A hot cup of...

Update! Website moving!

2012-03-17T12:24:00.000-04:00

Hey guys :) Just an update - this website is now moving to its own domain - AdoraTea.com! Update your bookmarks, and see you there!

Find constipation relief in coffee and tea

2012-03-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

Since I've changed my diet to be slightly lower carb (cutting out grains) and higher on healthy fats, coupled with a bit more exercise, constipation is rarely a problem for me. But as I approach 30 I've noticed more and more people my age complaining about it, and often turning to harmful laxatives to get them through it. Like most things I wish more people would treat the cause and not the symptom of what is wrong.. but that's another story.

Sometimes, though, you end up with it either due to illness or from a side effect from another drug. Nobody likes being constipated, plus it can cause other problems like headaches and lethargy - in other words it can really ruin your day.

Some natural options for constipation relief you might consider are:

Exercise, like walking, swimming, rebounding (jumping on a mini trampoline - fun!)
Drinking enough fluids
Probiotics - These help by making sure you're digesting things properly
Prune Juice
Magnesium supplements, like Natural Calm

My personal favorite for mild constipation is good ole coffee. One cup after breakfast is usually enough to do it. Simple, right?

There are also herbal teas available to treat constipation, like:

Smooth Move Chocolate (yum) from Traditional medicinals - they even have this at my grocery store
Get it going - No. 2 herbal tea for Constipation - don't you just love that name?
You can also mix a mild tea together yourself using chamomile, fennel, cardamom and licorice

I have read that people often recommend Senna and Aloe Juice, personally I feel that these might be too irritating and I would only try them if other methods weren't working.

If you have chronic constipation and you don't know why, I would definitely recommend going to a doctor and taking a look at your lifestyle and the health choices you're making. What does your diet look like? Do you have a possible food allergy or intolerance (lactose intolerance can cause constipation)? Are you getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, exercising enough, sleeping enough?

I hope this has been helpful for you. And now for some reason I am craving chocolate...

For more information on constipation, check out these links:

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/constipation-000041.htm

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/ss/slideshow-constipation-facts-10

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/poop-health/

Is it possible to drink too much tea?

2012-03-15T14:47:00.002-04:00

Since I've started blogging more I've found that my computer time has increased. And, whenever I'm at the computer more I find that I drink more and more as well. Lately I've been gulping down Trader Joe's decaf Earl Grey. Since I tend to drink so much coffee and tea I try to go the decaf route when I can. TJ's decaf Earl Grey is okay, though like most decaf tea I've tried it tends to taste somewhat.. diluted. But, I don't mind it too much when it's flavored with something strong like Bergamont and when I'm more focused on writing than I am sipping.

Lately I've been going through over 5 cups a day of the stuff. And even though it's decaf, I've been wondering if it's healthy to drink that much.

From what I have found, the main danger in drinking lots of tea comes from the caffeine within it. Since I've been doing decaf, I think I feel pretty good about it. There is another concern, however it's mostly cosmetic. Tea can stain teeth, so I'll probably keep using my whitening toothpaste and maybe try out those crest whitestrips every once in a while.

Fed up with nausea? Try ginger tea.

2012-03-14T14:58:00.000-04:00

Everyone around me seems to either be getting sick, or just having gotten over a cold. Including myself. I was sick for about a week, though now it has lessened to an annoying infrequent cough.

Nausea is one of those symptoms that is oh-so annoying, yet I still procrastinate treating it. I guess because it's not painful? Anyway, the quickest and most delicious way I have found to kick nausea in the butt is ginger tea. It's really easy to make, and it tastes like you're drinking gingerbread!

All you need is some fresh ginger, available at most grocery stores. Peel it, and then with a small hand grater, grate maybe a tsp worth into a cup. Add in some hot water, and I like to add a squirt of fresh lemon and some raw honey. Stir it up, and don't worry about the ginger bits, eventually they will sink to the bottom.

In addition to helping quell your nausea, ginger can help with motion sickness, inflammation, indigestion, and may protect against cancer.

We all know the fresh lemon is tasty and has loads of vitamin c. But, did you know that raw honey is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral?

Yum yum!

Plus it tastes so good, much better than Mr. Teddy Bear.

Sorry teddy!

Poor Bear :(

Bigelow Tea Salad Dressings Make Veggies More Exciting!

2012-03-14T13:00:00.000-04:00

Say what?
I stumbled across this entry from Bigelow's official blog: Bigelow Tea Salad Dressings Make Veggies More Exciting!

That looks crazy... crazy enough to work! I would have never thoughts of this. If you follow the link, you'll find a couple recipes for some salad dressings that basically steep some tea bags in vinegar and oil for flavoring. Interesting concept. I wonder if you can omit the vinegar since I hate salad dressings with vinegar in them.. which is most salad dressings, unfortunately.

Calm, naturally

2012-03-13T23:33:00.001-04:00

Okay, so, this isn't technically coffee or tea.. but it IS something you can drink hot out of a nice big mug! It's Natural Calm and it's basically a Magnesium + Calcium supplement that has a slight lemony taste. What's important is that it actually does help me fall asleep. Plus, according to this article, 68% of Americans are magnesium deficient, so the extra supplementation certainly won't hurt! I like adding honey and a squirt of lemon to mine.

There's also some people saying that Magnesium may help aid weight loss. Hmm. Perhaps I should drinking this more regularly to see if it's true!

My favorite single-cup tea brewer so far: IngenuiTEA

2012-03-12T22:41:00.000-04:00

The taste of loose leaf tea is astonishingly better than the typical ground, bagged tea you find at the grocery store (I'm looking at you, Lipton!) But brewing it can be daunting, and it seems so fancy-pants to first heat up water and then use some sort of magical container for the leaves, then wait for it to steep. This is why I love my IngenuiTEA from Adagio Teas. I have had this tea brewer for years and I'm still so pleased with it. It is perfect at the office - you just pop in a spoonful of leaves, fill it up with water and then nuke it for about a minute.

Cleanup is simple - I just dump out the leaves and give it a rinse. Love <3

A start is made

2012-03-11T21:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my adventures as a "hot cup" enthusiast. Whether it's tea, coffee, or a witch's brew, I'll drink it -- I'm not picky!

I decided to start this blog because after years and years of my addiction I wanted to finally write about it, and have some fun exploring new options too. Yum yum, I can't wait!

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