FitSugar

6 Ways to Jazz Up Tea

Leta Shy — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:31:26 PST

When it's cold outside and you want to wake up, what do you reach for? If it's always coffee, it may be time to take another look at tea. The antioxidant properties of coffee's cousin are high, and there are many more ways to enjoy the hot beverage than just milk and sugar. Want to spice up your daily cup? Here are six recipes to jazz up white, green, or black tea!

Source: Thinkstock

Do You Know the Health Benefits of These Teas?

Leta Shy — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:11:15 PDT

Between the tea plant's white, green, black, and oolong offerings and the countless herbal teas offered, we've got many options for drinking in those all-important antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients. But which teas are known for carrying these good-for-you benefits? Take this quiz to see if you know the health benefits of these teas!

Question 1 of 5

Which tea is known for its weight-loss benefits?

Tazo Tea for the Soul

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 02:00:00 PST

Have you heard of Tazo Tea? They're a unique tea company offering delicious tea from all over the world. The name Tazo actually means "river of life," and "fresh." It's a great name considering that Tazo teas are invigorating, satisfying, and all around good for the soul.

You can get black tea in flavors like Vanilla, Earl Grey, Citron, Darjeeling, and they even make a decaffeinated Chai tea.
Tazo also makes delicious green teas. You can get Green Ginger, Lotus, and Zen teas that combines green tea with the taste of spearmint, lemongrass, and a hint of lemon zest. I love the one named Om, which is a combination of green and black teas.

Since I have a sweet tooth, I love their herbal infusion teas. Flavors such as Sweet Cinnamon Spice, Wild Sweet Orange, and Tazo Honeybush are wonderful on a cold day.

Fit's Tips: I always keep Tazo's Calm tea in the house when I need to relax with the soothing taste of chamomile. Tazo's Refresh is great for a tummy ache with its mix of peppermint and spearmint. In the summer time, I love to make iced tea out of Tazo's Passion tea. It's a light red tea with a delicate hint of hibiscus flowers.

Chai Tea - Raise a Cup to Your Health

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:30:00 PST

What is not to like about tea? Tea and especially chai tea help prevent and fight many different kinds of cancer, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and may reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

The fact is - every ingredient in chai tea is good for you, and when you put them all together they pack a powerful punch for your immune system.

Chai is a great alternative to your morning cup of coffee - a 5 ounce cup of coffee contains 200 mg of caffeine and black tea contains half that.

In the winter, after a long day of playing out in the snow, it's nice to come home, take a hot shower and curl up on the couch with a steaming cup of chai tea. Of course you can buy chai tea packets, but nothing compares to making it yourself.

Want to see my recipe? Then

Masala Chai Tea (serves 4)

3 cups water
1/2 cups milk (good source of calcium and protein)
2 packets of black tea (full of healthy antioxidants, that may help prevent everything from heart disease to strokes to cancer)
4 whole cloves (believed to invigorate and restore energy; helps generate heat in the body; useful during the cold and flu season)
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (is a stimulant to other herbs enabling them to work faster)
2 cardamon pods (stimulates the mind and gives clarity)
1/4 tsp dried ginger (believed to strengthen and heal the digestive and respiratory system, as well as to fight off colds and flu; removes congestion, soothes sore throats, and relieves body aches; recent studies have shown it to be effective in preventing motion sickness)
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper (warms the body)
2 Tbsp honey (for sweetness and soothing qualities - adjust amount to your liking)

In a mortar, crush the cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon.
In a saucepan, add the mixture to the water, ginger, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes.
Add the milk and honey to the pan and bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat and add the black tea. Cover and let steep for 3 minutes.
Stir the chai, then strain it into a warmed teapot or directly into teacups.

Mmmm. I'm going to make some right now.

Fit Finding: Tea - Green, Black, White, Red or Herbal

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 02:00:00 PST

Tea has been in the news a lot lately. But here's a new tid bit for you: To get the most health benefits from tea you need to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less antioxidants.
There is still time to Fit Find your favorite tea. Any kind of tea, be it green, black, white, red, herbal - I am interested in all kinds.

Be sure to "tag your finds with the phrase "tea to try."

