Striving4Zen

Move over, chamomile. These science-tested sips leave you more focused, less frazzled.

Jones GABA is a non-caffeinated tea and juice blend that features GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), an ingredient that helps rev the production of calming alpha brain waves and decrease beta brain waves, which are linked to nervousness. Grab it at a store near you.

Slow Cow calls itself the anti-energy drink. It contains L-Theanine, which is supposed to help you relax without causing sleepiness. Research suggests the ingredient can also improve your ability to learn and memorize new information. The beverage is only available in Canada for now, but will hit U.S. shelves soon.

Red Espresso isn't your normal cuppa joe--it's actually caffeine-free rooibos tea that you brew in a coffee maker or espresso machine. The ruby-hued brew packs more than 5 times the amount of brain-sharpening antioxidants as green tea and fans swear it eases insomnia, reduces anxiety and soothes digestion. Find it at Whole Foods or order it here.

THANKS!

Labels: anti-stress, beverages, bottled tea, calming, chamomile, cool new product, GABA, health trend, healthy beverage, l-theanine, rooibos

GURU LITE is the best energy drink out there today!

GURU Energy Drink is an energy supplement scientifically designed to invigorate health conscious minds who need to perform. Made from all-natural and organic ingredients, GURU combines carefully chosen ingredients borrowed from ancient cultures around the world. Its active botanical complex is made from guarana, panax ginseng, ginkgo biloba and Echinacea. GURU delivers all the power of these four carefully selected herbal extracts, using them at their most effective levels. Its rigorous scientific approach to formula development has resulted in a perfect synergy of these proven elements. Moreover, all botanicals included in GURU are standardized, which guarantees the potency of the botanicals with scientific accuracy. GURU is the healthy energy drink that gives you the mental and physical boost you need: in the afternoon, at work, while studying, driving, before sports, or during times of stress or fatigue.

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Labels: beverages, cool new product, energy drinks, GURU, GURU Lite, healthy beverage

A new study finally proves what an old Russian taxi driver once told me: Soda makes you weaker. (Seems the ingredients in your typical cola actually disturb the potassium levels in your blood, and can weaken muscles.) This is, of course, why alt beverages are big these days, and especially trendy probiotic drinks like Kombucha, a fermented tea that's got all the fizz of a soda but actually shows some health benefits. Kombucha helps the good bacteria in your gut to thrive, improving digestion, and may also help to relieve joint or muscle pain.

Try making your own. The following may seem a bit like a high school biology class, but it's easy to do, gives excellent results, and is eco-friendly and very easy on the wallet. (There's even a whole Flickr community dedicated to the DIY kombooch.) Without further ado, the first step is to grow your own living SCOBY (i.e. Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)...

• Set a half bottle of a commercial kombucha, like GT, on your counter for one week. Cover with a cheesecloth. A thick "mushroom" like culture will grow on the top. That's your living SCOBY!
• Brew four green or black teabags in about three quarts of water. Add one cup of sugar and let it cool in a glass mason jar.
• Gently add the SCOBY and half a cup of the original, bottled kombucha. Now, rest the concoction (covered in cheesecloth) in a dark, warm place (around 78 degrees) for two weeks.

Et voila! You're now ready to drink your homebrew batch of kombucha. By the way, you can reuse the SCOBY you've cultivated over and over.

Thanks!

Labels: beverages, DIY, healthy beverage, kombucha, soda, study

One big myth is that fruit juice is a healthy part of our diet. Wrong. Drinking a glass of fruit juice a day — which is the equivalent of one soft drink of 110 to 180 calories — has been linked in the U.S., Australia and Spain to increased calorie intake and higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.

Eating a piece of fruit provides vitamins, fiber and, best of all, tends to reduce intake of other food. Most fruit juices are just sugary beverages, providing extra calories — all from refined carbohydrates — without sating appetite. And this is true whether you drink apple or orange juice or one of the fancy new juices like acai berry or pomegranate juice. The added calories can contribute to weight gain and increased risk of both diabetes and heart disease.

