enjoygreentea.com

Here’s a very alarming story that was posted on an India news site about green tea being contaminated with weed killer.

A bottle of green tea produced by Japan’s Kao Corp was found tainted with a large amount of weedkiller, the company said on Saturday.

Kao, Japan’s largest household products maker, said the bottle, sold at a Tokyo supermarket late last month, may have been contaminated intentionally as the weedkiller was not used in the production line.

A man who drank the “Healthya” tea suffered a minor diarrhoea but has already recovered, the company said, adding that he said the bottle may have been half-open.

Kao said it has not found any other tainted bottles in its inspection and it has no plan to recall the products.

Police are also investigating the incident.

Here’ the link to the story

Japanese green tea tradition dates back many centuries and is regarded as a ceremony to bring you back to nature. In Japan, green leaf tea is graded by the quality and which part of the plant it comes from. The age of the leaf when harvested is also an important factor. The best green teas are found in Japan and China; both countries produce many excellent varieties.

Organic green tea from Japan not only taste different from Chinese it is processed in a different manner. But in both countries, an elaborate culture has evolved that revolves around planting, harvesting, processing, and drinking green leaf tea.

Japanese tea is called Ocha and is referred to Green tea. Green tea is one of the most popular beverages in Japan. Around May 1 of the year they are already starting to harvest green tea. You can see many green tea farms around the area. Shizuoka prefecture is one of the great producers of green tea in Japan

Japanese green tea cultivation in Shizuoka dates back to the late 19th century. Green tea is mainly grown on plateaus and sloping fields. Green tea contains natural ingredients that are good for your health.

Here are list of some of the most popular kinds of tea drank in Japan:

• Gyokuro, Bancha made up of dried tea leaves are common in Japanese green tea. They are three quality levels and in descending order. The most superior green tea which has sweet flavor. As it is raised, it is protected from direct sunlight
• Sencha is the most common green tea. It is raised without cover from the sun
• Bancha is rough tea. It is made from lower grade tea leaves and is inexpensive
• Houjicha brown coloured tea. Made up of roasted tea leaves. It contains little caffein or tannin
• Matcha is made by grounding steamed dried tea leaves into powder with a stone mortar. This tea is famous for it is use in Japanese and Buddhist tea ceremonies. It has a quite bitter taste like green tea made up of tea leaf powder. A half-teaspoon of Matcha in hot water (or other beverage, including soy milk) provides higher levels of antioxidants
• Chinese Tea Oolang tea, jasmine tea are some of the examples of Chinese tea
• Kocha a type of Japanese tea which English people loves to drink

People drink Japanese green tea everywhere and any time of the day. Unlike English tea, Japanese green tea is served in cups without a handle and there’s no way of adding sugar or cream on it. When brewing green tea, we put tea leaves in a teapot called Kyusu and pour hot water in it. Then, tea is served in an individual cup called Yunomi which has no handles. There is a polite way of drinking the Japanese green tea. You have to hold the cup with your one hand and you should support it from below with your other hand.

If you are visiting someone’s house or business in Japan, you will probably be offered a cup of green tea. Also, Japanese restaurants serve green tea free of charge. There are also lots of vending machines in Japan that offers various kinds of cold and hot tea. In Japan, the simple act of drinking tea has been elevated to an art. This sidebar explores the origins and development of Japan’s tea ceremony.

Increasingly, you can find more individuals who are realizing that a healthy diet is important in order to help prevent and treat a variety of health problems; diet has been increasingly implicated in preventing cancer. There was a time when the medical community didn’t endorse the idea that lifestyle had anything to do with getting diseases like cancer. Now there are more and more studies showing that diet has a great deal to do with the prevention of cancer and other illnesses.

The major foods thought to help prevent cancer are:

* Red cabbage and vegetables related to it, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and cauliflower are healthy options for increasing our calcium intake. Red cabbage is believed to also contain a high concentration of flavenoids. Flavenoids are antioxidants that give red cabbage its color and prevent or control several types of cancer.

* Strawberries are believed to have extremely strong anticancer properties. In a recent research study, it was found the people who eat a lot of strawberries are about 70% more likely to be free of cancer than others. Other berries that are deeply colored have nearly the same effect as do strawberries.

* Beans appear to have many anticancer properties as well as many other healthy effects. Beans contain protease inhibitors which prevent cancer cells from landing on an area and taking hold. Among the various beans, fava beans are believed to be among the most potent against digestive cancers. Soybeans, on the other hand, are high in Isoflavones so that they seem to be most effective against cancer of the breast.

*Red beets are rich in flavenoids as well. Because it’s such a great source of these compounds, beets are known to prevent several different types of cancerous conditions.

*Spinach is a dark green leafy food that is strongly recommended as being healthy by many nutritionists. Spinach contains numerous nutritious components, including vitamin C and beta carotene—both antioxidants. Research studies tell us that antioxidants are wonderful in the prevention of various types of cancer. Finally, spinach has been found to be a valuable source of folate, which is important to a healthy pregnancy. It is apparent by research studies that a couple of servings of this vegetable weekly reduces one’s risk for both lung and breast cancer.

*Tomatoes have a long history; it is believed they have a number of health benefits, including the prevention of certain types of cancer. This is because tomatoes have been found to contain a great amount of antioxidant abilities. Antioxidants prevent cancer by blocking the activity of oxygen free radicals in the cells. The free radicals damage DNA and cause cancer in the cell where the DNA damage occurred

* Blueberries are a well known fruit containing antioxidant abilities. They are believed to be very good in the prevention of several types of cancers. Any fruit which is purple or blue contains these antioxidant properties and lower the risk of cancers. They also maximize the function of the memory, keep the bladder healthy and stop the aging process. Blueberries are chock full of phytochemicals, including phenolics that are being researched by many scientists for their abilities to block cancer and reverse aging.

* Garlic seems to have it all when it comes to good nutrition. It contains sulfur compounds that both allow for its odor and help people prevent cancer because of its ability to get rid of cancer causing substances in our environment. It also is felt to be able to slow the growth of cancerous tumors.

*Whole wheat products have the ability to lower our risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer of the breast. You can find whole wheat products in breads, cereals and pastas.

*Oranges are clearly a beloved fruit. Not only does it taste great but it has a very high content of vitamin C. Oranges seem to have anti cancer properties by virtue of containing more than 170 healthful phytochemicals. Finally, you’ll find limonoids in oranges which are believed to be very good at fighting and preventing cancer. Limonoids are also what makes oranges taste so tangy

I think you’ll get a kick out of this green tea advertisement