Green Morning Power Boost™; Better than coffee!

caffiene cardiovascular disease carotenoids diabetes energy flavonoids green tea ketone mct obesity phytonutrients resveratrol Oct 24, 2019

There is no doubt that the go to drink in the morning is a hot cup of coffee followed by tea as a close second.

The benefits of caffeine are widely published. But what is not well know is the benefit of green tea. It contains the caffeine boost coffee drinkers are after but other disease-fighting properties.

How Green Tea Promotes Improved Health

According to Dr. James Diniclantonio and Dr. Jason Fung in their book, The Longevity Solution: Rediscovering Centuries-Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life write,

“Tea contains more than 4,000 compounds, many of which appear to be beneficial for human health; the different classes of flavonoids are particularly beneficial.

The nations of East Asia, such as Japan, are among the largest drinkers of tea in the world. Perhaps not coincidentally, they also enjoy some of the highest life expectancies in the world.

Studies of tea flavonoids show significant improvements in endothelial health in both normal and diabetic populations. Flavonoids enhance the effect of nitric oxide (NO) a key molecule to relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Higher doses of black tea produce greater benefits. Researchers have noted similar benefits for flavonoids derived from chocolate and red wine. In green tea, the main flavonoids are the colorless and water-soluble catechins that contribute to some of the bitterness and astringency of green tea. One cup of green tea contains 90 to 100 milligrams of catechins, and the catechins are potent antioxidants, which may help the body protect against inflammation. Green tea contains much higher concentrations of catechins than black teas; the catechins in green tea account for up to 30 percent of the dry weight. Furthermore, green tea is particularly high in one type of catechin—EGCG, which is responsible for 50 to 80 percent of total catechins in green tea. Standard brewing does not fully extract the catechins, so studies often use enriched green tea extracts (which are green teas that have been enriched with supplemental EGCG). Cold brewed green tea is another potential solution for fully extracting the catechins.”

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Cardiovascular Disease
They report that green tea in a Dutch population study followed 37,514 participants over 13 years and found that tea drinking was associated with less heart disease. Those who drank 6 cups per day had a 36% reduction in the incidence of heart disease.

Obesity & Type 2 Diabetes
Since 1977, obesity and type 2 diabetes have become a worldwide epidemic. There have been many one and done diet supplements rising and falling during this same time. There has been one that has stood the test of time; green tea.

Hunger is one of our most powerful human needs, and obviously controlling it can help manage and reduce unwanted fat. The catechins in green tea may help in weight loss by increasing metabolic rate. Green tea, with its small effect on decreasing our hunger hormone ghrelin, “is a complement to fasting” according to Dr. Jason Fung, the leading authority on fasting in the world.
There have been many noted studies that support green tea is associated with weight loss.

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Greens

From the IsagenixHealth.net blog (https://www.isagenixhealth.net/phytonutrients-are-you-getting-yours/) we read:

We all know that eating our fruits and vegetables is good for us. They supply needed vitamins and minerals and fiber, but another way that fruits and vegetables benefit our health is through phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients are unique compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods that have positive effects on our health. There are several thousand phytonutrient compounds that can be found in plant-based foods, and each one supports our bodies in its own way. Carotenoids and flavonoids are two groups of phytonutrients that offer valuable benefits for overall health.

Carotenoids: Good for Your Eyes and So Much More
Carotenoids are among the most abundant phytonutrients. Good sources can be easy to identify since they color fruits and vegetables with vivid red, orange, and yellow hues. Dark green vegetables are also rich sources of carotenoid phytonutrients.
Two especially beneficial carotenoids are beta carotene and lycopene.

Beta Carotene
Beta carotene is a carotenoid that can be converted to vitamin A in the body and has antioxidant properties. Our bodies need vitamin A for several functions, including the maintenance of blood vessels, the immune system, and the retina of the eye.

Lycopene
Unlike beta carotene, lycopene cannot be readily converted to vitamin A in the body. However, lycopene is a powerful phytonutrient that has been linked to a variety of benefits for overall health.
Make sure you are getting your carotenoids by enjoying a variety of yellow, orange, red, and dark green vegetables every week. Snack on carrot sticks or red and yellow sweet peppers. Stir some spinach into pasta sauce, or serve roasted sweet potato wedges as a side dish or snack.

