Healthy Benefits of Green Tea on the Skin

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

For ages, tea has been a favorite drink all over the world. It is not just an ordinary well-known beverage but it is famous for its health benefits as well. Different kinds of tea can actually prevent and ease symptoms of many diseases like cancer and heart disease. Some varieties even claim to help in losing weight.  Another popular benefit of tea is how it helps in digesting food and eliminating toxins. A type of tea that is gaining popularity these days because of its health benefits is green tea. The component of green tea called polyphenols and its subtype catechins is the substance that has medicinal properties. Green tea is known to lower bad cholesterol and lowers the risk of certain cancers. It also has anti-bacterial qualities that can prevent tooth decay and protect the body against food poisoning. There are also studies conducted that show great benefits of green tea on the skin.

Your skin is a major organ that can take advantage of the health benefits of green tea. The most powerful positive benefit of green tea to the skin can be attributed to it being a powerful antioxidant. It is known to fight free radicals that may damage the skin and cause premature aging. Although, green tea is not known to protect the skin from UV rays but it does lessen the damaging effects of free radicals caused by sun exposure. It is also known to reduce inflammations that are caused by several damaging factors.
Green tea nowadays is used in many beauty products especially for anti-aging. They are used as ingredients in creams that are said to increase the skin’s quality by increasing its elasticity. This will then counteract the aging process and make the skin suppler.
Green tea has anti-inflammatory qualities that are useful in treating acne. Research shows that it is as effective in treating acne as Benzoyl Peroxide but is actually less irritating and has lesser side effects. It can lighten skin color therefore reducing the appearance of blemishes.
Many skin care and beauty products are available that contains green tea in its ingredients. But there are some ways that green tea remedies can be made at home. One of the easiest way is perhaps freezing freshly brewed green tea then thawing it for only a while to avoid freeze burn then applying it directly on the skin. It will act like a toner. Drinking green tea regularly can also be beneficial since it is always best to keep a healthy skin from within.
Perhaps the best advantage of green tea as compared to other beauty products is that it is a product of nature. It not a chemical that might have some side effects that may not appear instantly but will have long term damaging effects. The benefits of green tea on the skin is all natural therefore trying it out is less risky than trying out new products that can cause allergic effects and may cause more damage in the long run than the benefits it claims. Go ahead and try green tea for the skin and see how you can greatly you can benefit from it.

Moroccan Mint Tea

The Lebanese Recipes Kitchen (The home of delicious Lebanese Recipes and Middle Eastern food recipes) invites you to try Moroccan Mint Tea recipe. Enjoy tasty Middle Eastern Cuisine and learn how to make Moroccan Mint Tea.

Ingredients

4 teaspoons Moroccan or green tea leaves
24 fresh spearmint leaves, plus more for garnish
4 to 5 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
1 quart boiling water

Directions

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Add boiling water to a teapot that holds about 4 cups water, and swirl to warm. Discard the water and add the tea, 24 mint leaves, and sugar to the teapot. Pour the quart of boiling water into the teapot and swirl once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Allow the tea to steep for 5 minutes.

Pour the tea through a strainer into small decorative Moroccan glasses or teacups. Garnish each with several fresh mint leaves.

Le Palais des Thés

The look, scent, taste, experience elevates tea drinking to a while new experience. The French tea company Le Palais des Thés owns the savoir-faire when it comes to tea making. For those who enjoy teas, this incomparable quality is in a class of it’s own. Their discriminating taste only allows for the finest ingredients found in remote plantations around the world.

For over 25 years, they have been committed to bringing tea lovers the freshest and most exceptional teas from China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka… and Paris where our signature flavored teas (“Les Créations”) are created. A unique selection that includes more than a hundred green, black, white, oolong, pu erh and rooibos teas each year as well as a few ephemeral “Grands Crus”. They offer loose tea and tea packed in muslin tea bags: they are completely hand made and contain the perfect dose for the perfect cup of tea.

Here’s what I loved:

Thé du Hammam

Gorgeous tea from scent through taste, hot or cold, your palate will come alive with this fabulous blend: fruity and inspired by a Turkish recipe using green teas that evokes the characteristic fragrances used to perfume a hammam: roses, green dates, berries and orange flower water. Sprinkled with flower petals in the pure Eastern tradition, its extraordinary fragrance comes from a subtle combination of Chinese green tea and rich, fruity aromas. Beautiful tea! More than just a hot drink, this tea makes a delicious cocktail.

For more delicious flavors click here.

