So, I tried going raw for about five days in February and I loved it. However, it was right before a vacation, so I didn't keep it up. I'm planning on starting over tomorrow. I finally bought a Raw book with lots of information and recipes, so I'm able to experiment more.
(this week I'm just trying recipes that don't require more than a blender, and I plan to soon buy a food processor, followed by a coffee grinder and dehydrator. The juicer will have to wait.)


Now, my goal is to be 100% raw as far as food goes, [at least for the first couple weeks as a detox - then I might re-introduce a bit of non-raw - we'll have to wait and see], but I would like to continue consuming tea. I'm an avid coffee-drinker and I plan to give that up tomorrow. As of recently, I haven't even been enjoying coffee much.


Would a few cups of tea every day, and the occasional matcha soy latte affect the health benefits of being raw? Should I stick to non-caffeinated teas, at least for the first couple weeks?


I just got a job at a Teaopia (Canadian tea chain - fairly new) and I pretty much won't be able to give up tea, haha. At least not for a long time. Sun tea isn't practical right now due to slightly chilly weather.

I want to consume matcha every morning because of its health benefits.
(It has 10x more antioxidants per serving than regular green tea, 70x the antioxidants of orange juice, 9x the beta carotene of spinach and 4x that of carrots, high in amino acids which improve calmness and increases mental alertness. It's rich in polyphenols and catechins including EGCH, which may protect against cancer, help prevent cardivascular disease, help slow the aging process, help reduce harmful cholesterol in the blood, and help reduce high blood pressure. Want one more reason to drink it? It boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% when consumed regularly, assisting in weight loss)

I'm already vegan, by the way.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2008 12:33PM by hemp0la.

Oh, and how raw would I be considered if I had all raw food and an average of 3 cups of tea per day? (with no milk or sweeteners)

(It has 10x more antioxidants per serving than regular green tea, 70x the antioxidants of orange juice, 9x the beta carotene of spinach and 4x that of carrots, high in amino acids which improve calmness and increases mental alertness. It's rich in polyphenols and catechins including EGCH, which may protect against cancer, help prevent cardivascular disease, help slow the aging process, help reduce harmful cholesterol in the blood, and help reduce high blood pressure. Want one more reason to drink it? It boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% when consumed regularly, assisting in weight loss)

This sounds like a load of hooey to me.

I don't think there's anything wrong with consuming tea, it has very few calories per cup. But it certainly is not magic. You will be healthier if you eat lots of f+v than if you eat junk and drink magic drinks.

I'd be eating lots of f&v AND drinking 'magic drinks' if by that you mean tea. Would the tea add anything 'impure' to my body?

Some teas are contaminated with heavy metals that they uptake from the soils when the plants are grown in polluted areas.

I'd drink your tea as you enjoy it. I haven't noticed any bad effects from non-caffeinated teas, though I don't have them every day.

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

The question of tea being raw....
How about making "sun tea"? In a big jar out in the sun.
I know the tea leaves might be heated,but at least the water would not be boiling.
Just a thought.

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Posted by: hemp0la (IP Logged)
Date: April 06, 2008 05:30AM

I plan to soon buy a food processor, followed by a coffee grinder and dehydrator.

I don't have any of those things and I have no intention of getting them. I eat fresh raw WHOLE foods for most of my diet and use a blender occasionally. Try it, you'll like it. :-)

Quote

then I might re-introduce a bit of non-raw

Cooked food is dead food because the nutrients have been destroyed. Why would you want to add that back after you have achieved all raw ?

Quote

I would like to continue consuming tea.

I drink warm (120 f) water. Its surprising how refreshing clean water tastes.

Actually you can make sun tea even in the cold weather. Tea (and coffee for that matter) will just brew more slowly.

I drink tea. I've never heard of the teas you are talking about. They sound good!

Just listen to your body and see how it reacts on the tea. I know the more raw I am, the less green and black (caffienated) tea agrees with me. But nutritive teas, such as alfalfa, red raspberry leaf, chamomille do agree with me quite well.

We live in a cold climate too (Eastern Washington state) and I have to admit most of my teas get made on the stove simply because I never know if I want tea long enough ahead of time to let it brew outside.


Me (30), Joseph (24 mo.) Jeremiah (4 mo.)

We are enjoying spring and being outside!!!

i'm all for tea.
green, white, herbal.

go for it!!

