To my entire family, both living and in our hearts. To Gram and Grampa, Mom and Dad, Sis, Curly Lulu, and Mo. To every person seeking to make a change in their lives. To my daughter Lucky and my most loving and devoted wife and best friend Julie, whose guidance provided the catalyst for this guide.
Introduction xi
PART ONE:
The Tea/Weight-Loss Connection
1 What’s Tea Got to Do with It? 3 2 Steeped in Knowledge: A Short Primer on Tea 14 3 The Metabolics of Tea: Tea’s Secret Weight-Loss Ingredients 35 4 Tea’s Other health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) Benefits 47
PART TWO:
The Ultimate Tea Diet
5 The Tao of Tea: You Can If You Think You Can 65 6 The Process Begins: Ten Steps to Make Dieting Easier 87 7 Find the Tea You Love 99 8 The Ultimate Tea Diet Meal Plan 120 9 Get Moving: The Ultimate Tea Diet Exercise Plan 156 10 Put Down That Cup of Coffee: It’s Time to Spill the Beans 169
PART THREE:
All About Tea
11 Dr. Tea’s Kitchen: Tips, Techniques, and Recipes for Cooking with Tea 187 12 The History of Tea 260 13 Epilogue 274
iv
| v | CONTENTS | |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledgments | 277 | |
| Appendix A: Resources | 279 | |
| Appendix B: References | 285 | |
| Subject Index | 297 | |
| Recipe Index | 304 | |
| About the Author | ||
| Credits | ||
| Cover | ||
| Copyright | ||
| About the Publisher | ||
Inever set out to write a diet book. My wife and I own a shop in Los Angeles called dr. tea’s. Every day, people come in just to enjoy a cup or two of tea, maybe read a book, do some work in a peaceful atmosphere, or chat with friends. Sometimes they see me in my bright orange lab coat or apron and we start to talk. And they tell me their troubles. Now, I’m not a doctor, or a shrink, or even a bartender, but people tend to speak to me about what’s going on in their lives. Many have a vague notion that tea is good for you, but don’t know why or how. In only two years of owning dr. tea’s, I’ve had thousands of conversations about tea. The one subject that has kept coming up over and over again is: “What tea can I drink to help me lose weight?” And I tell them about tea and the fact that it has three amazing ingredients that work together on the body’s chemistry to increase metabolism, decrease appetite, and help stabilize blood sugar. I’d show them the Camellia sinensis plant, the plant from which all true tea comes, and tell them that any tea—White, Green, Oolong, or Black—that comes from this plant will help them lose weight. I explained to them what has worked for me, and that it could work for them, too. People began to follow my plan, and they lost weight. And they told their friends, who came into dr. tea’s wanting to know my “secret.” I gave them the same information, they would tell their friends—and you know how that goes. I soon realized that the best thing for me to do was to write down my “tea” story and spread the word. Thus The Ultimate Tea Diet was born.
vi
A tea diet? Really? I don’t blame you for being skeptical. I would be, too— if I were to say that all you had to do was drink tea and the pounds would come flying off. No such luck. Tea is miraculous in many ways, but it is not a miracle drug. If you want to lose weight, you have to be able to say: “I can lose weight, eat a balanced diet, and exercise a moderate amount.” But you don’t have to go to extremes, and you don’t have to be perfect every single meal for the rest of your life. You do have to eat proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (yes, carbohydrates). The Ultimate Tea Diet will show you how to easily judge proportions and portions of these nutrients without a scale or a calorie counter. You’ll get a 14-day meal plan you can follow as is, or use as a guideline to make your own health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y breakfasts, lunches, snacks, dinners, and even desserts. And, oh yes—the recipes! You may be surprised to learn that you can not only drink tea, you can cook with it, too.
I am proof positive that the Ultimate Tea Diet works. But I am not the only proof. I now have hundreds of “test-TEA-monials” from people just like you who’ve lost both weight and inches by following the simple diet and drinking tea all day. In fact, you can get started on The Ultimate Tea Diet right now, before you read another word, just by finding a tea you love and drinking it all day—in the morning, at noontime, in the evening, before meals, with meals, after meals. Drink it hot, drink it cold, drink it however you like. Just start drinking tea and you will begin to see and feel a difference.
This book is devoted to everyone who feels hopeless, disheartened, and just plain tired of the way they look and the way they feel. There’s no mumbo-jumbo here, it’s all backed up by science. All you have to do to begin is find a tea you love and start drinking.
When I began drinking tea, I began to feel health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier and happier about myself! I began to take control of my life—you will start to take control of yours. The simple act of making an educated, well–thought out choice about what you ingest all day, each and every day, will be your ticket to making all of the changes you’ve wanted to make in your life.
You will probably start on this diet just to lose weight. You will lose weight and you will lose inches. But you will gain so much more. You will see differences in your skin and your hair. You will want to be more active and begin working out, and you will feel sharper and a lot more energetic. And you will get back the confidence you once had and have somehow lost along the way. And I can confidently say that to you, not only from my own experience, but from all the feedback I get from people who have gone on the Ultimate Tea Diet and have come back or emailed me at drtea@ultimateteadiet.com to tell me how much their lives have changed, one cup of tea at a time.
1
Dear Dr. Tea,
I have been heavy my entire life. I have a very supportive family and friendly coworkers, but when you don’t like the way you look, nothing anyone says or does to make you feel better works. I was negative about myself and everyone around me.
Here’s where you come in. Driving home from work I passed dr. tea’s daily and always wondered what it was like. I stopped my car a couple of times, but the patio was full of “beautiful people” and I felt terribly inadequate, so I would slink away. One day on the drive home I was listening to a call-in show on the radio, and found myself listening to a woman with the same complaints and woes as I had—and she sounded truly pathetic.
I pulled over and cried for half an hour. Then I turned my car around and headed straight back to your store, walked past the people on the patio and found an empty seat at your tea bar. I started to ask you questions about the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits of your teas. You stopped me dead in my tracks when you started to talk about the amazing weight-loss benefits associated with tea. Then you began to tell me about your Lifestyle Diet, and I started to take notes.
I did just what you said. I drank my tea all day, ate what I knew was right for me to eat, meditated at least one minute a day, and started to do something in the form of exercise. I had not moved around much for years. I began by walking around the house and Dr. Tea, I have now made it around the block.
I am happy to tell you, I have lost 17 pounds in the last month. I feel health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier and happier than I have ever before. Thinking positively has changed everything about me. I owe you so much Dr. Tea. You treated me like I was somebody and now I am. May all of life’s blessings visit you often.
Edith P., Los Angeles, CA
Edith P. is, like millions of Americans, concerned about her health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), unhappy with her appearance, and insecure about her ability to change her life. When she came to me for advice, I told her to do the very thing that had worked for me: start slowly, stop the insanity of endless diet plans that do not work, and start your journey towards good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), one cup of tea at a time.
That’s right, tea.
I am not a physician, a dietician, a nutritionist or a psychiatrist. I am just a regular guy, like you, who figured things out for himself fifteen years ago. I am an expert on and aficionado of tea. My family has been in the tea business for over 200 years. I have studied everything there is to study on the subject, and I have traveled the world to learn tea firsthand. I have tasted and tested nearly every kind of tea there is, from tea bags to prized tea cakes that have been aged for decades, from teas mixed with yak butter to teas served in the finest china.
And here’s what I know: It’s tea’s time! According to the Tea Association of
America, the tea industry topped $6.2 billion in 2005 (and is expected to ex
ceed $10 billion by 2010) with Americans drinking 2.2 billion gallons of tea each year. Americans are wising up to the fact that they don’t need a “grande” beverage from the local coffee establishment to get the extra boost they need to make it through their day. The health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits of tea can provide the stimulation and kick without all the side effects of a highly caffeinated beverage. It’s simply a cup of good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) a day.
Do you know which beverage is the most consumed in the world? No, it’s not coffee, or beer, or wine. It’s water. And what comes next on the list? Still not coffee. Nor wine nor beer. It’s tea. In the most populated countries in the world, the drink they consume most often after water is tea.
It’s time for tea to be recognized in this country, not only for the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits most of the world have known about for centuries, but for its incredible ability to help stop one of the world’s biggest health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) crises to date: obesity. Americans, and American children and teenagers, are getting larger and larger every year and are paying the consequences in diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Millions of Americans go on and off diets every day. If you’re reading this book, you are probably one of those millions, and you are probably tired of your own yo-yo dieting experiences. We try to eat right, to make health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y choices, and to get off our addictions to sugar and caffeine, but it’s just too hard.
So we turn to drugs; we buy supplements made from obscure plants found only in African deserts; we cut out entire food groups; and we get totally confused by what the latest diet guru is telling us to eat (which is just the opposite of what the previous guru espoused). What we don’t know is that we don’t need drugs, supplements, or slide rules to help us figure out how to shed the pounds. What we do need to know is very simple: Drinking tea will help us lose weight. Yes, tea. Inexpensive. Good tasting. And available to everyone everywhere. Tea, with natural ingredients that will not only help us lose weight, but will reduce our cravings for sweets, suppress our appetite, increase our insulin’s effectiveness, lower our cholesterol, and stimulate thermogenesis, which helps the body burn fat for energy. All this from a cup of tea!
This is not theory, guessing, or wishful thinking. This is hard science, proven in study after study conducted over the past ten years by some of the most respected scientists around the world who have all come to the same conclusion: tea helps you lose weight.
Simple, and true.
The Ultimate Tea Diet is the first book to reveal tea’s incredible weight-loss potential. The secret is the synergy of tea’s three main ingredients: caffeine, L-theanine, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which will all be explained fully in later chapters. But here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients, starting with caffeine. Because caffeine is a stimulant, it will help you lose weight. Unfortunately, however, caffeine has unhealth(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y side effects. Recent studies have shown that caffeine raises both blood sugar and insulin levels.
Doesn’t tea have caffeine?
Yes, it does, but it has far less than you’ll find in a cup of coffee. And here’s the “magic” of tea: It also has L-theanine, an amino acid that works to counter caffeine’s harmful effects. L-theanine also influences the neurotransmitters in the brain that affect your dopamine and serotonin levels which send the brain signals of satiety. The more tea you drink, the stronger the message to your brain that says “I’m not hungry.” Therefore, tea not only helps you lose weight, it helps you to reduce your appetite and stay on a diet as well.
The third secret ingredient of tea is EGCG, the miracle antioxidant that stimulates your body’s metabolism; you’re actually burning fats as you sit there drinking your tea. EGCG also lowers the levels of triglycerides in the blood and inhibits the accumulation of fatty acids in the fat cells, thus making it a significant antiobesity agent.
Can you eat whatever you want and still lose weight simply by adding tea to your diet? Probably not. But if you start by drinking tea, it will begin its work on your alpha brain waves, your neurotransmitters, and your metabolism to increase your energy and decrease your appetite. When you add in the Ultimate Tea Diet weight-loss food plan and a moderate amount of exercise, the pounds and inches will come off quickly and safely.
Okay, so right about now you’re thinking, “Here we go again. Another diet book promising me this and that—only this one’s about tea.” Right?
Wrong!
The Ultimate Tea Diet is not just another diet book. No way! I’m as tired as you are of all of the diet books that make weight-loss claims; they may help you lose weight for a few weeks or months—and then you’re right back to your current weight, or even worse, you’re heavier than you were before, leaving you depressed and dejected because you could not stay on that diet.
Those diets work initially because of what you have to give up: sweets and snacks and sometimes whole categories of foods (missing those carbs, anyone?). On The Ultimate Tea Diet, you do have to cut back on sweets and snacks, but you also learn to eat health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y, balanced meals that include all food groups. But what makes this diet so unique is not what you have to give up, but what you add: the tea.
And that’s not all. The Ultimate Tea Diet is a simple guide to making changes in your life that will allow you to lose weight. This is why it works, and why it will work for you as it has for me, and countless dr. tea’s clients over the years.
A by-product of this lifestyle is losing weight and keeping it off.
A by-product of this lifestyle is gaining control of your life.
A by-product of this lifestyle is getting back the confidence that you lost oh
so-many diets ago.
A by-product of this lifestyle is feeling energized all day.
A by-product of this lifestyle is feeling health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier and happier.
At the same time I started to write this book, I began to invite a group of people to go on The Ultimate Tea Diet journey with me. Eighteen intrepid TEAmmates followed the program for eight weeks, kept journals, answered weekly questionnaires, and lost a combined total of 197 pounds. It was a diverse group, ranging in age from early 20s to mid-50s, with a variety of weight-loss goals. It was more successful than we ever imagined it would be. We even had three members of the same family (two brothers and a sister) who together lost more than 60 pounds in just eight weeks! You’ll meet some of these people throughout this book, and hear what they had to say. For instance, when asked after just the first week what was the most noticeable difference The Ultimate Tea Diet made, Christine A. answered:
My appetite! Wow . . . the first day drinking tea all day I wasn’t even hungry for dinner. That NEVER happens to me! Tea really does suppress your appetite. I was afraid tea wouldn’t work for me, but I was wrong. It does. I have added tea into my life and I love it.
There are several factors that make followers of the Ultimate Tea Diet so successful.
made with tea so that you are getting the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and weight-loss benefits with every single bite you take. And they are scrumptious, to boot! And here’s the beauty part: everyone knows that a lean breast of chicken is a nonfattening, health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y diet choice. But as anyone who’s ever been on a diet will tell you, after a week of chicken breasts, you’d give up your firstborn for some smokey barbeque. Luckily, the Ultimate Tea Diet not only gives you a huge range of foods besides chicken—you can change the flavor of your food simply by changing the kind of tea seasoning you use. Want a smokey barbeque taste? Try using Lapsong Souchong. Like a tangy citrus kick? Rub on some Earl Grey (which is blended with oil of bergamot, a small acidic orange). The Ultimate Tea Diet includes dozens of recipes along with tips and techniques for choosing the tea that will give you the taste you want.