Managing Stress: 6 Good (And 5 Bad) Things To Do When You Can’t Sleep

By No More Dirty Looks

When my insomnia hit the other night, I did everything wrong.

I’d managed to work myself up about something before bed, but because I have the stamina of a toddler when I’m upset, I tired myself out quickly and crashed hard around 11:30pm. Then, at 4:30am, my brain went on like a light. There I was, in that strange time when “tonight” becomes “tomorrow” and the last thing in the world you should be doing is witnessing it. (Unless of course you’re doing something really fun—which I wasn’t. I was lying there with looping thoughts, the lights on, a search window open on my laptop, and Twitter fired up on my phone…)

We have written plenty about sleep hygiene here. We polled you once to find out how much you sleep (a lot!); we asked you guys to share your bedtime rituals with us (they were great!); we’ve explored how sleep can help your looks (duh); and we’ve covered ayurvedic principles about sleep before, as well.

But isn’t it funny (dumb) that no matter how much you know about the Right Thing To Do for your wellbeing, it’s often exactly when you need that advice the most that it escapes you?

With that in mind, here’s a primer, filled with things you already know, on the best and worst things to do when you can’t sleep. Obviously this advice is highly subjective. Where appropriate, we’ve mentioned some actual science to back us up. And, as always, we want your tips in the comments.

The Bad

1. Tweeting, emailing, checking your stocks, approving comments on your blog etc. Research shows that light-emitting devices can suppress the production of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin—which means when you wake up to check your cell, or simply have it on blinking at you from the bedside table, you’re sending signals to your brain that it isn’t time to chill out. Turn them off, use airplane mode, or put them on the other side of the room. When you wake up, try your best not to check them.

2. Watching scary TV shows. I can’t watch scary things at night anymore without getting nightmares and waking up a lot. Granted I’m on the sensitive side (cough), but there is good research that shows how disruptive this can be. It can spike stress hormones in the body and put you in an excited state (not the good kind) that doesn’t bode well for rest. Some people can watch anything before bed and fall asleep, but if you wake up in the middle of the night and decide to flip on the tube, maybe don’t try to catch up on a season’s worth of Boardwalk Empire?

Keep reading for more bad and good things to do here…

10 Super Trendy Health Foods you shouldn’t ignore

By Well+GoodNYC

Chia Seeds

Found in: In bags and snacks at the natural food store, Organic Avenue pudding, a delicious muffin at Le Pain Quotidien, even Dr. Perricone’s Super skin-care line.

Merits: Chia seeds fueled the ancient Aztecs and are a great source of fiber and are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids. Because they absorb fluid well, they can naturally thicken smoothies, and they help you feel full longer.

Recommended use: 1 tablespoon a day sprinkled into smoothies, salads or soups.

Maca Root

Found in: Cinnamon Snail’s vegan food-truck shake, health guru David Wolfe’s kitchen, and in supplements and Gnosis chocolate.

Merits: Maca may help spice up your sex life, but more research is needed on that front, who confirms its other benefits. It’s loaded with amino acids important for skin and bone health, and sterols, which help control cholesterol levels. Bonus: Like ginseng, maca raises the body’s ability to ward off disease via natural hormone regulation.

Recommended use: 1 tablespoon of the root in ground powder form. Sprinkle over food or add it to tea or smoothies (possibly for the Barry White effect).

Acai Berries

Found in: Breakfast bowls at Juice Generation, Sambazon beverages, plus the frozen-food, skin-care, and supplements aisle, and your spam filter.

Merits: Antioxidants are trendy on their own, but the molecules really do protect against daily damage from free radicals, and acai packs a powerful dose. Contrary to some claims, the berries won’t result in miraculous weight loss. And, Remember, blueberries are probably just as great.

Recommended use: Add the fruit to smoothies or cereal, or stir acai powder or concentrate into a glass of water after a workout. Use on your skin help fight sun and free-radical damage.

Kale

Found in: You can’t escape it! Salads at every healthy restaurant (and City Bakery), at Whole Foods in the form of overpriced chips, and every green juice.

Merits: Kale is the “green giant” because of its abundant vitamins and minerals. It’s packed with calcium and vitamin K for healthy bones and has a whopping 5 grams of fiber per cup, which is great for digestion. It also has 45 different flavonoids, potent antioxidants that research has linked to lowering the risk of cancer.

Recommended use: Get a cup of kale daily. Steam for 5 minutes, drink it up in a juice, or massage in a delish raw salad.