Flavonoids: Free Radical Defenders
Flavonoids are a second important group of phytonutrients. They are found in foods such as berries, citrus fruits, and cacao. Flavonoids are key nutrients for supporting cardiovascular health in addition to a variety of other benefits for well–being. Two of these health-promoting compounds include citrus bioflavonoids and resveratrol.

Citrus Bioflavonoids
Citrus bioflavonoids provide strong support for healthy blood vessels. They work together with vitamin C to help defend the body’s cardiovascular system from the cellular harm of free radicals.

Resveratrol
Resveratrol may be best known as the flavonoid found in red wine since it’s naturally produced in the skin of red grapes. It can also be found in small amounts in berries, cacao, and even some nuts. It’s an especially well-studied phytonutrient because of its support for metabolism and healthy aging.
You can boost your flavonoid intake by enjoying foods like citrus fruits and berries. Add orange slices to your salads, use fresh lime juice to make a zesty marinade, or blend a handful of berries into your morning shake.

Phytonutrient Powerhouse
Many of the benefits we receive by eating fruits and vegetables are powered by the phytonutrients they contain. These plant compounds promote well-being in many ways. Because of the important role they play in supporting good health, you’ll want to make sure you are getting your phytonutrients every day.

Greens: An Organic Superfood Experience
With two servings of organic green vegetables in each scoop, Organic Greens is a deliciously easy way to get more of the naturally occurring phytonutrients in green vegetables like spinach, kale, green peas, and broccoli along with nutrients from superfoods like chlorella, spirulina, and turmeric.

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Salt

I must admit prior to researching salt I thought it was a poison instead of an essential mineral. After all, all the dietary guidelines, health agencies, and doctors tell us that the lower the salt intake, the better.

After studying salt I learned that there isn’t any real science to support this notion.

As pointed out in Drs. Diniclantonio and Fung’s book, “From the very beginning, it should have been obvious that lowering salt could not save lives. There were innumerable high-salt-eating cultures that had no adverse health consequences. The Samburu warriors8 consume close to 2 teaspoons of salt per day, even going as far as eating salt directly from the salt licks meant for their cattle. Despite eating all this salt, their average blood pressure is just 106/72 mmHg and does not rise with age. In comparison, about one-third of the adult population in America is hypertensive, with a blood pressure of at least 140/90 mmHg or higher, despite the effort of trying to comply with dietary guidelines to reduce salt.”

They go on and say, “The Japanese diet is notoriously high in sodium because of the soy sauce, miso, and pickled vegetables they eat. The Japanese seem to suffer no ill effect and have the world’s longest life expectancy at 83.7 years. Singapore is third in life expectancy at 83.1 years. If eating salt was so bad for health, how could the world’s longest-lived people also eat one of the world’s saltiest diets?”

They report why the salt restriction is dangerous, “Salt is crucial for maintaining an adequate blood volume and blood pressure to ensure that our tissues are perfused with oxygen-carrying blood and nutrients.”

The so-called “experts” recommended salt restriction because they believed that less salt in the diet could decrease blood pressure without any harmful side effects.

Yet, as early as 1973, reported by the New England Journal of Medicine worried that when salt is restricted, the hormones aldosterone, angiotensin II, and sympathetic tone increase. High levels of all these hormones are known to be bad for heart disease.

Drs. Diniclantonio and Fung recommend the following:

Because of pollution, sea salts can be contaminated with plastics and heavy metals, so choose a salt that comes from an underground ancient ocean.

Give yourself a Salt Fix, throw out that processed table salt and pick up a healthy unrefined salt.

So the best current evidence suggests that the optimal intake of sodium is between 3,000 and 6,000 milligrams per day which is in direct contrast to sodium restriction recommendations of 2,300 milligrams of sodium or less.

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Brain Octane Oil (MCT Oil)

I discovered the benefits of MCT oil when I switched my diet in 2017 to conquer the effects of my pre-diabetes. MCT oil is one of the most versatile supplements around. MCT, or medium-chain triglycerides, are fatty acids naturally found in coconut oil.

The Reason to Consume MCT

Your body turns MCTs into molecules called ketones, which help:
1. burn fat,
2. curb cravings, and
3. power your brain.

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