But the true beauty of the Ultimate Tea Diet is in the simple fact that tea can be added to any other diet or meal plan you are on and produce positive weight-loss results. So if you’re on Weight Watchers, you can enhance your results by drinking tea all day and adding tea to Weight Watchers’ recipes. If you’re on the You on a Diet plan, or The Zone, or South Beach, or the Miami Mediterranean Diet, or Volumetrics, you can do the same. Not only will you lose weight if you follow The Ultimate Tea Diet, but simply by drinking tea all day, you can unlock the potential for any other diet plan to work as well.
3. Dr. Tea’s Weight-Loss Philosophy: If you want to make changes in your life, you have to change your thoughts and your habits. There are several commonsense steps you can take to make that happen:
✸ Say you can and you will! Say you can’t and you won’t. Do not let saying “I can’t” continue to be your excuse for not changing your life and losing weight. Say you can change your life, and you will! Say you can lose weight, and you will! If you want to change what you eat, you have to change how you think about your food. Focus your energy on drinking tea, eating right, and following the food plan, and you will lose weight.
If you want to get started on the diet right away, go directly to chapter 8. But please, come back and read chapters 2 through 4 so that you understand what a miracle tea is and why it will work for you. And be sure to read chapters 5, 6, and 7 so that you understand that you can lose weight, whether you’ve been successful at it before or not, by changing your thoughts and by finding the teas that are going to satisfy your cravings and make it easy for you to stay on the Ultimate Tea Diet.
It’s my goal to make this journey as easy as possible for you. As with everything in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect, because none of us is perfect. You will have slip-ups, setbacks, and lapses in judgment just like I have. These are temporary. Relax and know that tea is forgiving, and all you have to do is go right back to the Ultimate Tea Diet because, as you will find out by reading the rest of this book, the key components of tea will actually help you stay on the diet. So if you are ready to make a change in your life, then go make yourself a cup of tea—or better yet, brew yourself a whole pot—and let’s get started on the journey to a slimmer, health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier you, one cup of tea at a time. It’s as easy as one—two—TEA.
It is very strange, this domination of our intellect by our digestive organs. We cannot work, we cannot think, unless our stomach wills so. It dictates to us our emotions, our passions. After eggs and bacon it says, “Work!” After beefsteak and porter, it says, “Sleep!” After a cup of tea . . . it says to the brain, “Now rise, and show your strength. Be eloquent, and deep, and tender; see, with a clear eye, into Nature, and into life: spread your white wings of quivering thought, and soar, a god-like spirit, over the whirling world beneath you, up through long lanes of flaming stars to the gates of eternity!”
JEROME K. JEROME (1859–1927):
Three Men in a Boat
Name: Ron H. Age: 37 Total Weight Loss: 11 Total Inches Lost: 9.75 Favorite Tea: Lemon Ginger
started getting heavy when I was in grade school. My parents kept pushing me to
lose weight. The first diet I was on was similar to Weight Watchers. I had to go to
meetings with my mom. I was the only kid there. We’d sit every day and count calo
ries. I hated it. I went off that and gained weight again.
In college, I gained the usual freshman 15. Then I gained another freshman 15
and another freshman 15. My sophomore year I got really into running. I wasn’t
really on a diet, but that helped me lose weight. Then I came out to California. I had
asthma, and coming out here set it off, so I stopped running. Of course, I got fat
again.
I tried a couple of different diets here and there. I did the no-fat thing. I tried
some kind of fat-burning soup diet. That was disgusting. I would lose a little and
then go off it and go crazy and gain everything back.
When I about 34, I hit 300 pounds. I went on the Atkins diet and lost 125 pounds
in nine months. I felt great and I was running six miles a day. I had to go buy new
pants every couple of weeks. However, as soon as I let myself have some carbs
again, I went right to the donut store. I snapped back up to 240. Then I got engaged
and I had to look good for the pictures, so I lost 20 pounds doing South Beach.
Then I got married, the pictures were taken, and I went back up to 260.
Last year, my first daughter was born. I started to have low back problems and
knee problems and my asthma was acting up. I wanted to be there to see her grow
up, and I wanted to be able to participate in whatever she wants to do. I had a newborn, and I wasn’t sleeping, and my job was very stressful. Also, I had really bad digestive issues last year and I had to go see a gastroenterologist. He told me I had to clean up my diet, and cut back on the seven or eight cups of coffee I had been drinking every day.
Then I heard about Dr. Tea and the Ultimate Tea Diet. Now my life is very different. When I get up I walk my dogs with my daughter. When I get home from the walk, I have breakfast and make a big cup of green matcha tea. At around 11:00 a.m. I have some iced tea I made the night before. Then I have a glass of tea with lunch. Then a couple of hours after lunch, I have a snack and some more tea. After I eat dinner, I drink a couple of mugs of Lemon Ginger tea. It feels like when I wake up in the morning, my system is refreshed and ready to go.
Sometimes it’s nice in the middle of the day to just take some time to have a cup of tea. And I like having the ritual of making tea. It takes up the space that food usually occupies in my head.
The biggest difference for me is that I have been able to cut out in-betweenmeal “grazing.” It had always seemed to me that I would wake up in the morning and just start eating. I was always hungry. The Ultimate Tea Diet has focused me on having three distinct meals, and knowing that I can have a snack in the afternoon if I feel I need one. I’m also much more conscious now while I’m eating of how I’m feeling in terms of being full. That’s something I’m more aware of when drinking the tea. I don’t start off as ravenous, so I don’t feel like I have to eat as much. Every time I eat, I try to have a protein, a carbohydrate, and a little fat, and not to have all of just one.
But one of the most freeing things Dr. Tea said was to let yourself have a bad day. And if you do, don’t jump off the track. Think of this as a life change, not a fad diet where you’re going to lose all this weight and something magical is going to happen. I’ve had bad days. Even just bad meals. But then later that day I can make a good choice and have another cup of tea.
2
Not too long ago in America, a cup of tea was a cup of tea was a cup of tea. Now you can go into almost any supermarket and find dozens of brands and flavors from which to choose. This is good
news and bad news. It’s good because people are drinking more tea than ever, and that’s what we want to happen. The bad news is that you may be confused—if not intimidated—by all the tea options and don’t know how to make the right choice.
This chapter will help you out of your confusion.
Here’s the first and perhaps the most important thing you need to know: Not everything you think of as tea is really tea. All true tea comes from one plant, Camellia sinensis. That’s right! All tea comes from one plant. There is not a white tea plant, a green tea plant, an oolong tea plant, or a black tea plant. There is only one tea plant. Now you know more about tea than 95 percent of the rest of America does. So when you read about a medical study where green tea is proven to aid in weight loss, or if you read that white tea is good for reducing cholesterol, you now know that all tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, so it does not matter which type you drink.
I am often asked which kind of tea is the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)iest. My answer is always the same: “The kind you like to drink.” There are some minor differences in the four kinds of tea: White teas and green teas have slightly higher levels of polyphenols (antioxidants found in plants); oolong and black tea have recently been shown to be more effective in preventing certain diseases, such as heart disease and high blood pressure. However, the general consensus is that the kind of tea you drink is not as important as the fact that you drink it.
All four types of tea have the same health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits. All four types of tea will aid in your weight loss; all four types of tea will help reduce cholesterol. And all four types of tea have many more proven health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits, which you’ll read about in the next two chapters.
If the beverage you’re drinking does not come from Camellia sinensis, it is not tea. “Tisane” (tee-SAHN) is the term used within the industry for anything that resembles tea but does not come from the tea plant. When we talk about tea throughout the rest of this book, unless we specifically say otherwise, we are talking about the four main categories of tea that come from this plant: white, green, oolong, and black.
This is important to remember because if you want to lose weight on the Ultimate Tea Diet, you must drink true tea. Only tea that comes from the Camellia sinensis plant contains the properties that will help you lose weight. Of course, if you want to drink tisanes in addition to true tea, go right ahead. Although they don’t contain weight-loss aids, most have other positive health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits. And many are extremely helpful for reducing cravings for sweet snacks, especially in the evening hours.
If all true tea comes from the same plant, how are the different types created? What distinguishes one type of tea from another is the way the leaves and leaf buds are processed after harvesting; these processes vary somewhat from country to country, but the basic concepts are the same around the world. Because all tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, the differences are created by the length of time the tea leaves are allowed to “ferment,” or oxidize.
White Tea
White tea, which has always been revered as the “Tea of Royals,” is the most delicate and least processed tea in the world. White tea, named for the hao, or the white hair on the bud or baby leaf, is known for its mild flavor and natural sweetness. It is made from young leaves that have undergone no oxidation. The production of authentic white tea is restricted to a limited geographical area in southeastern China’s Fujian province. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1990s that white tea was introduced to the Western world. It possesses the least caffeine of all the tea types, and is prized for its cooling and refreshing character while delivering many antioxidant and heart-strengthening elements, and is becoming more and more popular as a result of the newfound health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits.
White tea was being produced as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). At that time, the nature of the beverage and the style of tea preparation were quite different from the way we experience tea today. Tea leaves were processed into cakes and prepared by boiling pieces of the compressed tea in earthenware kettles. This special white tea of Tang was picked in early spring when the new growths of tea bushes that resemble silver needles were abundant.
The processing sequence for white tea is:
Green Tea
During the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), production and preparation of tea changed throughout China. Even then, people were looking for convenience; a new form of tea emerged as a result of people wanting more and more tea without having to take the time to brew the leaves. The tea leaves were picked and quickly steamed to preserve their color and fresh character. After steaming, the leaves were dried. The finished tea was then ground into fine powders that were whisked in wide bowls. The resulting beverage resembled what we know of today as instant tea—you mixed the tea powder with hot water and voilà! Your tea was ready in an instant.
This tea was highly regarded for its deep emerald or iridescent white appearance and its rejuvenating and health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y energy. This style of tea preparation, using powdered tea and ceramic ware, became known as the Song tea ceremony. Although it later became extinct in China, this Song style of tea evolved into what is now the Japanese tea ceremony that endures still today.
Today, there are between 12,500 and 20,000 green teas produced in China alone (although they are named and renamed so many times—for no apparent reason—that no one knows exactly how many there are). It is similar to wine in that respect. There are thousands of vineyards that produce wines; not all of them make it to market, or are meant to do so. It’s the same with tea in China. There are thousands of individual tea plantations and each produces its own variety of tea. Some are meant only for an individual farmer’s consumption; others may be distributed in a local area; and still others are grown for the commercial market and shipped worldwide.
As with white tea, the bud and leaves for green tea are picked, cleaned, and dried. The tea leaves then undergo a minimal amount of oxidation. Green tea has very low levels of caffeine, and derives its distinctive, health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y good flavor from the area in which it is grown and the techniques used to produce the tea. The processing sequence for green tea is:
Dragon’s Well is the most famous of Chinese green teas; it grows on the peaks of the Tieh Mu (t’yeh MOO) mountain range. Chinese mythology tells us that the dragon is the king of the waters. History tells us that in 250 AD, there was a drought at the Dragon’s Well monastery. A monk prayed to the dragon, pleading for rain. His prayers were immediately answered, and the tea produced there received its name.
Oolong Tea
Oolong tea, referred to as the Champagne of teas, is a semioxidized whole-leaf tea, which retains all of the nutrients and natural healing factors contained in unfermented green tea, but without the raw, grassy taste. It falls somewhere between green and black tea, with complex flavor and aroma. The leaves go through a very brief fermentation process, which eliminates harsh irritants from the raw tea and creates the subtle fragrances and flavors that distinguish this tea from all other varieties.
Oolong legend tells us Wu Liang (who lived during the Ming Dynasty in China, around 1400 AD), a tea farmer, went out one day to pick tea, as he did every day in the tea-picking season. He had collected quite a bit when his eye was caught by a deer drinking by the river. He stopped his tea-picking activities and killed the poor animal (sorry to have to report this). He took the slain deer home, as it would provide him with a week’s worth of meals. He forgot all about his tea. When he went back to collect his load, he found that the tea had started to blacken. We know today, it had begun to oxidize.
Wu Liang thought that it might have gone bad, but decided to proceed with his traditional preparations. He dried the tea by pan-firing, as was done with the green teas of the day. When he made a cup of this tea, he was surprised to find that it tasted different than his usual green tea, and discovered that he loved the flavor. He taught his neighbors and friends how to make the new tea, and it came to be named after him. Language being what it is, the name eventually evolved from Wu Liang to Oolong.
The processing sequence for oolong tea is:
Black Tea
Of the four tea types, black tea is allowed to oxidize the longest and is known for its beautiful red color and light sweet taste. (The Chinese call it red tea because the actual tea liquid is red; westerners call it black tea because the tea leaves used to brew it are usually black.) This process produces a hearty, deep, rich flavor. Black tea contains the most caffeine, but still has only about half the amount of a regular cup of coffee. About 75 percent of the tea produced worldwide is black tea; it is the type of tea consumed by 87 percent of American tea drinkers.