A second myth surrounds foods and waters, which are heavily marketed for their antioxidant properties. Consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke and some benefits for various cancers. Some foods, like dark chocolate, which has antioxidants, are also linked in careful scientific research to reduced risk of heart disease.

But none of the antioxidant waters, which are very popular, have shown any health benefits, despite their indirect marketing pitches. Essentially, what one is buying is expensive water with sweeteners and some flavorings and supplements added. However, just as almost all studies of antioxidants provided as supplements have found no benefits, we would not expect to find them added to water to produce any benefits, either.

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Barry M. Popkin, an economist and nutrition epidemiologist, directs the Interdisciplinary Center for Obesity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is author of the “The World Is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies and Products That Are Fattening the Human Race.”

Labels: apple juice, beverages, fruit, fruit juice, healthy diet, orange juice, Vitamin Water

About To Go Brands

To Go Brands is committed to creating high quality, all-natural, great tasting, and easy to use products for those of us striving to remain healthy in today’s fast-paced society. “Healthy To Go”® line of naturally antioxidant rich drink mixes is a convenient, nutritional solution for all to easily enjoy when we can’t eat all of the fruits and vegetables that we all know we should daily!

All of the Healthy To Go^® line contains 100% natural, antioxidant rich drink mixes, made with organic ingredients, in convenient stick packs, designed to pour directly into a water bottle. Operating under the philosophy, healthy nutrition supports a healthy body, the Healthy To Go^® product line includes: Go Greens Super Fruits and Veggies™, Acai Natural Energy Boost™, Green Tea Energy Fusion™, and the newest release, Berrie Crush.

Labels: beverages, cool new product, healthy living, Healthy To Go, To Go Brands

Several years ago Eric Childs was feeling overstressed and under the weather so his boss brought him a bottle of kombucha. Childs, who goes by Kombuchaman, quickly got hooked on the tart fizzy fermentation, and started making his own to save money. “It’s not this magic potion sent from above, but it does do wonderful things,” he told BB in a phone call.

In case you don’t down one after your daily yoga session, kombucha uses mushroom-like cultures to ferment tea and sugar into a slightly carbonated, slightly caffeinated drink with an almost vinegary flavor. At first sip it might not appeal, but converts swear to its benefits, and one of us here at BB swears by it for a hangover cure. “It does what the drinker needs,” said Childs.

This January Kombuchaman started bottling his Brooklyn-brewed Kombucha, using friends and family as guinea pigs for his recipe. He’s in the process of increasing his production capacity and is aiming to have it in local Brooklyn stores by late spring or early summer. He plans on selling a 16-oz bottle for $3, definitely less than the average price of what’s currently on the market, and it will be the only fresh, local kombucha available. Look for it under the Kombucha Brooklyn label, a slightly different name that the one he started out with.

If you can’t wait for the Kombuchaman’s bounty to hit local shelves, take a class with him at The Brooklyn Kitchen, and learn to make your own. Or, contact Childs through his website. He sells start-up kits for home kombucha brewers, and will answer questions and share tips for anyone who is already making their own. If you’ve found your version inferior to the store-bought stuff, take heart: Kombuchaman counsels patience: “It takes three of four brews to really get a consistent, tasty batch.”

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Labels: beverages, Brooklyn, cool new product, drinks, innovative, kombucha, Kombuchaman

Five things about red wine:

Antioxidants in red wine called flavonoids have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and increasing the production of good cholesterol.

According to researchers at the University of California, Davis, certain varietals have more concentrations of flavonoids than others. Of the most common red varietals, Cabernet Savignon has the most flavonoids, followed closely by Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir, then Merlot and red Zinfandel.

Moderate consumption of red wine has been known to raise heart healthy omega-3 levels, and these fatty acids play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease.

