What do you think about Green Tea? I only recently avoid it because of the caffeine, which I've heard puts stress on the body. Green Tea also contains tons of antioxidants, though. But, then again, we can always be getting those antioxidants through food.

What do you think?

I don't have anything against it. It can be an asset to a good diet.

But white tea is less processed, has even more antioxidants, and tastes better.

Don't drink too much, it will interfere with mineral uptake.

I personally avoid it.....as not being a high-quality....vital food....but I support YOUR decision 100%.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I don't think its worthwhile to get the anti-oxidants at the cost of my body having to process out the caffeine from my system. It certainly isn't either raw nor alive.

eat blueberries for antioxidants
uhh.. other things many other things too

some good replies

It also can stain the teeth!

good point, good point; my teeth are looking a little better without it haha just kidding, I didn't drink it that much

Some people are crazy about it, but my system does not like it. If I drink Green Tea, my tummy gets so much acid, more than if I had a cup of coffee! So, Green Tea, not for me (I am not 100% raw)...

Good or Bad? It all depends on where you are.
Green Tea is Good if you're a typical SAD eater.
Green Tea is Bad if you're on the Raw Vegan path.
My 88 year old Mother drinks it everyday, and she's
doing a lot right......WY

Most acid/alkaline charts show teas to be very acidic.
That would be one strike against it.
Brian

yay i love information. Hot drinks in general make me feel sooo wierd on the inside--probably the acidity as brian(raw1228) suggested, it even effects my over all body temperature(Like a fever almost) Coffee, more for me then anything, just messes me up to hell

Green tea is high in phytochemicals, such as epi-gallocathechin gallate[not found in substantial amounts in plant foods otherwise], that directly prevent cell mutation. It is also high in calcium fluoride, a necessary mineral for maintenance of calcium in bone tissue. This mineral should not be confused with plain old [sodium]fluoride, which is the form in municipal tap water and toothpaste, and is a synthetic salt byproduct that is quite toxic. All teas are, unfortunately for us, processed by toasting or roasting. Unless you are a rawie living next to a Darjeeling plantation and you can pluck fresh leaves off the bushes, put them in water, and set them out in the sun to "brew," you cannot consider tea a raw beverage. Alas.

I like it, but it makes me constipated...

Hi Friends,

Green tea is a type of tea made solely with the leaves of Camellia sinensis, that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing.

Green teas have about one third the caffeine content, by liquid volume, of coffee. Green teas contain two caffeine metabolites (caffeine-like substances): theophylline, which is stronger than caffeine, and theobromine, which is slightly weaker than caffeine.
While caffeine in reasonable quantities is not bad for you. But does above-average consumption mean you're getting too much caffeine? It depends on the person — often times, you'll know when you've had more than enough if it makes you feel:
• anxious
• excitable
• restless
• dizzy
• irritable
• unable to concentrate
• gastrointestinal (GI) aches
• headaches that don't seem to go away
• trouble with sleeping
These are among the most common of caffeine's effects on our bodies when taken in high doses (i.e., more than eight 8-ounce cups of coffee a day).

Hi all, Hi Mira -

This is especially for you.

You mentioned tea making you constipated...

I just came out of almost a year (and still not 100%) of in and out of
hospital stays here in Austria (I am an American expat here) due to chronic,
very painful and dangerous constipation.

I am also a singer-songwriter and have always drank a tea called throat coat
with slippery elm as the main ingredient. It coats the throat. I also use it
for colds but when I am touring, I live off it!

Anyway, recently I researched and found out it actually helps IBS sufferers
and in general, also coats the stomach - helping people with digestive etc...
problems. People like me.

And well, since I have used it going on 10 years now, I am especially becoming
and even crazier advocate for it. When I look back to the beginning of my Summer
touring this Summer, I realize I started to reach optimum (for me!) health while drinking a lot of it during the touring. I also gave up caffeine while touring because it dries your throat out and generally makes me jittery which for obvious reasons is not good for my stage presence and show. :-)

So I am off the road now, dealing with unrelated health issues and have found myself back on coffee (and I like it only with the real creamy stuff) and can tell the difference by 100 ten fold. I mean, seriously.

And lastly, back to the constipation thing... you would think coffee does the trick as so many say but honestly, another good thing about slippery elm is they say it helps with constipation. And guess what? When I was drinking it as it my main drink (other than water) while touring, I had NO problems with my usual constipation and tummy problems. None. I was also very strict with my raw also for touring reasons (I tend to get more lax when I am off the road - I know bad) so that could be a combination.

But if you are going raw and you don't drink caffeine anyway, I highly recommend trying slippery elm for both you tummy, constipation and an herbal way to get more water in your system.

The best thing though (because tea bags are tea bags - plus this tea is pricey) is go to get the actual root and brew it yourself.
I have a huge bag of it when I home I used (I take the tea bags on tour) which although is SLIMEY to the point of gross at times, is so completely good for me and I swear, puts me back where my system needs.
For me, it only takes a few days of putting back into my daily diet and I am good to go... get it? Sorry, that was lame.

Anyway, this was long! Sorry about that too.
I think I need to join a self help too many "I'm sorrys" group! hah

Best wishes to all and see you on the boards,
leibe grüße,
Christene
(American songwriter - expat in Austria)

www.christeneledoux.com
www.innsbruckexpats.com

That sounds fantastic. Where can you get slippery elm in a raw form?