The processing sequence for black tea is:
Would You Pay $300 for a Pot of Tea?
he rarest and most expensive type of tea in the wor d is the
Tl
mysterious Pu-Erh ( i
poo-AIR) tea from the Pu-Erh reg on of li i
China. Pu-Erh is an aged b ack tea pr zed for its medicinal propert es ll
and earthy f avor. Until 1995, it was illega to import Pu-Erh into the i il
Un ted States, and its product on process is still a c osely guarded state secret in Ch na. It i is very strong; it has an incred ibl y deep and ri l
ch f avor, but it is not bitter. Black Pu-Erh tea has been fermented ii l i
n a s milar fashion to wine and cheese. In fact, b ack Pu-Erh s fer-i
mented, and then fermented again after the first fermentat on process is stopped. This is what differentiates Pu-Erh from other black
ii
teas. Follow ng the double ox dation process, the tea is pressed into i i l
a round or br ck-shaped teacake. It s then eft to mature for as much as f fty years i (al though there is much disagreement on the optimal
l
number of years for the best f avor). ll
There are actual y two types of Pu-Erh, b ack and green. Black Pu-Erh is the fermented tea, while green Pu-Erh is not fermented. In Tibet, Pu-Erh is somet mes boiled w th yak butter, sugar, and salt to i i make yak butter tea. Pu-Erh tea can be found only in a few select tea
il
shops in th s country (inc uding dr. tea’s) and can cost as much as $1,000 an ounce, $300 for a pot, or $50 for a cup to go.
As I said earlier, true tea is that which comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. If it does not come from the plant I endearingly call “Cami,” it isn’t technically tea. It’s like Champagne in that respect—in order to be called “Champagne,” wine has to come from the Champagne area of France. If it comes from anywhere else, it is technically referred to as “sparkling wine.” Similarly, if a beverage does not come from the Camellia sinensis plant, it cannot be called a “tea”—even though most of the world refers to any hot beverage that looks like, smells like, or tastes like tea—as tea.
There are a huge number of tisanes, or herbal drinks, that are commonly called tea. You see them every time you go into the supermarket, especially the ever-popular chamomile, peppermint, and lemon verbena. These herbal “teas” are, according to the Tea Association of America, “. . . an infusion of leaves, roots, bark, seeds or flowers of other plants [not Camellia sinensis]. They lack many of the unique characteristics of tea and are not linked with the research on the potential health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits of traditional teas.” These herbal drinks do not contain caffeine; they are generally made by pouring boiling water over the plant parts and letting them steep for a few minutes.
The Fuss About Rooibos
There is one tisane that has recently been “discovered” by tea lovers and is currently garnering a lot of attention. A naturally decaffeinated beverage with high levels of antioxidants, it is known as Rooibos (ROY-bus) and it has been growing in South Africa in the Cederberg Mountains, just north of Cape-town, for centuries.
Rooibos does not come from Cami. The Rooibos plant is part of the legume family and is often described as being sweet with a slight nutty aftertaste. Since Rooibos contains less than half the tannin found in regular tea (tannins are a natural substance found in many plants, including grapes and tea leaves, that produce an astringent, mouth-puckering sensation) it is naturally sweet, and most people drink it without sugar. When brewed, Rooibos has a reddish brown color, perhaps explaining why it is sometimes referred to as “red tea.”
There are two types of Rooibos, red and green. Green Rooibos (unmaturated) is harvested when the plant is still green. Red Rooibos is harvested when the Rooibos is turning from green to red. Both red and green Rooibos are cut out in the fields, similar in fashion to wheat, and taken to a factory.
When Rooibos is cultivated commercially, the needlelike leaves and stems are usually harvested in the summer, which corresponds to the months of January through March in South Africa.
The mild flavor of Rooibos, and the fact that it is naturally decaffeinated,
has made it a popular component of herbal drinks that are blended with other
ingredients, such as chocolate, caramel, ginger, and dried fruits.
The Flavors of Tea
In chapter 7, you’ll d scover a number of ways to determ ne the k nd(s i i i ) i ii i
of tea that su t you best. In the meant me, my adv ce s to try as many varieties as possible. Remember that many teas are blended during l
processing to give them additional f avor. Green tea, for instance, may lii i
be b ended w th jasm ne. Black tea may be sprayed w th bergamot orange oil to make Earl Grey. At dr. tea’s, we make both “regu ar” and
l l
decaffeinated versions of many teas so that orange, b ueberry, or pi ll l
neapp e f avors (to name a few) can be consumed by peop e who want true tea (or who are on the U lti i )
mate Tea D et , and we mix many lii l
of the same f avors w th Roo bos for peop e who are concerned about i i iii
caffe ne n general or who want a decaffe nated tea to dr nk at n ght.
You will learn many things about tea as you read this book. One of the things you will learn is that there are several ways to buy tea. You can buy tea from a tea shop (there are shops all over the country these days); you can purchase tea over the Internet; and you can buy tea in grocery stores, convenience stores, and even pharmacies. That’s not to mention every place you can get tea already brewed for you. Every dining establishment, from a five-star restaurant to a roadside diner and even the ubiquitous coffee shop, serves tea, both hot and cold.
When you are buying tea to brew at home, you can get it in two forms: loose leaf tea or tea bags. You are probably most familiar with tea bags. This is known as commercial grade tea, and it is made of dust and fannings, the by-products of the tea-making process. Dust is the tiniest particles of tea, and fannings are broken tea leaves one grade larger than dust. Here’s the first thing you need to know about tea bags: You get the same health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and weight-loss benefits from tea whether you brew it from dried loose tea leaves or from a paper tea bag, as long as it is white, green, oolong, or black tea. The second thing you need to know is that a paper tea bag is meant to be used only once (you will understand why that is important as you read on in this chapter). The flavor you get from a tea bag may not be as rich as the flavor from loose leaf teas, but the only way you will know which you like best is to do a taste test.
Loose leaf tea is just what it sounds like: tea that comes not in a bag, but as full or cut tea leaves. These are leaves and buds that are harvested and processed as explained above, and usually sold by weight. Because you are getting more surface area from loose tea than you get from dust and fannings, you usually get a richer flavor.
The Who, What, Where, How, and When of Tea
t makes no d fference who manufactures the tea; what type of tea you
Ii
i l l); where t comes from (tea bag or
use (wh te, green, oo ong, or b ack i loose leaf ); or how you serve it ( hot or cold . But it does matter when
) l
you use the tea, as you never want to use sta e tea. If your teas have ii
been in the cupboard for a few years t’s t me to get some new tea. l
Most teas, if stored in a cardboard or paper container, wi l be good for i ii
a year. If stored n a metal conta ner, tea w ll stay fresh for two years.
There is much more to learn about tea. But I imagine that if you’re reading this book, you’re most concerned about losing weight. So here’s what I suggest you do: If you haven’t already done so, brew yourself a cup or a pot of tea. Don’t be concerned if you don’t have high-quality loose leaf tea sitting in your cupboard. You probably have a tea bag somewhere back there. If that’s the case, start by drinking that. Then go out and purchase some loose leaf tea (if you can’t find a tea shop near you, there are plenty of Web sites that offer tea online), and make up a pot.
Some people are intimidated by the thought of brewing loose leaf tea, only because they’ve never done it before. It’s easy; in fact, it’s easier than making a pot of coffee. Always remember that the perfect pot of tea is personal to the drinker; you have the finest nose and palate, and the way you brew your pot of tea is the best for you. Do not get caught up with all of the hoopla about steeping time and water temperature—just get to it.
Here’s the short explanation of how to brew tea: Heat some water, pour a little of the hot water into a teapot, swish it around, and throw it away. Then put enough tea leaves in the pot to entirely coat the bottom of the vessel with a thin layer of tea. Not an inch of tea, but a thin layer of tea (about 1⁄16 inch). Let steep for two minutes or so, strain, and enjoy.
Making Oolong Tea
ol ong tea requ res a s ightly d fferent preparat on than the i l i i l is
other three teas. White tea is harvested as a who e leaf, so it easy to see how much is coating the bottom of your vessel. Green ii
and black tea leaves are cut dur ng process ng, but you can still easily see how much is at the bottom. Oo ong tea, however, l is a who le ll
eaf that has been rolled; you therefore coat on y half of the vessel with tea because when you add the hot water, the tea in the pot w ill doub le i ii i l
n size. Coat ng the ent re bottom w th oolong will p ace too l)
much tea into your vessel. The same goes for any tea (oo ong or not ii
that s rolled, such as Jasm ne Pearl or Gunpowder.
Your vessel is defined as whatever touches your tea leaves during the preparation. So if you are using a teapot, then the pot is your vessel. If you are using a strainer, then the strainer is your vessel and not the cup into which you put the strainer.
For those of you who want a little more detailed instruction, just follow the suggested steps below:
Choose a Little Teapot . . .
hoos ng the proper cookware can influence the way your meal
Ci
turns out. Some peop le like to cook in a wok because once it’s i i-
seasoned, the wonderful o ls and flavors of everything you’ve prev i
ously cooked n it will be included in each new culinary creation. The same goes for tea ware—the teapot you use can impact the l ifi cal
flavor of your tea. Some peop e like to use metal teapots spec ly for the “wok effect.” If you prepare tea in a metal pot, the pot will absorb the flavor of the tea. So if you brew a pot of black tea in metal
i ii
and then brew wh te tea in the same pot, the wh te tea w ll take on l
some of the b ack tea notes. l
Personal y, I like to use a glass teapot. Glass does not absorb the ii
flavor of the tea as it s be ng brewed; neither do china or ceramic pots. So you can brew any k nd of tea and the next pot won’t be i inil
fused w th the flavor of the one before. But this book is a l about you. i
Use the teapot you love; your tea w ll be perfect for you and that’s all that matters.
again after having them drink tea with milk. This study found that adding milk made no difference to the beneficial properties. So here’s my advice: drink your tea the way you like it! And, if you are worried about adding milk, you might want to switch to rice or almond milk so you can be completely sure you’re preserving the antioxidants in your tea and still enjoy the milklike quality. Or you can give your favorite tea its own milklike flavoring by adding Tahitian vanilla beans or extract to your cup or pot (this is a great tip for people who can’t have dairy).
Concerned About Caffeine? Resteep Your Tea
though you’ll learn a lot more about caffe nei as you read
l
i iil
through th s book, here’s someth ng most Amer cans don’t rea ii
ze: You can steep your tea leaves over and over aga n. Whether you make a pot of loose tea or use a noncommercial tea bag (commercia l
)tea bags are produced to be used once and thrown away , you can reuse it several times ( oose tea more than bagged tea l ). And the caffei ne virtually disappears after the first steep. So if you don’t want the
i
caffe ne, follow the steps above to brew your tea, but don’t drink the ii
first pot. Pour that liqu d down the drain and most of the caffe ne will ii
go with t! Or refrigerate the liquid, and use it to make caffe nated i
iced tea at a later time; use it for cooking (see the Tea Rice rec pe on )
page 193 ; or you can even use it to water your plants. i
If you’re us ng a noncommercial tea bag (some high-quality loose ll )
teas come in special si k or ny on bags , you can reuse it twice or il
three t mes. But when you use qua ity loose leaf tea not in bags, you i
can resteep the leaves a minimum of four t mes, up to ten or twelve i
times. You can even resteep the tea several t mes, refrigerate the pot ii
overn ght, and use the leaves again the next day. Be sure to d scard these leaves after the second day; otherwise they may grow harmfu l bacteria.
If you have a garden or indoor plants, just throw your used leaves
i i ll
on the ground or nto the ndoor pot to use as mu ch. Your p ants w ill love you for it!
12. If you are using a tea bag instead of loose tea, use one bag per cup. Just like loose tea, however, you always put the tea bag in first, then add the water. Many restaurants serve it incorrectly—they give you a cup of hot water with a tea bag on the side and you are expected to dip the bag into the cup. You will find that when you drop the bag into the water, it will float on top. The water doesn’t saturate the tea, so you must use your spoon to push the tea bag down into the water. If you are serving it at home, pour the milk into the cup, if you like it that way, then place the tea bag in the cup, then pour in the water. Lastly, add sweetener or lemon if necessary.
When I look at loose tea I am looking for freshness and the ability to resteep my leaves many times. These are my criteria:
There is nothing more refreshing on a hot day than an ice-cold glass of iced tea. The good news is that it’s really easy to make. If you just want to make one glass for yourself, brew yourself a pot following the directions above, let it cool a bit, and then pour it over ice. What could be easier?
If you want to make a big old jug-full for the family, or for the week, you’ll need two large pots—like the one in which you usually make spaghetti. In the first pot, boil up your water; remove it from the burner. Coat the bottom of the second pot with your loose tea (or throw in several tea bags, depending on how strong you want your tea). Pour your hot water into your second pot (the one with the tea in it) and let it steep for 2 to 3 minutes.
Place a fine strainer on top of the first large pot (now empty) and pour the tea liquid back into it. Let the tea cool, and then pour into your favorite jug or jar. There you have your iced tea. Pour it over ice, or put into the fridge to have later.
But don’t discard those leaves—you can reuse them to make another batch of iced tea, or several pots of hot tea. Remember, any kind of tea can be made into iced tea. And if you want a special treat that tastes like a smoothie or a Slurpee, make yourself what we at dr. tea’s call a Frostea. Just pour your brewed tea over ice in a blender, add a little agave or honey, and blend away (turn to chapter 11 for some flavorful Frostea recipes). I’ve found that children love this cold treat—and it’s much better for them than soda pop or sweetened fruit juice.
Remember that you may want to make your tea a little stronger than usual, as the ice cubes will dilute the tea as they melt. On the other hand, if you’ve made a batch of tea and it is a little weaker than you would like, you can always make your ice cubes out of tea (page 254) and plop them in your glass!
