Drink To Your Health! Coffee, Tea and Kombucha
Coffee
I am not a big coffee drinker although I do like coffee I just do not handle the caffeine very well. My husband has one cup of coffee in the morning so I was looking for some healthy coffee for him. I came across a coffee that has a mushroom extract called Ganoderma. It has been studied in Japan for over 30 years and has been shown to be safe. It is supposed to help with high blood pressure, improve circulation, help the immune system and increase energy according to the literature. The coffee comes in little packets that you just add water to. It is the only brand that actually lists the milligrams of the Ganoderma (it is on the website) so you know how much you are getting. I would drink this myself if it came in decaf but it does not. I have a website for this coffee it is www.ganobrand.com/june Only after using the coffee for about a year did I decide to this. If you decide to purchase please do so through my site. The coffee is not very expensive. I have not tried any of the other products yet.
Kombucha (pronounced kom-BOO-cha)
This is a handmade Chinese teas that is delicately cultured for 3o days. During this time, essential nutrients form like: Active enzymes, Probiotics, Amino Acids (building blocks of protein) and Antioxidants. I love, love, love this stuff! The brand I like best is Synergy. It is an organic and raw food. They have a lot of different flavors but my two favorite are Gingerberry and Guava. It comes in a 16 oz bottle and the Gingerberry only has 70 calories for the entire bottle. The ingredients are organic raw kombucha, blueberry juice and fresh pressed ginger juice and 100% pure love according to the bottle. I can detect the love but it is probably my own because I really love this stuff! The bottle also states kombucha supports: Digestion, Metabolism, appetite control, weight control and body alkalinity. Since it is fermented it is very “fizzy.” It has an alcohol content of less than 0.5% due to the fermentation. Be very careful when taking the lid off because of the fermentation (think uncorking champagne). Never shake the bottle! My husband and I joke it is like handling nitroglycerin so don’t jostle the bottles around too much when you bring them home from the store. You will probably have to get this at your local health food store.
Hibiscus Mint Tea
This is a great tea that you get loose or in tea bags. It is caffeine free. It is an independent company based in Austin, Texas. A percentage of the profits are donated to the people of Az-Zawart which is a village in northern Sudan. Projects for clean water, health and education improvement is what the money is used for. This is the best tea. You can serve it hot or cold. I like it cold with lemon or lime. It is very refreshing and has the most beautiful color so it is very nice to serve to guests. The website to order the tea is www.nilevalleyherbs.com It is the best tea I have found as far as a non-caffeinated variety. For healthy chocolate drinks, see my post on Chocolate!
