http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-girls-secret-power-tea.html
Green Girl’s secret power? Tea
By Lily Berthold-Bond
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I have yet to meet a college student who has not succumbed to the beauty that is caffeine. Our lives are busy, hard and fun. Sadly, this means that they also involve a minimal amount of sleep. |
This goes against my personal ideals. In my mind, sleep is the ultimate force of good. So what happens when our fleeting dreams of a long night’s sleep are not realized?
Well, what happens is that we are tired. Very, very tired. And what better way to solve this problem than with caffeine? Well, it is not always that easy. After the first few weeks of school, dining hall coffee does not hold the same majesty that it did at the beginning of the semester. In fact, it is quite unpalatable.
One could buy coffee; coffee shop coffee usually has the connotation of being quite good. However, because the amount of coffee college students drink is, well, a lot, the habit could very possibly put them more in debt than the thousands of dollars they pay for their education.
Well, there’s always soda. Soda is a great source of caffeine. But seriously, how healthy is that? Coke in the morning? Root beer at lunch? Sprite at dinner? Heavily sweetened iced tea late at night when you’re trying to finish the paper due the next morning? Or how about heavily aspartamed tea or soda, you know, diet? Here’s a hint: it’s still not good for you.
Luckily, I have found the perfect solution. Tea! Tea has caffeine. Tea tastes good. If you’re a fan of herbal tea, it hydrates you. Hydration makes you energized and healthier! Tea is not riddled with sugar, or, if you choose to go with diet, carcinogenic substitutes. Not to mention, tea contains antioxidants—agents that protect against cell damage and disease!
If you don’t want too much caffeine, have a cup of caffeinated and then a few cups of herbal or decaf throughout the day. If you have trouble falling asleep or relaxing, have some sleep time or stress-reducing tea (yes, they make it).
In fact, if you drink 4-6 cups of tea a day (not all caffeinated!), you can lower your risk of cancer, which is always a good thing.
There seems to be a tea for every ailment you might have and that seems like a good tradeoff from coffee or soda to me. I’ve certainly made the switch and a lot of my friends have, too. Note to self: tea equals love.
Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a freshman at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.
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11 comments
add your comment »It's so true that tea is amazing for almost anything. When I have jet lag, a stomach bug, a cold, a head ache, or am in some serious need of emotional boosting, I drink tea.
By the way, I love your posts. I'm just now "converting" to green-ness and I enjoy reading your stuff, it's extremely helpful! Thanks.
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I'm a girl raised in the south and love my ice tea! I go decaf now w/ mine and was raised on sugar free! we do add some honey!
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I never drink coffee. I'm allergic to it and the smell annoys me anyway. :)
I found rose sherbet (rose extracts in water) to be totally awesome for the fatigue a lazy person like me generally experiences while (pretending to) study. :o) Only a few years ago I discovered the wonder that iced tea is. Especially lemon tea ... mmmm! I thinjk it still doesn't beat rose when it comes to dissipating the fatigue that comes with hours of mental concentration (eye strain, headache, etc).
But all the same, it became my staple for this semester. No ice for me at my hostel room :( But piping, hot boiled lemon tea is good enough for me! :o) This exam, I had been staying up with an an average of 3 to 4 hours of sleep at night, no more. I can cope with that but after 2 weeks of 20-hour days, I was starting to get worried about my performance. My friends talked of Red Bull but since I have never tried it I thought it'd be too strong for me. My roommate said Mountain Dew has the highest caffine concentration of any regular soft drink. I enthusiastically got a bottle but fell sick after drinking it!! (acidity). Moral: stick to tea, kick the soda! As Green Girl says, it helps avoid cancer, too. (Yah, as if I care about that).
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Since when does Sprite have caffeine? Not that I drink sodas. And it most root beers don't have caffeine, either. So I don't know why one would go to these products to stay awake...I agree with tea being the better choice here.
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I think it's nice to know that my favourite tipple is so good for me! I'll have a black tea thanks :-)
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Green girl, you make a very good statement!
I drink many kinds of tea, both black, green, herbal, mate and rooibos (the latter one is actually my favourite).
I just want to add a warning: try to keep away from fruit-scented tea. They are bad for your teeth as they contain acids.
Keep the good advices coming!
Lia de Ruiter
The Hague, the Netherlands (Europe)
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so, are you saying just regular black tea? anykind of tea? or what???
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Hi Lily
Please don't mind a message from someone nearer your mother's age than you!
Your comments about tea are tremendously refreshing both actually and figuratively - especially from a lady of your coke-infested generation! I love herbal, fruit, 'standard' Indian and light fragrant China teas, especially Earl Grey. Have you tried decaffinated teas produced by the major suppliers here in the U.K.? I end with a personal story: I visited a dear friend in hospital recovering from intensely aggressive chemo and stem-cell treatment for lymphoma. What did we discuss? Nothing but the celebration tea party we'd enjoy after her discharge, complete with wafer thin sandwiches, scones, fruit pancakes, two types of cake and jam and of course, as much tea as we could drink! Thank God, she's well on her way to recovery.
Keep well and happy!
Natalie Wood @ Woodperfect ~
Secretarial Services with a Twist!
Bury, Lancashire, U.K.
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Oh! I absolutely love Green Girl! I have a daughter and have wondered how being a Green Mama would affect her...now I feel more inspired than ever that she will not be alone out there as we continue to live Green!!!! Thanks!
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I thought I was the only college student who didn't drink coffee. Green tea kept me awake and alert when I needed to be for my grueling major of biochemistry and sleep was my friend on the weekends. Now I'm out of college and still don't drink the stuff. I even have a few friends who say "Let's meet for tea," instead of coffee.
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