The best quality tea must have creases like the leathern boot of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like a fine earth newly swept by rain.
LU YU (733–804 AD),
The Classic of Tea
Name: Amber Z. Age: 28 Total Weight Loss: 12 Total Inches Lost: 12 Favorite Tea: Pineapple Coconut White Tea
his has been a rough couple of years for me. And I’ve tried every kind of diet there is, and my weight has yo-yo’d tremendously. Because of that, I started having major gallbladder problems. Then I went on an all-vegan diet. I lost weight and my gallbladder healed, but then I thought, okay, now I’m better—so I just started eating everything again.
I gained a bit of weight, but I was doing pretty well. Until about four and a half years ago, when I got a job at Starbucks. I had a lot of stress in my life. I was taking care of my grandmother who was ill with cancer. I was working from four in the morning until one in the afternoon. I never had breakfast and I barely had lunch. At the end of the day, I might make myself a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y dinner, but maybe not. All day long I would be hopped up on caffeine just to keep myself awake and keep myself full. I figured at least I wasn’t smoking, so I was fine.
I actually became very irritable and nervous. My fiancé kept asking, “What’s happening to you?” I gained 45 pounds in the first year of working there. I maintained it for four years. I went from 140 to 198. I felt miserable. I started to change my eating habits. I started eating health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier foods. I was having oatmeal in the morning, I was having a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y lunch. And I still wasn’t losing weight. I’d maybe lose 4 pounds. I was so sluggish. I never felt good. I was always run down.
When I was drinking coffee all day long, I felt terrible and I went into depression physically and mentally. Right before I started the tea diet, I quit my job. Now that I’ve lost the weight, I feel great. I don’t think I would have normally been able to handle planning a wedding and looking for a new job. But something about drinking the tea would keep me on an even keel during the day. Now, when I’m upset, instead of going to the cupboard and grabbing something to eat, I grab a cup of tea. And my fiancé is now saying, “My girlfriend’s back!”
For a while, I really had no self-confidence. I have to say, this diet totally changed my life. For me, it’s not even a diet. It’s a way of thinking. As Dr. Tea always tells us: If you say you can, you will; if you say you can’t, you won’t. And I actually have that quote right next to my bed so when I get up it’s the first thing I see.
I recently got a job working at a women’s gym. Two months ago, I never would have believed I’d be working at a gym. I started as a receptionist but I just got a promotion about a week ago and I am now head of sales coordinating and marketing. And yes, I associate it with the Tea Diet. My mood has changed, my outlook on life is much more focused, and I am regaining the confidence I once had. I have realized how afraid of making changes I was. Now I feel great and more energized than I have in years. To be honest, I went from a tired person who was in debt, hated her job, and did not like what she saw in the mirror, to an energetic, motivated woman who loves being alive and is passionate about life.
I’m glad I lost weight, but more importantly, this whole experience has been inspiring for me because on a day-to-day basis, I’ve never felt so good.
As I mentioned, I am getting married. Like many brides, I bought a dress two sizes too small and said, “I’m going to make myself fit into this.” After eight weeks on the Ultimate Tea Diet, I decided to try the dress on and see if it was still too small. The zipper went up, and my jaw dropped down. I’m very excited!
3
America is a land of contradictions. It seems that for every step forward we take, whether it be in politics or pop culture, we take at least three steps backward. Our country’s obsession with weight and weight loss is no exception. Approximately 65 percent of Americans are overweight, and an astonishing 30.5 percent are considered obese. At the same time, Americans spend about $40 billion a year on weight-loss products and services. Which means that as our bodies are getting heavier and heavier, our wallets are getting lighter and lighter chasing after that fad diet or magic pill that will bring us back to being trim, fit, and health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y. Well, I am here to tell you that you can put your $40 billion back in your pocket and you can stop falling for those late-night infomercials that show you trumped-up before and after photos to try and make you believe that all you have to do is take three incredibly expensive pills a day and you’ll lose hundreds of pounds and develop washboard abs as well. Who do they think they’re kidding? Those supplements never work. Who knows what’s really in them, and what harm they may be doing to your body and health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)?
That is what is so amazing about the Ultimate Tea Diet. If you follow the balanced meal plan in chapter 8, which includes my mantra, “Find the teas you love and drink them all day,” you will lose weight. And because you are using no drugs or supplements to achieve your weight loss, you don’t have to worry about reading any fine print. Drinking tea has no harmful side effects, which is why people have been drinking it for close to 5,000 years.
Everyone and their mother knows that tea is good for you (you’ll find out more about tea’s amazing health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits in the next chapter). Just think about when you were last ill. Did you say, “Hey honey, can you get me a cup of coffee?” No way! You said, “Hey honey, can you get me a cup of tea?” But only in the last ten years or so have scientists begun to turn their attention to the connection between drinking tea and losing weight. Turns out there are three incredible ingredients in tea that work synergistically to influence the metabolic and nervous systems to help take the weight off and keep it off.
Each one of these ingredients taken alone has a degree of efficiency in helping the body to shed pounds. But it’s the combination—the mighty triumvirate I call “Tea3”—that gives tea its weight-loss wallop. And remember, these three ingredients are found naturally in the Camellia sinensis plant, not manufactured in a chemical plant. Tea is truly a miracle of nature—what I consider to be the most perfect plant ever created. I can’t help but get passionate when I speak about tea because I get so caught up in just how much nature can provide for us, if we only let it.
And every day I get more and more excited about tea as one scientific study after another proves that my faith in Cami is justified, especially where tea and weight loss is concerned. There is hard science behind the tea–weight loss connection that explains the synergy of the Tea3 powerful ingredients: caffeine, L-theanine, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The names may be tricky but the science isn’t, and this chapter will explain what they are and how they work together to increase your metabolism, keep you feeling satiated, and give you more energy without setting your nerves on edge.
Secret Ingredient #1: Caffeine
It’s difficult to separate Tea3’s ingredients in terms of each one’s influence on weight loss, since each has an effect on the other. But to help you understand how the overall process works, I’ll give it a try in simple nonscientific terms, because I need things made simple for me to understand them and then incorporate them into my life.
Let’s start with caffeine. Caffeine is a chemical found naturally in more than sixty species of plants, including coffee, tea, and cocoa. Mother Nature put caffeine in plants as a defense from insects consuming the leaves; caffeine is very bitter. Too much caffeine can be detrimental to your health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), as you will find out in detail in chapter 10. However, caffeine is not all bad. It is a natural stimulant that has been shown to boost the process known as thermogenesis, or the generation of heat in the body. This process is at the center of weight loss; it is the way in which fat molecules are “burned.” Thermal energy is divided into calories; the more energy that is expended, the more calories you will burn. Numerous studies have shown that caffeine increases energy expenditure.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1989 concluded that “caffeine at commonly consumed doses can have a significant influence on energy balance and may promote thermogenesis in the treatment of obesity.”
This is why you find caffeine in most of the over-the-counter diet supplements on supermarket and drugstore shelves today, many of which have extremely unhealth(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y side effects. In another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, this one in 1999, scientists studying the use of green tea extracts concluded that tea not only promoted thermogenesis, but that unlike caffeine alone, which arouses your nervous system and speeds up your heartbeat, the use of green tea extract was “not accompanied by an increase in heart rate.” To summarize these two studies, the consumption of tea will increase the burning of calories and promote weight loss without increasing your heart rate.
This leaves open the possibility of using green tea as an alternative to stimulant-based diet drugs found in the stores and advertised on TV, which may cause adverse effects on obese individuals and patients with hypertension (high blood pressure) and other cardiovascular conditions. Tea does not have these same adverse side effects because it has the next two secret ingredients: L-theanine and EGCG.
Secret Ingredient #2: L-Theanine
There is only one plant in the world (besides one obscure mushroom) that contains secret ingredient #2, and that plant is—you guessed it—Camellia sinensis. L-theanine (el-THEE-uh-neen) is a non-protein-based amino acid that constitutes between 1 and 2 percent of the dry weight of tea leaves. Caffeine makes up only about 0.5 percent.
As I said earlier, caffeine is a stimulant. It revs up many of your body’s processes and sends your nervous system into a state of shock. After ingestion, it is secreted into the bloodstream and makes its way to the brain where it stimulates your beta brain waves (see TEAser box).
Brain Waves
ll l
rain waves are e ectrical impu ses that corre ate to different types
of mental states and moods. There are four categories of bra in waves:
❖ Alpha: predom nant y present dur ng states of relaxed a ertness i l i l ❖ Beta: predominantly present during h ghly stressfu or exciting i l
situations ❖ Delta: predom nant y present dur ng the deepest stage of s eep i l i l ❖ ilil i
Theta: predom nant y present dur ng light s eep and drows ness
Beta brain waves are meant to be stimulated for the fight-or-flight response: when you are in danger, when you get into a car accident, when something happens to a member of your family. That’s when your body needs to get stimulated, and you actually want to get into a state of stress. You want to be able to lift a car off your loved one, or run a 100-yard dash in ten seconds to get away from a mugger in the night.
But most of the time, we are not in situations that produce such intense states of excitement or stress, even though the caffeine rush is signaling so to the brain. This is why the L-theanine in tea is so important, and what makes Cami the most perfect plant. Several minutes after the caffeine has entered your system, the L-theanine is secreted from the small intestine into the blood system and into the brain where it stimulates alpha brain waves, which produce a state of relaxed and effortless alertness, thus canceling out the harmful effects of the caffeine. Since caffeine has already reached the brain and gotten a bit of a head start, so to speak, you will still get that short wake-up blast you want in the morning—but without the jitters and palpitations that come from other caffeinated beverages like coffee, the ubiquitous energy drinks, and cola. Now you begin to see why I love the Cami plant; caffeine is allowed into your system for the weight-loss benefits and stimulation, then shortly thereafter, L-theanine comes along to cancel out its harmful effects.
Because of L-theanine’s effect on alpha brain waves, it is a natural medicine for the relief of stress, anxiety and tension. In fact, in 2004, researchers in Australia compared L-theanine to alprazolam (Xanax), a medication often prescribed to relieve anxiety. They found that L-theanine tended to reduce anxiety during a relaxation phase of the study, while the drug had no such effect.
Researchers have also found that L-theanine appears to play a role in the formation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which blocks the release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin to promote a state of calm relaxation.
But that’s not all. When stress levels decrease, so do levels of cortisol, a hormone that, when stimulated, increases appetite and influences where body fat will be stored (mainly in the abdominal region). In January 2007, scientists from the Department of Epidemiology and Public health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) at the University College of London published findings on tea’s effect on cortisol levels. The study, in the journal Psychopharmacology, found that people who drank tea were able to lower their stress levels faster than those who were given a placebo. For six weeks, participants drank either four cups of black tea a day, or four cups of a caffeinated placebo. After the six weeks, both groups were given two challenging behavioral tasks. Both groups were found to have similar stress levels when the tasks were completed; however, an hour later the cortisol levels had dropped by an average of 47 percent in the tea-drinking group compared with 27 percent in the caffeinated placebo group. So it seems that L-theanine not only reverses caffeine’s harmful effects but assists to reduce stress, which in turn reduces appetite and the storage of fat in your body.
Secret Ingredient #3: EGCG
Even if you’re not familiar with L-theanine, chances are you’ve heard of EGCG. It stands for a chemical compound called Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and it’s been appearing on a lot of highly visible labels lately. Bottled teas are now proudly announcing EGCG as an ingredient in their beverage (even though it’s in all tea), and even the Coca-Cola company has jumped on the bandwagon with Enviga, a sparkling green tea beverage that contains EGCG and caffeine (and a host of artificial sweeteners and preservatives).
What is EGCG? It is a chemical compound known as a catechin, which is a subclass of polyphenols, compounds known for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are substances found in tea (and many other foods) that can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to the cells of the body. When the cells use oxygen, as they do all day, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage to the cells. Antioxidants act as “free-radical policemen” and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals. But EGCG is more than a potent antioxidant. In combination with Tea3’s other secret ingredients, it is a potent factor in stimulating weight loss. Studies have shown that green tea extracts (containing EGCG) markedly inhibit enzymes in the pancreas that help to digest fat in vitro (meaning “in a test tube”), which may translate into reduced fat digestion in humans.
In a study appearing in 2005 in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, thirty-eight Japanese men were each given a 340-milliliter bottle (roughly two cups) of oolong tea to drink with dinner each day. Half of the men got tea laced with about 22 milligrams of green tea catechins (mostly EGCG), and the rest got tea spiked with 960 milligrams of catechins.
All of the participants were put on a calorie-counting diet. After twelve weeks, both groups of men lost weight. Those drinking the low-catechins tea lost approximately 3 pounds, while the high-catechins group lost an average of more than 5 pounds. Most important, much of the weight loss in the second group came from fat—total fat volume fell 10.3 percent in the high-catechins group, while it fell only 2.6 percent in the others. Both groups found that they had lost inches off their waistlines.
The Ultimate Tea Diet TEAmmates all had the same result (although they lost an average of 12 pounds and 15.7 inches overall in eight weeks)! They all were proud to admit that their clothes were fitting better, and most were actually loose around the waist. This is what is in store for you, too.