Resveratrol, another antioxidant found in red wine, could keep you slim.

Polyphenols, also found in tea, nuts, berries and cocoa, may decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

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Labels: antioxidant, beverages, healthy booze, heart disease, Omega-3s, polyphenols, red wine, wine

Snapple, once the “official beverage of New York City,” is being redesigned — inside and out — this year.

The popular iced teas are losing the high-fructose corn syrup and the dated font. The bottles are becoming more svelte (to better fit into cup holders). The labels will also emphasize the green and black tea leaves used to make the drink. The changes are rolling out over the first few months of the year, and they are expected to hit New York in early March, according to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which is now the owner of the brand.

“Through that work we really found that Snapple had lost of its luster and had been replaced in the minds of consumers by other beverages out there,” said Jim Trebilcock, an EVP with Dr Pepper Snapple. President Obama prefers (the more lightly sweetened) Honest Tea, and the White House is now stocked with his favorite flavors, Black Forest Berry and Green Dragon.

Real sugar is replacing the corn syrup. (Sugar vs. corn syrup, by the way, is the difference between Mexican and American Coca-Cola.) In some cases, that has actually resulted in a decrease in calories.

The old ingredient list for Lemon Snapple Iced Tea: “water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, tea, natural flavors.” Calories: 200. The new ingredient list: “filtered water, sugar, citric acid, tea, natural flavors.” Calories: 160.

The label is also being refreshed. Gone is the print-block style sun, the handwritten fonts, and the red highlights. Instead, they are putting more emphasis on “All Natural” and “Made From Green & Black Tea Leaves.” The “Snapple” itself is going from a heavy-set typeface to a more elegant serifed typeface.

Of course, Snapple’s origins are rooted in selling juices to health food stores. Originally, in 1972, it was a partnership of three men that was named Unadulterated Food Products.

While on the phone with the Snapple executives, this reporter took the opportunity to lodge a protest about the inability to find Mint Snapple Iced Tea, which apparently was discontinued despite protests and petitions. (Others are trying to take steps to remedy the absence, too.) Mint Snapple Iced Tea lovers, your voices have been heard.

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Labels: beverages, high fructose corn syrup, new product, Snapple, sugar

Your stomach's doing flips: Sauerkraut. Surprise--fermented cabbage is a probiotic! That's why sauerkraut juice is rich in healthy bacteria and enzymes that regulate digestion.

You're craving more: Celery. Besides being a nourishing hydrator, celery juice is known for its ability to curb cravings. Add a drop of honey to your glass when you're jonesing for sweets.

Your heart needs mending: Beets. When it comes to matters of the heart, studies have shown that a beeting will do you good; the juice from these veggies fights disease with root force.

You want to feel younger: Purple carrot Thanks to its anthocyanins (powerful antioxidants), purple carrot juice has a unique weapon in fighting age-related diseases.

PS--If you're feeling "backed up," look out here for the debut of raw potato juice, thought to give digestive...err, relief.

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Labels: anthocyanins, beverages, cabbage, celery juice, fermented, healthy eating, juicing, vegetables

So what are the different kinds of teas? Well, there are four basic types: black, green, oolong and white. However there are a few others as well.

• Black Tea - The tea leaves are allowed to fully oxidize, so the leaves of the tea are darker than others. It has been the most popular type of tea in western countries due to the fact that it has a longer storage life and was more suitable for transport in the early days of tea trade. Often referred to as "red tea" in many parts of Asia.
• Green Tea - The leaves of green tea are un-oxidized or minimally oxidized by steam or dry cooking in hot pans. The steaming process allows the leaves to retain their green color. Due to the shorter shelf-life, green teas should be consumed as soon after production as possible.
• Oolong Tea - The oxidation process is stopped somewhere between green and black tea, usually within 2-3 days. It generally has more flavor than green tea, but brews lighter than black.
• White Tea - Made from the buds and young leaves of the tea plant. In order to stop the oxidation process, the leaves are fried or steamed immediately after picking. It is very delicate in taste and has a unique sweetness. In general, the price of white tea is usually more than the others.
• Post-fermented Tea - These leaves undergo a second oxidation and are meant to be aged. It's also produced from the mature, larger leaves of older tea trees. It can take several years to age. Pu-erh is the most common type of post-fermented tea.
• Yellow Tea - A special tea processed similarly to green tea, however the drying phase is much slower.
• Herbal Tea - Made by infusing or boiling leaves, seeds, flowers, stems, roots, and bark of various plants. It is not a "true tea" since the leaves do not all come from the tea tree.

