Juice And Dark Chocolate: Two Easy Ways To Boost Good HealthBy: Connie Limon Recent studies done at The Johns Hopkins University School of M...

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Drinking cranberry juice daily may increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.

Cranberries may prevent tumors from growing rapidly or starting in the first place.

So I guess the moral to this story is add a little dark chocolate to your already healthy diet and lifestyle practices plus drink a glass of cranberry juice daily. I wouldn?t advise to consume those two items at the same time; however, you might eat some dark chocolate in the morning with your morning coffee and several hours later as a snack drink a glass of cranberry juice. That sounds easy enough!

I just wish they would discover peanut butter fudge eaten in LARGE quantities was good for our health because peanut butter fudge is my favorite to drink with morning coffee.

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Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/food_and_drink/article_1641.shtml

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How are Flavored Teas Graded?

By: Jon M. Stout

If you?re new to flavored teas, there?s a real treat in store for you. There?s a tea for every taste and with so many blends to choose, from you?ll likely have difficulty deciding on just one or two.

The best flavored teas are created from blending fine loose tea with natural flavors from fruits, spices, herbs and florals. Artificial flavors should never be used, or they will leave the tea with a fake taste that?s easy to recognize.

In order to get the best flavored tea, you must also choose blends made with the best tea. To do this you need to understand how the tea is graded. This is a bit difficult, as there are no international grading standards for tea. Each country grades tea differently, and each variety of tea is graded differently, as well. So, to choose the best flavored tea, it?s important to know how each variety of tea that is used to make flavored tea is graded. Here are the basics on tea grading.

Black Tea

Black tea is graded primarily based on how it?s processed. So, while this will tell you the approximate percentage of whole leaves in your tea, and may tell you if it comes from an early or late plucking, it?s not the total picture when it comes to judging the quality of the tea. Knowing where the tea was grown and how tea is harvested in this part of the world is important, too. In the US, the best black teas are considered whole leaf teas and are designated by the term Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. You should avoid teas marked ?dust? as these are typically the lowest grades of black tea. Dust grades are usually only used in tea bags.

Green Tea

Green tea is typically graded by the shape of the leaf in China. In other parts of the world, green tea is also usually graded by leaf shape, but different names are used to describe the leaf shapes. Within the leaf shapes, in both China and other countries, you?ll find grades that further break down the quality of the tea. For example, Chinese green teas labeled for export are labeled by the following leaf styles: Gunpowder, Imperial, Young Hyson, Hyson, Twankay, Hyson Skin or Dust style. Within these categories there are several actual grades.

For instance, Gunpowder tea is graded from Pinhead to Pea Leaf and further subdivided into special, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and Common Gunpowder. While the leaf shapes don?t mean much to us in the US, we do know that the best gunpowder green tea would be graded special and the worst would be graded common.

In addition, tea plucked earliest in the season will have better flavor than tea plucked later in the season. This same fact is true of black and oolong teas. So, if you find a tea labeled ?first plucked? or ?first flush? that is also of a high grade, you know you have a very good tea. However, this designation will not be reflected in the actual grade of the tea. When it comes to choosing green tea, it?s recommended that you buy from a tea merchant that you know and choose the green tea that he recommends as quality.

Oolong Tea

Oolong tea from China is graded in a much simpler manner than Chinese green teas. They don?t designate the tea by the leaf shape. All oolong tea is made from larger leaves, because oolong teas are made from leaves that are grown further down the tea plant. Oolong teas are graded based on how much whole leaf the tea batch contains. The method is easy to follow and understand.

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Since most oolong tea is produced in China, it?s fairly simple to sort out a good oolong flavored teas produced there.

Oolong tea produced in Taiwan, also known as Formosa oolong, is graded differently, but the grades are still quite easy to understand. Formosa oolong teas are graded according to a standard developed by the Taiwanese government. The best Formosa oolong teas are graded Finest to Choice and Finest. The lowest grades of Formosa oolong are graded Standard. Since most oolong teas are produced in China or Taiwan, knowing the grades from these two countries will cover most of the oolong teas you?ll run across.

White Tea

White tea?s grading is simpler, because the time when the tea leaves were plucked is not part of determining the quality. All white tea is from a first plucking, because there is only one plucking of white tea during each growing season. Therefore, choosing a quality white flavored from China simply means choosing one of the two highest grades of white tea, Silver Needles or White Peony. However, these grading standards apply just to Chinese teas; if you choose a Ceylon white flavored tea or a Darjeeling white tea the grades may not be the same. White flavored teas are fairly rare; most of them come from China. As more white flavored teas become available, how they are graded in different countries should become more apparent.

So, to choose a good flavored tea, start by choosing a flavor that appeals to you and then see which varieties of tea are made with this flavor. Then, you can look at the grade of the tea you?re selecting and whether or not it?s flavored with natural flavorings. Now, you have all the information you need to determine if the tea is high quality. Of course, when it comes right down to it, most of us simply buy from a tea shop that we can trust to carry just the very best teas.

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/food_and_drink/article_1694.shtml

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