Other reasons EGCG helps you lose weight include:
✸ The Dynamic Duo: EGCG and Caffeine: We’ve already learned that the caffeine in tea stimulates thermogenesis, the biochemical process by which fat in the body is burned to produce energy. Studies have now shown that there is a synergistic interaction between EGCG and caffeine that further promotes energy expenditure. A 1999 study in which a group of men were given 90 mg of EGCG three times daily concluded that the men taking the EGCG burned 266 more calories than those who were given placebos. The authors of the study concluded that EGCG not only stimulated but prolonged fat tissue thermogenesis to a much greater extent than just caffeine alone, and that tea’s “thermogenic properties could reside primarily in an interaction between its high content in catechin-polyphenols and caffeine . . .” This proves that EGCG helps burn fat even if you’re doing nothing other than sitting around drinking tea all day. So the more tea you drink the more fat you burn.
Why are insulin levels so important for weight loss? Because insulin plays a major role in weight gain, and even keeps us from losing weight. The more insulin produced, the harder it is to lose weight. We get most of our energy from carbohydrates, which are digested and broken down into glucose, or blood sugar. When blood sugar levels rise, insulin, produced in the pancreas, begins to do its job, which is to escort blood sugar into the liver and muscles where it’s turned into glycogen and waits to be burned as energy. If there’s more blood sugar than there is cell storage space, the excess is converted into fat.
If you are consistently subjecting your cells to carbohydrate overload and your body is storing too much blood sugar as fat, the sensors that are normally receptive to insulin begin to shut down. The body continues to produce the insulin, but can no longer utilize it efficiently or effectively. So you have insulin being produced with no use other than telling your body to burn less fat and store more fat; this is commonly referred to as insulin resistance.
That begins a vicious cycle: When you are overweight, fat cells inhibit the release of glucose for energy because you have too much insulin. Because glucose is not being used for energy, it is locked into its storage space in the cell, and no more can get in. When more carbohydrates are consumed, and more glucose and insulin are produced, there is nowhere for them to go, so the glucose is turned into fat that in turn inhibits the use of glucose . . . It becomes harder and harder to lose weight because your body has become an automatic fat-producer. The more tea you drink, the lower the insulin level in your body.
✸ Tea’s EGCG enhances insulin’s effectiveness: In a study published in 2002 in the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, black, green, and oolong teas (but not tisanes) were all shown to increase insulin activity (effectiveness) by more than 15 percent in vitro (test tube). The higher the insulin effectiveness (as caused by EGCG), the better your ability to convert sugars into energy, and the greater your ability to lose weight. The more tea you drink, the higher your insulin’s effectiveness.
This is good news for people with type 2 diabetes (if you have diabetes, be sure to consult your physician before making any changes in your diet). Diabetes means that you either are not producing enough insulin, or that your cells are becoming insensitive to the insulin that is there. Since drinking tea makes insulin more effective, it may be able to prevent the disease, or at least to postpone its onset.
In case you haven’t already gotten the point, here’s one more reason that the Tea3 combination is so effective in aiding weight loss:
✸ Tea increases fat burning: Another study, this one published in 2001 in the American Society for Nutritional Sciences’ Journal of Nutrition, divided participants into four groups who, over a three-day period, consumed 1) water, 2) full-strength tea, 3) half-strength tea, and 4) water containing 270mg caffeine (equivalent to the concentration in the full-strength tea). Energy expenditure was significantly increased for both the full-strength tea and the caffeinated water treatments. In addition, fat oxidation (burning) was significantly higher (12 percent) when subjects consumed the full-strength tea rather than water, which shows us that caffeine alone is not as good as the Tea3’s combination for losing weight.
It would be possible for me to go on and on, listing study after study that proves that drinking tea will help you lose weight, and you can find many of them listed in the reference section at the back of this book, or online. But it should be clear to you by now that there is solid scientific evidence to back up the claims of Tea3’s weight-loss benefits. The beauty of this is that all you have to do to obtain these wonderful benefits and start dropping pounds and inches is to find the teas you love and start to drink them all day. Now doesn’t that sound like something you can do? I know it does! It’s easy and it works!
If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.
WILLIAM GLADSTONE, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER
Name: Christine A. Age: 28 Total Weight Loss: 10.5 Total Inches Lost: 11.5 Favorite Tea: Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Black Tea
have struggled with my weight for the past eight years and done the whole yo-yo dieting thing. Nothing was life-changing for me on those diets. I lost weight and gained it back because it never fit in my life. I was always craving something I couldn’t have.
A little over a year ago I gained a lot of weight because I had broken my ankle on
a hike. I was not allowed to exercise and so I got very depressed. Then, just when
my ankle was healed I notice my whole leg was swollen and had it examined. I found
out I had a blood clot and couldn’t exercise for at least six months because of the
medicine they had me on. I got more depressed and, of course, gained more
weight. After nearly one year I finally received the okay to exercise from my doctor.
I was on a mission to find the perfect plan for my life . . . a plan that would not just fit
into my life but would become part of my life forever.
I planned on going to LA with my best girlfriends after we heard about Dr. Tea
on TV. We knew we wanted to go by and meet him and try dr. tea’s teas. The day I
met him, I knew my life was going to change for the better. He told me about the
Tea Diet.
I listened to Dr. Tea talk about all the benefits of drinking and cooking with tea and
what it does to you, your body, and energy. He has been where I am today and knows
exactly what I feel right now in my life about my weight. That was a big turning point
for me and I knew I could do this . . . and would do this! What did I have to lose? I love
tea and get to lose weight in the process. I knew this was the plan for me.
With the Ultimate Tea Diet plan you can have what you crave . . . in tea! I love
french fries and guess what? He has a tea for that craving. I had to drink that tea a lot at lunch because I so badly wanted french fries, and it replaced that craving in my life. I also have a sweet tooth. Dr. Tea has some of the best sweet teas I could ever dream of. Every time I would feel my sweet tooth taking over, I would brew Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Tea and the craving would be satisfied! Now I crave the tea instead of the sweets! Whatever your craving, you can find a tea just right for you!
In just a week of being on the Ultimate Tea Diet, I had so much more energy I couldn’t believe it. I was drinking tea all day long and felt the benefits Dr. Tea was talking about. My appetite was shrinking! I couldn’t believe it! At times when I normally ate a lot, I ate a little and was full. What an amazing feeling. Even my husband was following the plan and seeing a change in his appetite and energy. I had enough energy to exercise, and wanted to! I started sleeping again at night without struggling to fall asleep! After a couple weeks, I started to see my clothes getting loose on me. I had a favorite pair of capris I haven’t been able to wear in two years. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I was amazed and was so proud of myself.
But the best thing happened one night when my husband asked me to go running around the block with him. I have struggled with asthma since high school and have the worst time running. I was a little nervous because I knew that I wouldn’t make it around the block. I thought that after I passed four houses, I would have to walk. But I agreed to go anyway. We started to run and I was doing great. We passed that fourth house and I was still feeling great! I was now half way around the block and still going. My husband asked, “How you doing?” I said “Fine!!!” As we came around the last turn and I could see our house, I felt so good. As soon as we got to our driveway I started to cry! I was so impressed with myself, I knew then I was on the right track to getting health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y!
As each week passes I see changes in my body in different ways. My tummy looks less and less like I’m pregnant and my legs look less and less like cottage cheese. My acne is clearing up, my eating habits have changed—I don’t want the junk food or french fries anymore. My stress has leveled out as well. I feel so much more confident about myself. I walk with my head up because I don’t have a reason anymore to feel depressed or upset with my life.
There is nothing more exciting than knowing I’m on the right track to taking back control of my life! If I can do it . . . so can you!
4
Imagine that you are a research scientist scanning the earth’s flora and fauna, looking for those natural substances that might help the human race ward off disease and maintain health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y bodies. Imagine that you are looking for foods that could help prevent cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, and stroke; that could lower blood pressure, reduce weight, decrease inflammation, protect against wrinkles and sun damage; and that could increase creativity and peak performance. Now imagine that you found all of those properties in one inexpensive, noncaloric, readily available, good-tasting natural plant-derived substance. You would be just like me; ecstatic, excited, over-the-moon, and anxious to spread to the waiting world word of your fantastic new discovery: tea. Of course, you would soon realize that your “new” discovery was more than 4,700 years old—but it wasn’t until the last century that scientists began to truly understand just how many rich and varied benefits there are in each and every cup of tea.
***
So now it’s time for a short, but important, science lesson. Please, do not be put off by this. I’m including this information so that you will understand and appreciate all of tea’s incredible health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits. Take the time to read this chapter so that you too will come to understand what I have been reading about and analyzing for the past fifteen years, about what this miracle plant can do for us above and beyond weight loss. Remember, as we learned in chapter 1, all tea comes from the same plant, so even though the medical studies below only used one type of tea, all of the other types of tea would produce similar results.
What is it about tea that makes it so health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y? It begins with free radicals. A free radical is an oxygen molecule with an odd number of electrons in the outer ring of one of its atoms. Free radicals are unstable because of their missing electrons. To try to correct this condition, free radicals grab on to health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y cells and try to “steal” their electrons. What results, however, is that more free radicals are created, causing a chain reaction with the potential of causing a tremendous amount of cellular destruction. Over time, free radical activity can produce some extremely damaged, and in some instances, malignant (cancerous) cells.
Free radicals are produced naturally as oxygen interacts with organic matter (cut into an apple, leave it out on the counter and it turns brown—that is oxidation). Our bodies are constantly oxidizing. Sadly, we help the process along when we eat foods that have been refined and processed or fried in fats and oils at superhigh heat. Our bodies are not designed to cope with so much free radical buildup. Once we go past that threshold, our cells begin to age prematurely, and we contribute to our own journey towards disease and disability.
We would have no hope at all if it wasn’t for antioxidants; they come to the rescue by destroying free radicals and slowing down the oxidation process. Turns out tea is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, EGCG being one of the most potent ones (EGCG is a catechin, a subclass of polyphenols, which is in turn a subclass of flavonoids).
White tea has the largest amount of these flavonoids, then green, then oolong, then black. For the purposes of the Ultimate Tea Diet, it really does not matter which tea you are drinking because the differences in the amounts of flavonoids are small.
According to the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition of Iowa State University, there are about 316 milligrams of flavonoids in a cup of green tea; a cup of black tea contains about 268 milligrams of flavonoids. Scientists have calculated that the tea plant ranks as one of the highest in total flavonoid content. The Agricultural Research Service, a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture, states that “green tea contains more simple flavonoids, called catechins, while black tea contains more complex varieties, called thearubigins and theaflavins. Some polyphenols have recently been determined—in test tube studies—to be more potent antioxidants than the well-known vitamins A, C, and E.” Research has shown that both catechins and theaflavins are equally effective in scavenging free radicals and keeping you in good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com).
Free Radicals and Exercise: Good News and Bad News
he bad news is that exercise, which we all know is crit cal to
Ti
li
weight loss, actual y generates free rad cals. i
But don’t let that stop you from your morn ng run, power walk, or ii
res stance tra ning! The good news is that if you drink a cup of tea i li
before you exerc se, you are not on y pump ng iron, you are pump-ii
ing ant oxidants into your bloodstream and fending off the ox dative damage caused to the cells.
In fact, some scientists believe that tea is even health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier than water. In August 2006, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a review of tea-based studies conducted between 1990 and 2004 that reached some fascinating conclusions:
Dr. Ruxton, lead author of the study, told the BBC News that she recommends 1.5 to 2 litres (six to eight cups, or 48 to 64 ounces) of fluid intake a day, and, she says, “that can include tea.” And, perhaps most important, she told the BBC, “Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluid and contains antioxidants so it’s got two things going for it.”
Another good reason for drinking tea is that it boosts your immune system, a complex set of organs, tissues, and specialized cells that protects the body from bacteria, viruses, and other internal and external toxins. When these toxins invade the body, they trigger an inflammatory response. Injured tissue releases chemicals that cause swelling in order to isolate the “invader” from further contact with the body. However, when the immune system encounters unusually large amounts of toxins, other symptoms are added to the swelling, such as redness, stiffness, and pain, and diseases including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, and many other serious autoimmune maladies can occur.
Several recent studies have shown that both L-theanine and EGCG are effective in boosting the immune system and in fighting inflammation. In one study, published in 2003 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Harvard scientists found that tea acts as a sort of natural vaccine that “teaches” immune cells to recognize markers on the surface of invading toxins. Prior to the study, participants were measured for certain T cells that play a crucial role in resisting infection. Then they were asked to drink five or six cups a day of either tea or coffee for four weeks. When they were subsequently measured, the tea drinkers—but not the coffee drinkers—saw increased production of an important disease-fighting protein on their T cells. The researchers concluded that the L-theanine in tea helps “prime human . . . T-cells . . . [to] provide natural resistance to microbial infections.”
Other studies have shown that EGCG helps block production of a key molecule (interleukin-8) that causes inflammation in many conditions like arthritis. A study involving arthritis-prone mice showed that when they were given the human equivalent of four cups of green tea a day, they halved their risk of developing the disease. A 2007 study from the University of Michigan found that EGCG inhibited the production of several molecules in the immune system that contribute to inflammation and joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis. And in another 2007 study, Dr. Stephen Hsu, a cell biologist in the Medical College of Georgia’s Department of Oral Biology and Maxillofacial Pathology, investigated Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that damages the glands that produce saliva and causes what is commonly known as dry mouth. He noted that about 30 percent of elderly Americans suffer from dry mouth, while only 5 percent of the elderly in China, where tea is widely consumed, suffer from the problem. Some participants were given green tea to drink, and others were given water. At the end of the study, the green tea group showed significantly less damage to their salivary glands. Dr. Hsu stated that these results reinforced earlier findings that showed a similar phenomenon in a petri dish, and that further study could help determine tea’s protective role in other autoimmune diseases.
