Nutrition counseling for those who want to feel healthier

October 2009 Newsletter: Nutrition Matters

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Food Focus:  Tea -- Camelia Sinensis

Researchers seem to agree that tea -- black, green, white, oolong or pu-erh -- has antioxidant properties.  But which has most? White and green tea, which undergo less oxidation (sometimes confusingly called 'fermentation'), have been getting more of -- but not all -- the votes in recent years. Antioxidants help quell inflammation, something we may well have too much of because of diet, stress, environmental pollution, etc., and tea provides antioxidants shown by research to help neutralize free radicals, those trouble-making molecules looking for extra oxygen atoms to take hostage.

For those who want the benefit and pleasure of tea but fear the caffeine in it, there is the half-minute trick: after half a minute of steeping, throw that tea away or give it to someone else and pour in fresh hot water.  You will have avoided over half the caffeine.  You will know whether this works well enough for you by how you feel.  It is safer than using chemically decaffeinated tea. 

As the life of the women tea pluckers is hard and they are often paid only subsistence wages, it behooves those of us who can afford it to buy fair trade tea whenever available.  In Massachusetts we're lucky to have our own fair trade organization http://www.equalexchange.coop/ so we can enjoy our tea in good conscience!

 Recipe of the Month: Tea and Vegetable Soup (Serves 4)

4 teaspoons of black tea or 4 teabags

4 teaspoons of ground cardamom

1 'thumb' of ginger root or 1 teaspoon of powdered ginger

1 five-inch stick of cinnamon or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger

1 star anise

3 cups of water

2 cups of coconut milk (not low fat)

1 cup of corn kernels

1/2 lb of chopped mushrooms

1/2  large red pepper, chopped
One small lemon or lime, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1.Tie up the tea and the spices in a bundle you can make with some cheesecloth and steep them in the liquids -- the water and coconut milk -- which you bring to a boil for five minutes.

2. Remove and discard the bundle and add the corn and the mushrooms and the pepper and simmer for another five minutes. (You can add or substitute with other vegetables, if you like.)

3. Add the sliced lemon or lime to each bowl; salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from  The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide (Heiss & Heiss, Ten Speed Press, 2007)