I'd been guzzling green & herbal teas a little while ago, now, I find the stuff dehydrates me so I've been drinking it less (usually to warm me up in the cold weather we've been having).

I find having a break from the caffeine teas- and then going back on it is a good reminder of how powerful a stimulant it is! But hey, if it makes being raw easier in the longterm, then you can always wean yourself off of it when it's time to do so :-)

I used to be a heavy herbal tea drinker. 2-3 cups per day, especially before I went to bed. Although I haven't steeped tea for at least 5 months, I've been drinking Pau D'Arco the past few days because I've had some resurgence of candida I thought I'd gotten rid of. Because this tea has worked well for me in the past to conquer candida, I'm incorporating it with other nutritional therapies - mostly eating greens. I still consider myself 100% raw despite what someone else may think or perceive me to be.

I really like Jinjee's quote about a healthy diet. If you apply her quote to this conversation, it would go something like this: if you believe you can drink your tea and it enhances your well being, then it will be true for you. Enjoy your tea.

Here's her quote, which you've probably seen before:

"What we believe is very important. I can be eating the healthiest diet in the world, but if I still worry that I’m eating poorly, it won’t do me as much good. Or I can be eating what I believe is the best diet, and even if it isn’t, it will do me good, and it will lead me to a better way of life. The thing is to do what we really believe in. The other thing is to not focus only on diet. The focus is on good health, or on being a balanced person. Then everything falls in place." -Jinjee



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2008 10:41PM by rawangel.

hemp0la Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Now, my goal is to be 100% raw as far as food
> goes, , but I would like to continue consuming
> tea.

Then you should.

> I'm an avid coffee-drinker and I plan to give
> that up tomorrow. As of recently, I haven't even
> been enjoying coffee much.

First of all, congratulations on taking radical self-responsibility for your health and wellbeing. I'm glad you vibed so well with raw foods on your trial, and I am sure you will experience more amazing benefits. and for kicking the coffee... good for you! Getting off coffee was the best thing i ever did!!!

> Would a few cups of tea every day, and the
> occasional matcha soy latte affect the health
> benefits of being raw? Should I stick to
> non-caffeinated teas, at least for the first
> couple weeks?

> I just got a job at a Teaopia (Canadian tea chain
> - fairly new) and I pretty much won't be able to
> give up tea, haha.

if you won't be able to give up tea, then you definitely shouldn't try! that sounds like an exercise in futility to me!

> I want to consume matcha every morning because of
> its health benefits.
> (It has 10x more antioxidants per serving than
> regular green tea, 70x the antioxidants of orange
> juice, 9x the beta carotene of spinach and 4x that
> of carrots, high in amino acids which improve
> calmness and increases mental alertness. It's rich
> in polyphenols and catechins including EGCH, which
> may protect against cancer, help prevent
> cardivascular disease, help slow the aging
> process, help reduce harmful cholesterol in the
> blood, and help reduce high blood pressure. Want
> one more reason to drink it? It boosts metabolic
> rate by 35-40% when consumed regularly, assisting
> in weight loss)

sounds like you are convinced that matcha would be super healthy for you. in which case you should drink it until you feel differently, which may be never. or it may be next week! eating raw foods will open you up more and more to what is healthiest for you. and that inside-out discovery will be more meaningful to you than a bunch of pretentious raw purists telling you not to let anything heated past 115* to touch your lips.

my personal journey went like this. i was like you. a coffee drinker, who switched to oolong tea after starting to eat raw (and loved it and thought i would NEVER give it up! raw or not!), then daily rooibos or yerba mate, then rooibos once or twice a week, and now very occassionally rooibos. in my experience the health benefits of a caffeinated beverage do not outweigh how great i feel living caffeine free. but again, this is YOUR process. you might find otherwise!

good luck!

I wouldn't touch anything with soy, IMO, there is a very dark side to eating that stuff. I doubt the samurai took their matcha in soy latte form, either.

Tea... If it's the difference between a can of soda or a cup of tea, I'd say, have the tea! I also occasionally drink teas if I'm in a "social eating" situation.

There's a lot of positive literature about green teas out there, and I had a bit of a love affair with some really great stuff when I worked at an upscale sushi restaurant. The only negative side is the caffeine--it hits me even harder than it did pre-raw. I don't think a bit of tea here or there is going to hurt.