In the late 1960s, American scientists noticed some interesting findings. While doing autopsies, they observed that the arteries of tea-drinking Chinese Americans had only two-thirds as much coronary artery disease as Caucasian coffee drinkers. Since that time, many more studies have shown a link between drinking tea and preventing heart disease. As we learned in the last chapter, tea helps to cleanse the blood of triglycerides and cholesterol. In 2003, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study in which, over a twelve-week period, 240 Chinese men and women with moderately high cholesterol were given either a green tea extract augmented with theaflavins from black tea or a placebo with no tea. After the twelve weeks, the placebo group had no changes in their total cholesterol or their “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. In the tea group, however, total cholesterol dropped by 11.3 percent and LDL by 16.4 percent. At the same time, the “good” HDL cholesterol levels increased by
2.3 percent in the tea-drinking group, while the placebo group saw an increase of only 0.7 percent.
Another study, published in 2003, using black tea, found a 6- to 10-percent reduction in blood lipids (fats) in black tea drinkers in just three weeks. The Agricultural Research Service reported the study’s authors’ conclusion: “Drinking black tea, in combination with following a prudent diet moderately low in fat, cholesterol, and saturated fatty acids, reduces total and LDL cholesterol by significant amounts and may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”
Tea also protects the heart by helping to lower blood pressure. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common form of heart disease, and is a major risk factor for heart-related death. A study of Chinese tea drinkers published in 2004 showed that drinking as little as a half-cup of green or oolong tea per day may lower the risk of high blood pressure by nearly 50 percent. Researchers found that men and women who drank tea on a daily basis for at least a year were much less likely to develop hypertension than those who didn’t, and the more tea they drank, the bigger the benefits. Those who drank at least a half-cup of moderate strength green or oolong tea per day for a year had a 46-percent lower risk of developing hypertension than those who didn’t drink tea. Among those who drank more than two and a half cups of tea per day, the risk of high blood pressure was reduced by 65 percent.
The evidence that tea helps prevent cancer is overwhelming. Since the 1990s, hundreds of studies have been performed showing that tea can inhibit the formation of tumors, and slow the growth of those already formed. In 1997, researchers at the University of Kansas discovered that the antioxidant power of EGCG is about 100 times greater than vitamin C and twenty-five times greater than vitamin E in protecting DNA from the kind of free radical damage that is thought to increase the risk of cancer. Researchers also found that EGCG is able to signal cancer cells to stop reproducing by promoting apoptosis, a normal cellular process leading to the death of a cell—without harming any health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y cells. One study out of Purdue University in 1998 found that an enzyme called quinol oxidase, or NOX, is necessary for the growth of both normal and cancerous cells. The overactive form of NOX is known as tNOX, for tumor-associated NOX. In test tubes, using purified NOX protein solutions, researchers found that low doses of EGCG—such as those that could be consumed by drinking several cups of tea a day—were capable of inhibiting the activity of the tNOX cells but did not inhibit the NOX activity of health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y cells.
Here are just a few examples of what cancer-related studies have shown:
✸ Tea and breast cancer: Scientists have long noted that breast cancer is much less common in countries where green tea is regularly consumed. One Japanese study found a decreased risk of recurrence for early-stage cancer patients who drank three or more cups of green tea. This suggests at least the possibility that regular green tea consumption may help prevent recurrence of breast cancer in early-stage cases. A Chinese study found that women who consumed at least 26 ounces of green tea leaves each year had a 39-percent reduced risk of breast cancer compared to nondrinkers. Twenty-six ounces of dried leaves per year equates to only 300 cups of green tea over the course of a year, which equals less than one cup per day.
published in 2005 found that a supplement containing antioxidants from green tea was 90 percent effective in preventing prostate cancer in men at high risk for the disease. That study found that after a year of taking green tea catechins, only one man in a group of thirty-two who were at higher risk of prostate cancer actually developed the disease, while nine men in a group of thirty high-risk men who took a placebo without tea developed prostate cancer.
Whether you choose to follow the Ultimate Tea Diet or not, it’s a good idea to lose weight if you want to avoid prostate cancer. An American Cancer Society study that included 900,000 Americans who were followed over sixteen years showed that the increased risk of prostate cancer for men who were overweight was 8 percent, for obese men the risk was increased by 20 percent, and severely obese men were more than 34 percent times more likely than men of normal weight to suffer from the disease.
A study of Australian men reported that obese men were 2.2 times more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer than lean men, with each 22 pounds of excess weight boosting the risk by 40 percent. And abdominal obesity has been linked to nearly a threefold increase in the risk of clinical prostate cancer in China.
Like Red Meat? Have Some Tea
id you know that powerful mutagens (compounds known to
ii
cause cancer) form when you broil or fry meat? Sc ent sts bel
lieve that these mutagens increase the risk of both breast and co on cancer. So do you have to give up your favorite protein? li i
No way! A study pub shed in the journal Mutat on Research in 2002 showed that the application of green tea and black tea to both i
surfaces of beef before cook ng inhibits the formation of the mutaii
gens. So go to chapter 11 and exper ment with the tea rub rec pes you’ll find there. F nd the onei (s) you like and rub on that tea—and be i
generous. The more tea you rub on, the fewer cancer-caus ng agents ii
n your beef. And, oh yes—the tast er your beef!
The accumulated evidence showing tea as a preventative agent against cancer is so strong, it prompted researchers from the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima, Japan to state that “daily consumption of green tea in sufficient amounts will help to prolong life by avoiding premature death, particularly death caused by cancer.” Although this study used only green tea, we now know that all true tea will confer the same benefits.
If you are in the middle of an artistic endeavor, trying to solve a complicated problem, or about to enter an athletic event, you might want to take a short break and have a nice cup of tea. When the L-theanine in your tea of choice stimulates your alpha brain waves, it generates a state of relaxed alertness—and it also enhances your ability to concentrate while it promotes mental clarity. It improves your ability to learn new things. Increased activity in alpha brain waves leads to heightened creativity. And sports scientists have shown that increases in alpha brain waves usually precede peak performance. So if you want to be your best and do your best, it seems that a cup of tea just might be your best bet!
And that goes for protecting your brain as well. A Japanese study of approximately 6,000 women found that those who drank five or more cups of green tea a day were significantly less likely than those who drank no tea to suffer a stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage. A Dutch study in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1996 revealed that drinking five cups of black tea per day also reduced the likelihood of stroke—by as much as 69 percent.
And in 2004, an English team determined that both green and black tea inhibited the activity of enzymes associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease, but that coffee had no significant effect. Although there are drugs currently on the market that serve the same purpose, they often have unpleasant side effects. Lead researcher Dr. Ed Okello, who is a lecturer with Newcastle University’s School of Biology, said: “Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, tea could potentially be another weapon in the armory which is used to treat this disease and slow down its development.”
While tea is performing all of its medical miracles on the inside of your body, it’s improving the outside as well. In 2006, a team of American and German researchers published the results of their study of the effect of topically applied tea extracts on skin damage from radiation treatment in cancer patients. They found that the tea reduced the duration of skin damage by five to ten days, and concluded that the tea works at a cellular level to inhibit inflammatory pathways and reduce inflammation. Dr. Stephen Hsu, introduced earlier in this chapter, has conducted a number of studies on green tea and EGCG. In 2003, he and his colleagues published the findings of their study of the normal growth of skin cells versus the growth of the cells when exposed to EGCG. He was astonished to find that EGCG reactivated dying skin cells. In a news release from the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Hsu said that “when exposed to EGCG, the old cells found in the upper layers of the epidermis appear to start dividing again. They make DNA and produce more energy.” He also found that EGCG could benefit skin conditions from psoriasis to wrinkles and wounds. “If we can spur the skin cells to differentiate and proliferate,” he said, “we can potentially accelerate the wound-healing process and prevent scarring.”
More and more dermatologists are using tea-based products for their patients. Dr. Julia Tatum Hunter of Skin Fitness Plus in Beverly Hills recommends several of these products, as well as advising that her patients drink at least three cups of tea a day. “In today’s toxic world where the ozone has been depleted, where the ultraviolet radiation induces increasingly more toxicity and inflammation in the skin, it’s imperative to consume more antioxidants,” says Dr. Hunter. “Tea not only tastes good, it can replace the soda and coffee that increase your toxicity and your inflammation. Inflammation affects the breakdown of collagen, which is what gives you wrinkles and causes your skin to sag as you get older. So the more tea you drink the better.”
Does Tea Stain Your Teeth?
iii ihe answer s: it m ght. Tea, along w th coffee, cola, red w ne, and
ii
grape juice, conta ns tannins, compounds that g ve these bevi
erages their astr ngent qualities. These beverages are also known as ii
“chromogenic,” mean ng that they have the ability, over t me, to i il
sta n the teeth. A s mp e rule of thumb is that if a food or beverage l ly
can leave a permanent stain on c othes or carpets, it can probab sta n your teeth as well. But teeth are very ind i ivi dual substances; il
some people’s teeth can become d sco ored by these beverages, while others suffer no effects at all.
il
Here are some t ps to follow if your teeth are changing co or:
❖ Vis t your dentist. Teeth naturally darken with age, so i it may ii i
have noth ng to do w th what you eat or dr nk. There can also be pathological reasons for d sco oration (like tooth decay), i l ii
wh ch only a dent st can identify. Be sure to go for regular cl eanings, which can often take care of the staining problem. ❖ iii ii
If you’re dr nk ng a lot of tea, r nse your mouth w th pla n water several times during the day. ❖ i
Brush often. Electr c toothbrushes may be more effective at getting rid of staining than manual brushing. ❖ i
Floss regularly. Teeth often sta n worse around the edges. That’s where plaque builds up, and plaque attracts sta in. ❖ Try dr nk ng iced tea. Hot liqu ds penetrate tooth ename more i i i l l ii
easi y than cold. And it’s even better f you dr nk your cold beverages through a straw, as you reduce the teeth’s exposure to the sta ini ng beverages.
❖ i
Whiten your teeth. Your dent st may perform in-office bleaching, or you can try over-the-counter whiten ng str ps, gels, or i i i
toothpastes. When selecting a wh tener, be sure to look for the American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance, which assures that the product has met the ADA’s standards of safety and effectiveness.
li i
On a tooth-health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y note: Tea is a rich source of f uor de. Fluor de l
is a natural e ement found in the earth’s crust as well as in water and
ai r. It works w th sa i li va to protect tooth ename from p aque and sug-l l l is) extracts f uor de from the so l, i
ars. The tea p ant (Camellia sinensli i
wh ch then accumulates in its leaves. So tea, while it may cause some l
discoloration, is actual y good for your teeth!
***
As with the previous chapter, I could go on and on about the benefits of tea. I
haven’t even covered all the areas of research; recent findings are showing that
tea can help prevent osteoporosis and even, in preliminary studies, reduce the
risk of HIV infection. With all of the studies mentioned above and the thou
sands more going on today, it is important to note that, unlike some other caf
feinated drinks I know of (coffee, energy drinks, and sodas), there do not seem
to be any down sides to drinking tea. There are no studies showing that tea
does a body any harm. All the news about tea is good.
Now that you know all the incredible things tea can do for you, and now that you’ve started drinking tea (I hope), you’re ready to start making important changes in your life. So go ahead and make yourself another cup of your favorite tea and let’s begin the Ultimate Tea Diet.
Seven bowls of tea bring seven advantages: one, it promotes the production of body fluids and quenches thirst; two, it refreshes the mind; three, it helps digestion; four, it induces sweating to relieve the common cold; five, it helps fat people reduce weight; six, it activates thinking and strengthens memory; and seven, it ensures longevity.”
FROM health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) BENEFITS OF TEA BY LU TONG,
WRITTEN DURING THE TANG DYNASTY OVER 1,100 YEARS AGO
Name: Canary G. Age: 52 Total Weight Loss: 19 Total Inches Lost: 26.5 Favorite Tea: Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Black Tea
hen I walked into dr. tea’s March 10, 2007, I had no idea my life was about to totally change. I didn’t know I was about to discover something that would be so consuming and cause me to get so excited. I’ve been trying to lose weight for over ten years—sad to say, but it’s true. I’ve tried everything, every diet, and nothing worked. Or if it did it was only for a minute, then I would lose interest and I always gained the weight back.
Since I’ve been on the Ultimate Tea Diet, something is very different for me this time. I was so ready to try something that would work, something I would believe in and something that would restore something that was very lost in me. Well, I found it, and it has continued daily to call my name.
What really sparked my interest in tea was a friend in South Carolina who told me she had lost 15 pounds in less than two months drinking green tea. A delivery man on my job told me how much better he felt drinking black tea and that I should try it. I thought to myself, I grew up drinking iced tea daily and maybe I should go back to my roots. I had a bag of green tea at the office and began to drink it daily for about two weeks. During those weeks I surfed the Net and kept reading about how tea promotes weight-loss.
While I was searching the internet, I went to Dr. Tea’s website, talked with Dr. Tea and days later I visited dr. tea’s. I sat at the bar, watched, listened, and drank the best-tasting tea I ever had in my life. People kept coming in one after another giving their testimonies about how great they felt, how much energy they now had, and how much weight they had lost.
The Ultimate Tea Diet is a program that is life changing—it can totally change your lifestyle, the way you think, the way you feel and how you look. The first week I lost 6.5 pounds and was totally blown away. I replaced coffee and sodas with eight to thirteen cups of tea a day. I found wonderful tasting flavored teas from dr. tea’s such as Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Black Tea, White Blueberry, and Key Lime Pie Sherbet, just to name a few. It’s almost like cheating in a good way to good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com).