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Labels: beverages, green tea, healthy living, herbal teas, Oolong Tea, Pu-erh tea, types of tea

Both green and black teas contain a concentrated dose of catechins, substances that help blood vessels relax and protect your heart.

In a study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women, those who drank 5 or more cups of green tea every day had the lowest risk of dying from heart disease and stroke. Other studies involving black tea showed similar results.

You really need only 1 or 2 cups of tea daily to start doing your heart some good—just make sure it’s a fresh brew. Ready-to-drink teas (the kind you find in the supermarket beverage section) don’t offer the same health benefits.

"Once water is added to tea leaves, their catechins degrade within a few days," says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University. Also, some studies show that adding milk may eliminate tea’s protective effects on the cardiovascular system, so stick to just lemon or honey.

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Labels: beverages, catechins, green tea, healthy living, hot tea, tea

8 ounce glass of OJ contains 20.8g of sugar.

8 ounce glass of grapefruit juice contains 22.5g of sugar.

8 ounces of Odwalla C Monster contains 27g of sugar.

8 ounce glass of apple cider contains 26g of sugar.

It looks like a basic glass of OJ has the least amount of sugar. These are natural sugars though, so they're much healthier than juices that contain added sugars.

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Labels: beverages, diet, fruit juice, orange juice, sugar

Cell-nique is a "super green" beverage formulated to fight the effects of acidic build up by promoting the cleansing and detoxification of cells through an infusion of plant-based phyto-nutrients and antioxidants.

Cell-nique embraces Chinese and Ayurveda theories about integrating the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional aspects of healing by offering proper balanced nutrition in a ready-to-drink beverage. Cell-nique's formula comes in five flavors: Pomegranate, Tropical, Kukicha Tea, Citrus Vanilla and Apple. Every bottle is labeled with a healing Yantra and Mantra-such as "I embody wisdom and inner peace"-that serves as a tool for contemplation and meditation, thus embracing the philosophy that our thoughts and words also greatly affect our health.

Cell-nique has 31 super foods to help meet our daily requirement of 8 -10 servings of fruits and vegetables.

"With today's busy modern lifestyle people rarely have time to ensure they are getting the nutrition necessary for sustaining energy and immunity," said Dan Ratner, Founder of Cell-nique. "Medical research is proving the food-mind-body-spirit connection and Western society is beginning to understand the Eastern belief that a healthy body and spirit are the foundations of a journey to true well-being."

Cell-nique is made with organic and natural super green foods such as Spirulina, Chlorella and Blue-green algae as well as cereal grass juices and sprouts like barley, wheat, oats and alfalfa. It also contains the high anti-oxidant super fruits like Noni, Goji berry, and Acai. These ingredients have more nutrients than common vegetables, fruits and grains, and drinking a single bottle of Cell-nique provides the equivalent nutrients found in roughly seven salads.

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Labels: algae, beverages, Cell-nique, chlorella, Dan Ratner, drinks, spirulina

No, juicing your greens is not nearly as healthy as eating them, provided that you use healthy cooking methods when you eat the greens themselves. If you overcook the greens, you will lose too many of the nutrient they contain, and in that case, you might be worse off than if you used a juicer. But as long as you use the healthy steaming or other cooking methods we describe on the website, you'll get a far greater variety of nutrients in the whole greens than in the juice.

