Archive for May, 2007

Okay, back on April 28th I posted an article about how the FDA is hoping to gain the authority to regulate every day items found in our kitchens and backyards. I also posted that same day that the FDA had stated that they would extend the deadline for citizens to post their comments on their plan until May 29th.

Well, I just found out that the FDA had lied on their website. According to NewsTarget, non-profit collection of public education websites,

the FDA’s Philip L. Chao claims “…the entry (for which you provided the link) was mistakenly changed by an employee in mid-April, and we will correct that error soon. Thus, internet media reports claiming that FDA has extended the comment period to May 29 are NOT correct.”

So, once again, another government agency decided to lie to the American public, believing that no one would notice. You can find the complete article about this betrayal at NewsTarget. We the people need to start standing up for ourselves or this so-called government of the people will be the end of our democracy.

I found the cartoon at NewsTarget and thought it was perfect. We can thank Mike Adams for his creativity and vision. You can see more of his work at NewsTarget.

I remember eating Sunday lunch at my Grandmother’s house with all my mother’s family. She would always make everything on the table and we would always have tea; not sweet tea though; it was made with saccharin.

Today we know that saccharin is not really good for you. But, tea is. Recently I’ve noticed that Lipton Tea Bag boxes have a comment about the antioxidants found in tea. Since having read this information, I decided to learn a little more about tea.

Here is a little background into where tea came from according to Wikipedia:

The tea bush originated in the area where India, China and Myanmar meet, in the hot wet mountainous regions of the Eastern Himalayas. It was originally eaten and drunk by tribal groups in this area. Over two thousand years ago it was used as a medicine and aid to concentration in China, being helped by the expansion of Buddhism from India.

From there it spread around the world, reaching Europe in the 1600s. France was the first country to use tea around 1636. It arrived in Great Britian around 1662, by way of Portuguese Catherine of Braganza. She was the queen consort to King Charles II and brought her own tea chest and introduced the High Court to afternoon tea. Shortly after that, tea replaced ale as the national drink.

Now, as I mentioned before, tea has health benefits. In fact, it has been used medicinally for over 4,700 years.  Below is a list of some of these benefits found at Wikipedia with full explanations:

•  Anti-cancer properties
• Increases metabolic rate
• Possible anti-diabetes effect
• Boosts immune system and mental alertness
• Lowers chances of cognitive impairment
• Lowers stress hormone levels
• Effects on HIV

There are many different types of tea and not all are associated with the aforementioned benefits.  There is Black Tea, Green Tea, Oolong, White Tea, Yellow Tea, Red Tea and Kukicha.  Most of these teas come from Asia, but some come from Africa and India.

Try tea instead of coffee for a couple of mornings, and I guarantee you will feel a difference.

Related News
Tale of a Tea Leaf – Times of India
Lam Dong tea sells shares – Viet Nam News
WHY IT’S HEALTHIER TO BREW TEA IN A POT – UK Express
Chinese Diet Green Tea – American Chronicle

Yahoo Answers
The benefits of GREEN TEA?
Green Tea?
is instant green tea (tea bag) good for you?
What is white tea/green tea cross good for?

With childhood obesity on the rise, everyone is trying to find ways to combat the problem. According to a report on CNN.com, some schools in West Virginia may have started in the right direction.

They have begun to substituting healthier versions of kids’ favorite junk foods at breakfast and lunch. Kids at schools who are trying to meet the challenge head on are not complaining about the food. In fact, they don’t even realize what they are eating is better for them.

The next step is for parents to start modifying their foods at home. In order for our children to be as healthy as they can be, all adults have to work together.

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