The Ultimate Tea Diet works naturally with your system and will cause changes you won’t believe. My skin is clearer. I’ve lost inches all over my body and my exercising endurance has increased. I drink some of the trigger teas to curb my appetite for things such as candy bars, chips, and wine. Don’t get me wrong, you will have those urges but they won’t be as strong when drinking the teas.
You will learn how to eat health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y following the 14-day menu plan. You will learn how to adjust foods to your liking in a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y way. I know you might be thinking, I can’t eat this and I don’t like that. This is where the teas come in. The teas taste so good to me that they gave me the motivation to change what I ate and the way it was prepared. I didn’t think I ate that badly or anything, but I found a better way. Some of the recipes served as a guideline to get me off to a good start. I now find myself using tea in almost everything I cook—peas, cabbage, steak, eggs, you name it.
Most of all I changed my mind, I changed my way of thinking. “If I say I can, I will; if I say I can’t, I won’t.” This program can and will work for anyone who would like to lose weight. You can lose at your own pace and you don’t have to starve yourself or skip meals. The weight loss is amazing; you’ll say, “Oh, I can do this.” Everywhere I go it’s me and my tea. I love it!
I am amazed at the results I’ve had being on the Ultimate Tea Diet. I am happy to say that my blood pressure medication has been cut in half. My clothes are loose-fitting and inches are melting away, oh happy day! I work out three to five times a week, I eat tasty foods that are good for me. I must say I have worked this Ultimate Tea Diet and it has worked me.
5
When you go on a diet, or start a new exercise plan, or stop drinking coffee, energy drinks, or diet soda, or want to change any bad habit in your life, you’re asking a lot of your
self. Change is hard. No matter how much tea you drink, losing weight will be a temporary fix unless you address the way you think about your life and yourself. I didn’t set out to write The Ultimate Tea Diet fifteen years ago when I made my life’s turn. All I knew was that I had to make a change in my life. I had to get strong, I had to get health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y. I had to start changing who I was. I had to start changing how I thought about who I was.
When tea found me, it changed my life and my health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com), and it will change yours, too! I am my own best testimonial. You will read about my life-changing event, when I was 38, when I had to make a choice of staying on the same old road, going to the same old places, and feeling the same old way about who I was—or getting off that old road and making a turn onto a new one, a road of good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and good thought, with different sights and a completely different destination—a destination filled with great health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and the energy of a man half my age. I made that turn. I had to! Isn’t it time for you to make your turn, too?
At first, I had to crawl down that new road. Then I began walking, then jogging, running, and finally I was able to drive down that new road because I took control of my life. And, to my own amazement, I found that at every new turn there was tea or something to do with tea. I created the Ultimate Tea Diet (although it had no name at the time). I started by replacing one of the many cups of coffee I was drinking each day with one cup of tea instead; slowly I built up to as much tea as I could drink all day. I learned to cook with tea and noticed the difference in my physiology and my psychology almost immediately. I was much less frenetic. I was not so needy. I cut way down on the amount of alcohol I was drinking, and when I did drink I learned to make drinks with tea in them. I began to lose weight. I began to work out and to feel health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier and happier than ever before. I even began to meditate.
Tea and Alcohol
’m not encouraging anyone to drink a cohol. But if you do, I am en-
Il
ii
courag ng you to dr nk tea before and after. That’s because severa l animal stud es have shown that the ant i ioxi dants in tea protect against i
liver and bra n damage caused by alcohol. li i ,
In a study pub shed in the January 2004 ssue of the journa l Alcohol iiil ii
n wh ch laboratory an ma s (okay—rats) were chron cally intox cated wi th a cohol for four weeks, green tea prevented damage to the r livers. l i lli il
Another study, a so pub shed in 2004 n the journa Food and Chemical Tox co ogyi l , agan invo lvi i i l l
i ng intox cated lab an ma s, ooked at the efl l l i icial an
fects of b ack tea and conc uded: “These resu ts ind cated beneftioxi l il ii
dant effect of b ack tea regard ng a l exam ned t ssue, but especially the liver.” And other stud es have shown that tea protects bra i in ti ssue ii
aga nst the free rad cal damage caused by alcohol consumption.
Now, please don’t think I’m starting a Cult of Tea. You’re not going to start begging barefoot, asking strangers for money for a cup of oolong. You’re not going to give up your worldly possessions and go live with a houseful of other tea drinkers (unless you choose to). But if you want the Ultimate Tea Diet to be successful for you, you are going to have to make some changes.
When I was a young man of 18, I traveled to Europe for the first time. I had no money to speak of, so I rationed everything. My friends with more funds ate freely, while I sat there starving. At times the only thing I could afford was something to drink. I soon came to realize that the cappuccinos and espressos only added to my hunger. Drinking tea actually reduced my hunger pangs. I didn’t know any of the scientific reasons for this that I later learned; I only knew that I didn’t need as much food as I thought I did, all because I was drinking tea. Tea became my solace and my savior. It never failed to ease my hunger.
On the same trip, I remember that when I did have some food to eat, I made sure to give away a portion of my food to another. This act actually suppressed my appetite. I was more satisfied with what I had in front of me by giving a part of it away, and was not as hungry so soon thereafter. It is one of the unwritten laws of the universe.
After a while, I came home to my old life—and my old habits. I forgot about tea. I drank coffee all day. I ate sweets. I worked too much and played too hard. Life happened, and some of it was very painful. And then, when things were at their worst, I found my way back to tea.
When I was 38 years old, anyone who didn’t know me (and even most who did) would look at me and think, “That guy has it all.” In some ways I did. True, I had had a failed marriage and a bitter divorce. But I was very successful in business, first as a sports agent and then in the real estate field. True, my business life was not satisfying to me. I was addicted to coffee; I drank ten, twelve, fourteen cups of coffee a day. I had to have my fix every single day. But I had a multimillion-dollar four-story beach house in Malibu (where all the movie stars live). I had a hot, head-turning Ferrari. I traveled the world. I ate at the best tables at the best restaurants, partied with A-list crowd, dated women I didn’t necessarily like, but who looked great on my arm. The truth was, I did have it all.
Almost. I didn’t have me. Sounds corny, I know, and you’ve heard it over and over again. But one day as I was drinking my fourth or fifth morning coffee, standing alone on the fourth-floor deck in my beautiful beach house, just me and my dogs, I realized how empty it really was. How empty I was. And I was ready to end it all! A small jump four stories to the rocks and ocean below would have done very nicely.
I was an unhappy, moderately overweight, out-of-shape man who took a lot from life and gave back too little. But there was some voice inside of me that said, “Not today, Mark. You can get over this. You have to because there is something you still have to do.”
Fifteen years ago, when I made that turn in my life’s intersection, I made the conscious choice to change my life, and everything else changed. What changed first was the realization that my life to date was nothing more than the summation of all of my realities. I was what I had created for myself. I had created success in business, but I had also created an unsuccessful marriage. I had created a fabulous home for myself, but I had also created a lifestyle that was making me miserable. I had to change my reality to change my life.
I started to take a long look at me. I realized that I was going in the same direction, to the same old places, with the same old people, and with the same old results: unhappiness and disappointment. All the while I was hiding away, not wanting to be noticed, trying to blend into the background and be like everyone else. But I was living a lie. I really wanted to be noticed. I wanted to be in the limelight. I was crying out without saying a word, “PLEASE NOTICE ME! HERE I AM! I NEED YOUR HELP!”
But the only help that ever showed up was me.
I asked what I could do to help myself. What changes could I make in my behavior that could change my reality? One of the first things I looked at was how much coffee I was drinking, and what it was doing to me. I saw that I wasn’t a great human being on coffee. I was on edge, I was treating people badly, I was flippant, tight, intense (and not in a good way). Without knowing why, I knew it was a negative influence in my life. So I started drinking tea.
Not because of its medicinal properties—I had no idea they existed. Not because it was a weight-loss aid—at the time, no one had ever suggested such a thing. Not because my family used to be in the tea business—the thought never crossed my mind. And certainly not because of the taste—I didn’t even like the tea I was drinking at the time.
I started drinking tea because it was a hot beverage that seemed to me the closest thing I could get to coffee. I could put it in a coffee mug, drink several cups a day, and hope that it would help me fill the space that giving up coffee was leaving in my life. It was as if I had been a smoker and had started chewing gum to help wean me off the cigarettes.
Slowly, I began to realize that the tea was changing me. I started to want more tea, and better tea. I wanted to understand what was really happening to my mind and body. I began to read everything I could find about tea. I interviewed anyone available who knew anything about tea, from traditional doctors to homeopaths to naturalists and pathologists, and asked them to explain tea’s special qualities. I traveled to all of the major tea producing regions of the world and learned directly from tea masters about producing teas and how to determine good from great teas. I went to tea auctions to witness firsthand what grades of tea companies were buying. I consulted with my father about our family’s 200-year history in the tea business. I drank in every bit of information, just as I drank in my new beverage of choice, tea. I came to realize, not only from the changes in my life and body, that I was onto something that had to be shared with the rest of our country, that tea, combined with this proven diet, will be what’s finally needed to wake up America to take a step towards good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) one cup of tea at a time!
Although tea has been around for thousands of years, there has never been a face and voice of tea until tea found me and I found dr. tea’s.
When my wife and I opened dr. tea’s, we decided that my staff and I should wear lab coats so that we looked professional. We chose the orange color because it’s the one the Dalai Lama wears, and he represents peace and tranquility.
One day, a group of six-year-olds was having a party at dr. tea’s. One of them piped up and said, innocently enough, “Hey mommy, that guy in the orange coat sounds like a doctor.” And that’s how “Dr. Tea” was born.
Before I found tea, I had always been a behind-the-scenes person. I had never spoken out about anything in my life, much less written a book, appeared on television and radio, or been interviewed for magazines. But now I have this newly found voice and I am speaking out about tea to anyone who will listen. You can always pick me out in a crowd wherever I go, clad in my orange coat. I guess I am a perfect example of how you can change your life at any age if you are open to it!
The Ultimate Tea Diet is nothing more than my life’s diet for the past fifteen years. The tea changed me. The L-theanine from the tea changed me. The polyphenols changed me. As a result, I was able to change my diet. I was able to start to meditate. I began exercising. I was able to let go of the negative influences in my life and began attracting kind, sensitive, positive people towards me, like my wonderful wife Julie.
The same thing can happen to you. But you have to be the one to make the changes. Of course, you will receive support and encouragement from friends and loved ones. But they cannot make changes for you. In the end, it is up to you. And the Ultimate Tea Diet is all about you; and that’s why it works.
I had enough of the world I had created for myself. It was time to create some new realities and change my life. I did it, and boy, am I glad I did!
Tea was the vehicle to my new me but it was not everything I did or had to do. I began by figuring out what areas of me I needed and wanted to strengthen that would allow me to be happy and in control of the entire me. I decided to strengthen my mind, body, and soul.
I’m sure you’ve probably heard this before, people telling you to change
this, that, or the other, and you’ve resisted. We all resist change; it’s in our
nature. I’m not telling you to do anything. I’m just letting you know what I did and what worked for me. If one thing I say resonates with you, give it a try. Give yourself a chance. The only one who is going to benefit here is you!
This is what I did. I began by writing out the areas I was most concerned about along with a possible solution:
Right now, I want you to put the book down and go brew a pot of tea and get a pen. Take some time and think about your own life. Fill in the areas of concern below (or in your own journal) and your own possible solutions. Be honest with yourself, especially when it comes to your addictions. We all consistently allow excuses to stop us from us from dieting, exercising, and even taking the time to relax or reflect. It’s in this time of reflection that you need to be most honest with yourself. So many of us are addicted to something, whether it is caffeine (like I was), eating, alcohol, drugs, gambling, exercise, sweets, shopping, television, the Internet—you name it. If it’s interfering with you getting the most out of life, it’s an addiction.
If you can’t think of an immediate solution, come back to this page after you finish reading this chapter, or this book, or simply when you’re ready. Please don’t expect an overnight cure. You’ve taken 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 years getting to be the you you are. Give yourself a little time to work on becoming the you you want to be.
P o s s ible Solu tion :
P o s s ible Solu tion : 
3. P r oblem : Body. 
P o s s ible Solu tion :
4. P r oblem : Soul. 
P o s s ible Solu tion :
Make It Easier on Yourself: Drink Tea
on’t forget to keep drinking tea during this process. Because of the influence of L-theanine on the brain’s alpha waves, changing your reality becomes easier with each cup of tea you drink.
Our thoughts are the most powerful tool we own. When we are born we have our own thoughts about what’s right for us, but since we cannot speak, we cannot energize them into our reality. So our reality is provided for us by our parents or caregivers.
When we get a little older, we continue to have our own thoughts, but since we live with our parents, they end up controlling our actions; therefore we end up energizing their thoughts and their thoughts become our reality. That’s why we revolt the way we do as teenagers! We have our own thoughts about what we want to do, wear, eat, and drink, but we don’t have the control to energize them into our realities.
So what do we do?
We sneak off and do as we wish. We begin to energize our own thoughts: I want to drink beer, or I want to go out with this person, or wear that outfit to the party, and these thoughts become our reality. And sometimes the reality we have created, because we are young and inexperienced and foolish, ends up getting us in trouble.
Just when we’re on the brink of energizing our own thoughts, we leave home to go to work or to school, to get married, or to live our own lives, and what do we do? We turn over all of our thoughts to our next set of parents, the “hip and cool” group, or the fraternity, sorority, dorm, band, or athletic group at college; our bosses at work; or our significant others. We then energize the thoughts of these groups, making them our reality because we want to be accepted, to fit in, to be loved. We become them! Just like I had become someone other than myself because I wanted to be like everyone else.