Juicers usually separate the juice from the solids in the leaves or stems or stalks (the pulp), all of which are then discarded. Unfortunately, these portions of the greens often contain a majority - and even a large majority - of the total nutrients, including fiber, and many phytonutrients including certain carotenoids and certain flavonoids. If you added all of the discarded portions back into the juice, you would be getting very close to the same nutritional benefits as the vegetable itself. However, most people would find a juice with all of the processed parts to be unpleasantly thick and displeasing in taste.

We've seen websites promoting the value of live enzymes from freshly juiced greens, and even though we have not seen research to support this claim, there may indeed be some benefit inside of the digestive tract to the consumption of freshly juiced, organic greens. We do know that very fresh (not long from harvest) raw foods that are harvested and handled with care can deliver some functioning enzymes into our digestive tract when we eat those raw foods. However, there is no research showing that we would be able to absorb these enzymes into our body and make use of them outside of the digestive tract.

Many juicers come with a recipe book showing how the vegetable pulp can be used in recipes. This idea makes good sense to us, and would be a way of salvaging some of the nutrients that were lost during the process of juicing.

Blending versus juicing

Blending, however, is somewhat different. We assume that when foods are blended that all of the fruits or vegetables remains in the blender. In this case you are getting virtually all of the nutrients in the food - as well as the fiber- and therefore will not have such an impact on blood sugar levels. There may be a little but of loss from exposure to air and from the mechanical processing, but if you are not heating the foods or discarding any of its components, you are losing very little here - especially in comparison with juicing.

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Labels: beverages, blender, enzymes, greens, juice, juicing, Vitamins

FRS is a healthy energy drink.

First, the “healthy” part. FRS contains all natural ingredients, such as cane sugar and grape juice concentrate (both natural sweeteners,) and antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, and green tea. One of those antioxidants is Quercetin, and the other is EGCG from green tea extract. Both fight off harmful free radicals that are present in your body.

Second, the “energy” from FRS. While most energy drinks are chock full of caffeine and other stimulants (in excessive quantities,) FRS goes a different route. They put so many healthy antioxidants in the drink that it doesn’t need stimulants. See, the antioxidants keep your body functioning properly and fighting off any free radicals that would normally sap your energy. So by stopping the free radicals, your body is free to create a steady stream of energy.

That’s FRS in a nutshell!

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Labels: Anti-oxidant, beverages, EGCG, energy drinks, free radicals, FRS, FRS Healthy Energy, green tea, quercetin

“Just something to think about,” he says, “but with things like this, when you eat it in its natural form, there are benefits. But when you take it out and isolate it, for whatever reason, sometimes it doesn’t work. That’s why when I used to take vitamin C, I’d take it with orange juice.”

Function and most of its competitors use antioxidants—in marketing terms, antioxidants are the best thing these drinks have going. But there’s not much evidence that antioxidant-infused drinks provide any health benefit. They do their job in test tubes, says New York University nutrition professor Marion Nestle, but give antioxidants to real people in clinical trials and they show less of an effect. Maybe they only work in tandem with other food elements, or maybe we have our eye on the wrong ball—perhaps we’ve plucked the wrong compounds out of fruits and vegetables. But spicing our foods with antioxidants, Nestle later tells me, can be a waste of time. “In almost every case it’s been tested in clinical trials,” she says, “it’s been shown to have not much beneficial effect.” She says that in a few trials they’ve even had a harmful effect. “When it comes to vitamins and antioxidants, some is good; more is not better.”

Hughes takes in Robert’s comments and nods. “You’re totally right to point that out,” he says. “And yeah, certainly we’d have to have something that we know would work.” He takes the industry’s side of the argument: that beneficial compounds found naturally in foods are often processed out, or occur at such low levels that they don’t make much difference. If the science demonstrates that you can isolate a certain compound without losing efficacy, he says, then it can be consumed at high-enough concentrations to be useful.