Listen to your body to see how it makes you feel, and go from there. It's a learning/listening process. =)

When I first went raw I told myself that I was going to have herbal teas if I desired them. I've had maybe five cups over the past two years, usually just to sit and have a cup of something with some friends.

Do what feels right for you. Drinking tea is way better than drinking processed drinks.

Lots of love to you,

Wendi
XOXO

Thank you all - very helpful thoughts and information.

I'm taking things slowly right now - I didn't have coffee this morning (yay!), but just Yerba Mate tea. Yes, caffeinated, but not as much as coffee.

Eating lots of fresh and dried fruit, some nuts/raw almond butter, lentils that I sprouted, organic store-bought salsa, and vegetables. I'm not sure that the nuts, salsa and dried fruit are all raw (likely not, especially the nuts) but I suppose I'm in transition.

I had a matcha soy latte yesterday. I'll see how things go, and how it affects me as I continue raw - I hope to get down to less nuts and dried fruit, and more vegetables and fresh fruit. No desire for seeds right now. I think I will probably kick the soy latte habit within a week or two (I know about the dangers of soy) - it's just something I want to hold onto for a bit in transition. I will then purchase matcha if I feel I will benefit from it, and use it in smoothies or something. As for other tea, who knows? I'm just glad I'm functioning today without coffee, haha!

How long does it take to make sun tea if the weather is cool or if you are doing it outdoors?

I miss my peppermint tea!

I read that you should put the tea/water in a large clear glass jar and place it in the sun. It is ready when it's the colour you prefer your tea. I think my book said 6-8 hours, but I could be wrong, and I'm certain that it would vary depending on your preference.

HempOla:

<help slow the aging process, help reduce harmful cholesterol in the blood, and help reduce high blood pressure. Want one more reason to drink it? It boosts metabolic rate by 35-40% when consumed regularly, assisting in weight loss>

I think it's awesome that you're embarking on this journey and, to echo others, anything that helps you move toward the goals you've set for yourself is great. But I do have to agree with Arugula, seems like a pretty tall order for a cup tea. Also don't see how matcha can both lower your blood pressure AND increase your metabolism...kinda of at odds with one another if you ask me. And no kidding that it boosts your metabolism, it's concentrated caffeine. All I know is that when I gave up the stuff completely (black tea, green tea, yerba mate...the whole lot), I felt a zillion times better...eventually. Felt like crap for weeks while my body worked to rid itself of all the toxins but, finally, finally, got my energy back.

As far as antioxidants go, of course green tea has them...it's a plant. All plants contain antioxidants. Plants wouldn't survive their encounters with oxygen and sunlight if they didn't create antioxidants. LOTS of food plants contain powerful antioxidants, without any caffeine.

At the risk of sounding preachy, which is certainly not my intent, if you really want to increase your antioxidants and stamina, eat a plant-based diet. Welcome aboard!! (-:

Peace,
~lanie

Matcha is stronger than green tea because you're actually ingesting the ground tea leaves. I'm going to consume it daily for a month (in smoothies) with a 90%+ raw diet, and if I think it's doing more harm than good, I will stop using it. Apparently the caffeine in tea doesn't have the side effects of that in coffee, and I think I believe that...unless it's just a matter of the amount of caffeine.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I get results Luckily, I get it at a 25% discount. That helps. Half a teaspoon per day.

What do you think the most healthful sun tea is?

I don't want to consume caffeine so if you have caffeine free suggestions, I'd like to try making some sun tea...

Thanks!

My grandmother used to make the most ridiculously wonderful mint sun tea. No caffeine and total yum factor there!

I'll try that Phantom! I love mint tea.

hey lee, phantom, have you guys heard of jus de bissap? its a west african combo of mint, hibiscus flowers, and vanilla. FABULOUS!

they have hibiscus flowers in the bulk spice section at my health food store. not sure if its a Hawaii thing or if its readily available elsewhere. tasty tho.

I believe rooibos teas have no caffiene. Black, green and white do. Herbals probably don't, and fruit blends don't (unless otherwise specified).

i drink rooibos on occasion, i really like the flavor, and find it has a very balancing effect, unlike coffee, true "teas", and even yerba mate. i sun brew it. but i am pretty sure it is heated at high temps. can't tell. seems unlikely that it would be sundried, since commercial drying processes are so much quicker and less expensive.

maui_butterfly, that sounds interesting. I think I'll try it. I googled it and it sounds delicious. I'm into all kinds of different flavors and love trying new things.


THANKS!