Hemp Seeds

Found in: The cabinets of celebs like Alicia Silverstone and Dr. Andrew Weil, and lots of dishes at Candle 79.

Merits: Hemp seeds contain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids and are loaded with potassium, iron, and calcium. They’re one of the only plant-based complete proteins containing all eight essential amino acids that your body can’t make and must obtain through food. They may also lower bad LDL cholesterol—and help you get or stay regular.

Recommended use: 1 tablespoon per day as a snack, or add to salads and soups.

Kombucha

Found in: Park Slope Food Co-op shopping carts, yogi tote bags, skin-care products, and in the fridge of many a DIY fermenter.

Merits: Kombucha got a bad rap when Whole Foods pulled it from the shelves due to higher-than-advertised levels of alcohol. But since it’s made from the fermentation of sugar in tea by bacterial yeasts, its probiotic properties may improve digestive health. By adding good bacteria to the natural flora of the gut, probiotics keep your GI tract happy and healthy.

Recommended use: 1 cup to drink (maybe not while operating heavy machinery).

Goji Berries

Found in: Dried in bags like Craisins and often in supplement form, chocolates, and snacks.

Merits: Like acai, goji berries are antioxidant rich. Vitamins A, C, and E boost your immune system and fight inflammation. Chinese medicine says these berries will help you live to be over 100. But they may in fact be similar to blackberries and raspberries in terms of nutrition. More research is needed to support claims like improved cognition, sleep quality, and athletic performance.

Recommended use: 2 tablespoons daily, dried or in smoothies.

Coconut

Found in: The water is in every deli fridge for post-workout hydration and the meat is a vegan favorite for milk and ice cream. The oil and sugar is used in cooking and baking.

Merits: Coconut meat is packed with fiber, protein, vitamins B1, B6, C and E, folic acid, calcium, and iron. And although coconut oil (extracted from the meat) is high in saturated fat, it’s a form that is more readily used for energy and less likely to be stored as fat.

Recommended use: 2 teaspoons in place of vegetable oils, or spread coconut butter on toast. Beware too much coconut water, which has a lot of natural sugar.

Quinoa

Found in: The bulk bin, plus salads, wraps, bowls at Jivamuktea Cafe, and maybe even your morning cereal.

Merits: Quinoa is a great source of vitamins and minerals and has more protein than almost all other grains. Its high magnesium content may help those prone to migraines. It’s also an excellent source of B vitamins, important for energy and cell repair.

Recommended use: Eat quinoa as porridge for breakfast with fruit. Combine with veggies and chickpeas for a lunch salad. Use in place of brown rice at dinner.

Quercetin

Found in: Green tea, apples, red wine, citrus fruit, the supplements aisle, and in skin-care products.

Merits: Quercetin is not an actual food, but a phytochemical. (Even phytochemicals can be trendy!) It has been shown to decrease the incidence of colon and lung cancer through its powerful anti-inflammatory agents.

Recommended use: Eat whole fruits and vegetables to reap its benefits. Even for your skin.

Aftelier Perfumes

Aftelier is a collection of natural, artisan scents created by Mandy Aftel. She creates them by hand in small batches, the perfumes smell divine—deeper and more complex than most commercial scents, which are derived from synthetic ingredients and use alcohol as a carrier. She also makes solid perfumes and candles.

My favorites are:

Secret Garden: is all about rich sensual pleasure–rather defies olfactive family categorization, as there are many facets to its rich body. Let us perhaps call it a “fruity floriental with delicious near-gourmand hints and sensuous animalic qualities.

Poplar Buds Absolute: is fruity, floral and animalic in nature. When smelled neat it can be slightly off-putting due to the initial aroma of overripe stone fruits. If given time to breathe Poplar Buds Absolute reveals a rich olfactory impression and is an ingredient worthy of the perfumer’s palette.

Honeysuckle Absolute: offers an aromatic impression that is less complex than Poplar Bud Absolute, but it engages the senses by telling the kaleidoscopic story of all narcotic florals (Tuberose, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Magnolia, etc.) The character it reveals is one of a white floral vintage which evaporates in fits and starts before reaching a honeyed dry down that echoes the enigmatic scent of autumn outdoors.

Fig: A mix of fir absolute, jasmine sambac, and yuzu, duplicating the aroma of this sweet fruit to a tee. Speaking of “tea,” she makes that, too — of the perfumed variety, of course.

Cocao: A blend of jasmine, blood orange, and cocao from a Costa Rican plantation. Psst — Aftel distills the cocao herself.

Checkout their other products and scents here.