“That falls under the category of better living through chemistry,” says Jennifer. She means it as encouragement, but clearly this isn’t the motto Hughes hopes to emblazon on the drinks. “When you have a population trending toward obesity like we do,” she continues, “maybe it’s time to medicalize food.”

“When you look at SoBe, it’s sweetened crap,” Nathanson says. “All these beverages are just sugar water. No one has been able to show that the products work. And I want to temper what I say because some of these guys are my friends and advertisers, but at the same time I’ve got to be real.”

Read full article....

Labels: Anti-oxidant, beverages, functional medicine, Marion Nestle, Myth, nutrition, Sobe, Vitamin Water

Benzene is an industrial solvent and a known carcinogen, so food companies generally try to keep it out of their products.
However, two chemicals found in soda, sodium benzoate (a preservative) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C), can react to form benzene, especially in the presence of heat or light.
In 2007, Coca-Cola and Pepsi agreed to settle lawsuits brought against them after benzene was detected in their products. The suit alleged that Pepsi’s Diet Wild Cherry drink had benzene levels nearly four times the maximum level set by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. Oopsy. Both companies agreed to reformulate; however, thousands of soft drinks containing benzoate and citric acids are still on the market.

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Labels: beverages, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, sodium benzoate, toxic, toxins

A new University of California, Los Angeles, study ranked 10 beverages by their levels of disease-fighting antioxidants—and pomegranate juice came out on top.


Here, the healthiest beverage powerhouses:

1. Pomegranate juice
2. Red wine
3. Concord grape juice
4. Blueberry juice
5. Black cherry juice
6. Açaí juice
7. Cranberry juice
8. Orange juice
9. Tea
10. Apple juice

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Labels: beverages, blueberries, drinks, Pomegranate, red wine

* Brain Toniq was created for software engineers -- but it's good for us lay-folk as well. The botanically-based (think Rhodiola root and Siberian Ginseng), non-caffeinated, carbonated beverage is sweetened with organic agave nectar and claims to increase mental focus.

* O.N.E. Natural is launching Coffee Berry Juice (tons of Vitamin C and as much caffeine as a cup of green tea) and Cashew Juice (loaded with protein, potassium and zinc). From the company that makes coconut water!

* Cell-nique – this organic super-green and superfruit drink launched last year and is available in Pomegranate, Citrus Vanilla, Tropical Fruits, Apple, and Kukicha Tea; it has a new 13 oz. glass bottle available in April.

Labels: beverages, Brain Toniq, Cell-nique, health trend, new product, O.N.E. Natural

Snapple Antioxidant Water features seven unique flavors inspired by nature's "superfruits," including pomegranates and acai berries. The antioxidants, vitamins and electrolytes in each flavor provide one of four distinct benefits for the body:

-- The Power to PROTECT: Vitamins A and E, electrolytes and a complete
dose of Vitamin C help protect the body against free radicals.
Available in Tropical Mango and Orange Starfruit flavors.

-- The Power to DEFY: Vitamins A and E, Grape Seed Extract, plus
electrolytes assist in refreshing the body and mind. Available in
Raspberry Acerola and Grape Pomegranate flavors.

-- The Power to AWAKEN: Vitamins A, E and B, Caffeine, Guarana, Ginseng
and Ribose, plus electrolytes will awaken your senses. Available in
Strawberry Acai and Dragonfruit flavors.

-- The Power to RESTORE: Vitamins A and E, plus a double dose of
electrolytes assist in restoring the body after any endurance and
strength activity. Available in Agave Melon flavor.

The LYTeWater introduction complements the Snapple Antioxidant Water line, a mineral enhanced water with electrolytes from magnesium, manganese, calcium and zinc for premium hydration.

Snapple

Labels: Anti-oxidant, beverages, innovative, Snapple, water