If the term "Fit Find" is new to you, please read and watch geeksugar's excellent explanation of our bookmarking system.

Fit Finding: Tea - Green, Black, White, Red or Herbal

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:00:00 PST

Tea, ya know I love a good "cuppa." I am wondering if you do too? Earlier I told you about the free samples from Yogi tea, but I know there are so many teas out there that I have yet to try. So let's go Fit Finding for some tea. Any kinds of tea, be it green, black, white, red, herbal - I am interested in all kinds.

Be sure to "tag: your finds with the phrase "tea to try."

If the term "Fit Find" is new to you, please read and watch geeksugar's excellent explanation of our bookmarking system.

Oscar de la Renta Resort 2013 Takes Us on a Luxe Ladylike Picnic - See the Complete Collection Here

Marisa Tom — Tue, 22 May 2012 07:43:10 PDT

Oscar de la Renta's Resort 2013 collection offered up a plethora of plush, picnic-ready looks for sunny days ahead. And while you may have pastoral images of lazy lawn spreads and fruit-filled wicker baskets in mind, this country-chic girl wears her gingham prints in luxe satins and silks. The iconic designer presented a cool mix of traditionally sleek looks - black-and-white short suits, apple red tea party frocks, and bright peplum tops - along with quirkier pieces, like a silk and sequined baseball t-shirt paired up with a decadent gingham ball skirt. If the more daytime-friendly wares don't inspire dreams of frolicking in a manicured meadow, then de la Renta's signature frothy gowns will certainly transport you to an evening under the stars in the French Riviera. Above all, this is an ultrafresh lineup with classic and cool-girl appeal. To see every Resort '13 look, just keep clicking.

Should You Cleanse Before Pregnancy?

Rebecca M Gruber — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:04:46 PDT

Every mama wants to give her baby the best start possible, but just how clean should that beginning be? Anna Getty, the organic living expert and founder of Pregnancy Awareness Month (which happens to be now), recently wrote about her thoughts on preparing the body for pregnancy on the Healthy Child Healthy World website. She shared her year-long, pre-conception plan to whip her body (and soul) into shape for baby, saying:

I cut out all forms of caffeine including black or green tea and (gulp) chocolate, all refined sugars, gluten, dairy, and alcohol, any form of pharmaceutical drugs like aspirin or Ibuprofen and ate a mostly raw diet. I also included acupuncture, colonics, meditation, yoga and juicing. I had planned on cleansing for a year, however, somewhere in the middle, maybe five months, of my pre-conception cleanse the spirit of my unborn daughter decided I was "clean" enough and graced my womb with her presence.

It seems everywhere I turn these days, I hear someone talking about the latest juice cleanse. Friends, colleagues, and celebrities are busy touting the weight loss and detoxifying benefits of the drinks but I never thought about using them to prepare for pregnancy. You clean baby's linens and clothes before she uses them, but do you need to clean your womb before she enters it?

Source: Flickr User Meagan

13 Foods For Freaky Friday

YumSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:33:45 PDT

In honor of Freaky Friday (today's Friday the 13th!), I thought I'd pull together a list of 13 freaky foods. Even if you don't have triskaidekaphobia (the fear of the number 13), you may be afraid of some of the things on this list. I know there are a bunch of other freaky things out there (how about almost anything Andrew Zimmern eats on his show?), so if you think something's missing, we want to hear it.

#13: Bubble Tea
I personally love this stuff; however, I've known quite a few folks who are freaked out by the tapioca inside of the tea. Come to think of it, I know a lot of people freaked out by tapioca in general . . .
#12: Squid ink pasta
I don't have a problem with this lovely pasta dyed with squid ink, but some find eating black pasta to be just a bit too freaky.
Keep reading to see more freaky foods perfect for Friday the 13th.

How to Deflate Puffy Eyes

Real Beauty — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:05:11 PDT

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Real Beauty.

If getting more sleep isn't an option, we've found other ways to get rid of pesky under-eye bags.

Find the perfect cream for your eyes

It's normal for your eyes to look a little swollen first thing in the morning. But drinking alcohol, eating salty foods, allergies, and watching The Notebook can produce bigger bags that stick around for a few hours. Here's how to get rid of them fast.