Then we see the endless magazines at the checkout counters with pictures and large-type headlines of what the stars are doing, drinking, eating, and wearing. So what do we do? We go right ahead and energize the thoughts of what was right for them, and that becomes our reality (I have to become as thin as Nicole, or as popular as Paris, or as cool as Brad). Or we look at our next-door neighbor who wears a size 2 and lost a ton of weight by taking some pills she got from an infomercial (we don’t see that she’s also been starving herself ). We see someone we envy and think we have to do what they do, be who they are, to be worthwhile ourselves. We don’t even realize we’re giving away our thoughts.
Own Your Own Thoughts
At the age of 38, I started to take control of my life. Until I realized my life was not mine at all, I thought, “I certainly have enough things around me to validate that I’m in control of my life.” I said to myself, “I must be doing something right!” I had been married, I was a successful businessman and sports agent, I lived well, I was part of the “in” crowd, I played polo, I had girlfriends, I traveled the world, I had it going on!
So why was I so miserable? Why didn’t I have the strength to handle the tragedies that entered my life? Why was I gaining weight and not working out and not feeling good about myself?
I was allowing myself to energize the thoughts of what others were doing, and making them my reality.
What did I do?
I vowed to make a change. And so can you. You have to say to yourself every day like I did then and still do now, “I own all of my thoughts, no matter what else is going on in my life or in the lives of others.”
Everything in life starts out with a thought. Your thoughts, plus the energy you put into them, equals your reality. In order for me to change my reality (which included changing the way I ate and my addiction to caffeine from coffee), I had to change both my thoughts and the focus of my energy.
I = Sum of My Realities My Realities = MY Thoughts+ Energy Change Me = Change MY Thoughts
I was going to make a change. So the first thing I did was to create an inventory of the “truths” I believed about myself at the time, trying to be as honest as I possibly could. Of course, there were some positive things. I was a Little League coach in a nearby park, I was donating my time as a high school coach, and eventually I started substitute teaching at Beverly Hills High School. I was a good teacher, and I had a lot to offer.
But at the time, the negatives in my life outweighed the positives. That’s why I needed to change. So my inventory fifteen years ago looked like this:
I = am a coffee drinker I = am an alcohol drinker and drink too much at times I = am overweight I = am unhappy I = am employed I = am not married I = am a liar I = am not working out I = am not eating right
Create an inventory of the things you believe about yourself, being as honest as you can, including some positives as well as negatives.
I = _____________________ I = _____________________
THE TAO OF TEA 77
I = _____________________ I = _____________________ I = _____________________ I = _____________________ I = _____________________ I = _____________________ I = _____________________ I = _____________________
I realized when I made the turn down my new road of life that I had to throw away my old baggage and get a new set. This meant I had to get a grip on everything I was thinking and saying or I would be right back to my coffee pot and my old life.
My life was full of negatives. These were my thoughts:
I can’t drink tea all day. I can’t stop drinking coffee. I can’t eat right. I can’t lose weight. I can’t meditate. I can’t be health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y. I can’t be happy. I can’t stop drinking alcohol. I can’t find love. I can’t work out.
Make a list of your most prevalent negative thoughts:
Just reading this list can make you depressed. Yet this was how I was living my life. All of these negative “I can’t” thoughts, I energized into my realities. I said “I can’t” and I couldn’t. “I can’t” was my excuse for not doing anything, and it’s probably yours, too!
I thought I couldn’t give up coffee so I didn’t. I thought I couldn’t eat right so I stayed heavy. I thought I couldn’t lose weight so I didn’t. I thought I couldn’t exercise so I didn’t.
That’s when I created my simple mantra and wrote it down: If I say I can, I will. If I say I can’t, I won’t!
I wrote my list of positives (I can):
I can drink tea all day. I can stop drinking coffee. I can eat right. I can lose weight. I can meditate. I can be health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y. I can be happy. I can stop drinking alcohol. I am a good person. I can find love. I can work out.
Reading this list makes you feel strong and ready to take on the world. Within four weeks, I started to feel stronger, more confident, and was finally taking control of ME and my life.
Make a list of positives for yourself:
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Don’t you feel energized?
When I began by writing down everything I was thinking and energizing to become my reality, I was amazed to see how much of what I was doing all day, I was doing by habit, like drinking coffee instead of asking myself, “Is this what I want to drink? Is this beverage right for me? Do I really like the taste of coffee? Do I like what it’s doing to me?” I began to ask myself questions every day:
If the answer was yes, I did it, even if it was “bad for me.” And that’s okay. At least I was taking responsibility for what I was doing. If the answer was no, then I tried my best not to do it. Sometimes I slipped and didn’t carry out my intention, but at least I was making progress because I was doing all of this for me and not out of the mere habit or because someone else was doing it.
I began to question everything I did and ask myself “Why?” I began to account for and take responsibility for all of my thoughts. This
was where I took the baby steps to taking control of my life. This is where you will start to take control of your life.
After I made these lists for myself, I had another epiphany. Unhappy as I was, I was still very successful in my business life. So I asked myself, “What do I do to make my business successful?” The answer? I take my weakest link and make it my strongest. I take an inventory of my business, and then I look not at what I’m doing best, but at what I’m doing worst. And I find the way to turn that weak link around until it becomes the strongest part of my business.
I realized the dichotomy of my personal versus my business life. On the business side, my reality was: “There are no such things as problems, only answers.” On the personal side, my reality was: “There are nothing but problems, and there are no answers.”
I began to realize that if I wanted to change, I needed to use my business life as a model. I couldn’t approach who I was from a negative point of view, constantly thinking there are no answers. I told myself, “You can do this. You can create answers for yourself.” I needed solutions. And the first one was to get hold of my thoughts, turn the weakest ones around, and create my new reality.
You can do the same thing. Look at your life as if it was a business. The truth is, most of us are problem solvers. We are problem solvers for our children, for our parents, for our siblings, for our coworkers. Now be one for yourself. You already have the skills you need, you just need to put them into practice.
With all this talk about “can’s” and “can’ts” and weak links, you’re probably thinking, “What does tea have to do with all of this?” Tea was the catalyst for all the changes I made in my life. When I was drinking coffee all day, I was “flying” all the time. I was like a souped-up version of the Energizer bunny. My beta brain waves were in a constant state of acceleration, unnecessarily ready for fight or flight. I was so busy doing things, I had no time to think about who I was becoming.
It was the tea that calmed me down. Tea evened me out and allowed me to eat right, exercise, lose weight, and make the many changes that led me to the wonderful place I am in today.
You can do it too. Here are a few tricks I learned along the way to make the journey a little bit easier:
be mental. But mostly, it’s habit, which is a pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition. And once the frequent repetition becomes ingrained, it is very difficult to dislodge. Everyone knows that people who smoke cigarettes, for instance, are addicted to nicotine. But what most people don’t know is that the addiction to nicotine subsides within a couple of weeks of quitting. It takes much longer to get rid of the habit of smoking.
In fact, it is almost impossible to break a habit. Habits fill a vacuum. The only way to get rid of a habit is to replace it with something else, preferably something new and positive in your life. Don’t just give up the ice cream, have a Tea Popsicle (page 210) instead. Don’t just give up that candy bar; replace it with a cup of tea that tastes like a candy bar. The key is not to focus on what you’ve stopped doing, but to focus instead on the new behavior that replaces it.
weeks. But don’t be alarmed if it takes you longer. It could take several months (like it did for me), before you will be completely off of your addiction. Just take it slow and steady, stick to it, and say, “I can . . .” I did it and so can you.
There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea.
BERNARD-PAUL HEROUX
Name: Suzy B. Age: 23 Total Weight Loss: 12 Total Inches Lost: 18.5 Favorite Tea: Strawberry Pie
rom the time I was a little kid, all through high school, I was always string-bean
skinny. I was really active, and I could eat whatever I wanted to, all day long, with
out ever having to worry about it. And then I went to college, and started getting
older, and discovered beer, and really-bad-for-you food, and everything else. I
gained about 25 pounds in four years.
When I graduated from college, I thought that a lot of it would go away since I
wouldn’t be drinking as much, and I wasn’t going to be eating such bad foods—but
that didn’t happen. And then I went to the doctor for the first time out here and got
my blood tested. I found out that, at 23 years old, my cholesterol was already high.
That scared the hell out of me. That seems like something you’re supposed to worry
about when you’re much, much older than 23. So I just decided that if I want to be
able to live a long, health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y life, that I need to start now.
I was just exhausted all the time. It just felt like I couldn’t push myself through
the day. Which is not like me at all. I usually have so much energy, and so much life,
and I’m just so peppy. But I was not feeling like myself for a long time.
But that all changed when I started the Ultimate Tea Diet. I honestly, absolutely,
love drinking the tea. My doctor had also told me I wasn’t drinking enough fluids. And
then, all of a sudden, we had all these delicious flavors of tea to try and it was so easy
to drink the proper amount of fluids throughout the day. And you can use the same
leaves several times. So I steep the leaves, and then drink several cups of that kind of
tea, and then switch to the next kind, and drink several cups of that kind.
I drink tea from the minute I get into work until the time that I leave. And everybody says, “Oh, there’s Suzy with her tea again.” I have all my different flavors of tea sitting on my desk, and everybody keeps asking about all of it. Everyone gets excited when I get a new flavor—and now we started trading teas!
But the best part about it, as far as I’m concerned, is when I go home. My roommate’s also on the Tea Diet, so we get really excited about cooking food and drinking tea. We have a third roommate, and then we also have a couple of girlfriends who stop over often, and we have a couple of guy friends that live downstairs in our building, and they come up to visit. And every time they come over they say, “Hey, what kind of tea do you have?” So we make pots of tea, and we sit around the table, and it’s so social, and calming. We just talk. We don’t have to be watching a movie or TV or playing a game, or something else. We’re just sitting there, drinking tea, and just enjoying each other.
I’ve even started exercising again. I go to the gym during the week, and now on the weekends, I’ve been starting to plan things around activities I want to do. Last weekend, some friends and I went down to the beach, and we Rollerbladed from Santa Monica to Venice—instead of sitting around watching a video.
Now I’m getting compliments about how good I look. A woman at work, whom I hadn’t seen in a few months, stopped me in the hallway and said she almost didn’t recognize me. And for the first time in years, I can go to the beach and feel comfortable in a bathing suit.
I’ve been really, really pleased with my results. I didn’t have tremendous results for the first couple of weeks. I think it took my body a little bit of time to get used to the changes. The first week, I didn’t lose anything; the second week I actually gained two pounds. Then, the third week, I dropped three; and then the fourth week, I dropped another three and I’ve been losing weight since.
Before I started this, I didn’t really believe in dieting, and would rebel against it. This, however, is a diet I really believe in. Because it’s all about nutrition, and actually eating right instead of depriving yourself of things your body needs. What I realized, after all these years, is that I wasn’t really hungry—I was thirsty! This isn’t really a diet, it’s educated eating with delicious tea to help you along!
6
As I said in the beginning of this book, the object of this book is not just to help you lose weight. It is to help you make changes in your life that will enable you to change your way of eating, and thereby lose weight. My goal is to help you get back the confidence you lost somewhere along the line and to help you gain control of your life. This was evident by the third week of the Ultimate Tea Diet study, as all of the TEAmmates began to feel a certain confidence again in themselves. There was a bounce to their step. They finally had a plan that was easy and made sense so they could incorporate it into their daily lives and it was working just like it did for me and just like it will for you. Believe me, I know this is not always easy. We’re all so good at making excuses: “I’m too busy to stop and make a proper meal.” “I’m depressed and I need to eat.” “I’m celebrating and I need to eat.” “I couldn’t find anything health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y on the menu.” “It’s my birthday.” “It’s Tuesday.” Anything can become an excuse if you let it. It’s your choice. You can let the excuses rule the day, or you can choose—just for this moment—to go another route ( just like I went another route fifteen years ago). Just for this moment you can choose a salad over a bowl of pasta, or a turkey burger lettuce wrap (recipe on page 194) over a pastrami on rye. Maybe just for this moment you can choose to forgo the fancy blended high-calorie, high-caffeine beverage you normally drink and make yourself a delicious, health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y cup of tea, a Frostea, or a Hot Todtea (see chapter 11) instead.
We all get tripped up when we try to change everything in our lives all at once. When you say, “I’ll never do that again!” don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling back on old habits before you know it. Don’t try to make a blanket decision that covers the rest of your life—you’ve done that before and the commitment doesn’t last. But you can make one small commitment to yourself right now, and then another small commitment later on, and another and another.
You and I did not put on our extra pounds in one day, one week, or one month. So don’t expect to take off all your weight in a day. The tea will help, but it’s not magical. You can’t expect to put no effort in and still get results. Life doesn’t work that way, and neither does losing weight. If you make bigger changes, you’ll lose more weight. If you start off slowly, the weight will take more time to come off. But it will come off.
Before you get started, there are a few things you need to do:
1. Ask yourself this question: Do I really want to lose weight? This is the most important question you can ask. Ask it now, and if the answer is really, truly “YES,” continue reading. If the answer is “NO,” put the book away and come on back when you’re genuinely ready to lose weight. Because if you really do not want to lose the weight, then nothing you will try will ever work, including the Ultimate Tea Diet, and you will only be fooling yourself and wasting your precious time! You have to really want to make a change in you; that’s the only way it will work. An easy check to see if you’re truly ready is: can you say out loud, “I can lose weight.” If you can, and do, then you’re ready. If you can’t, then what you’re really saying to yourself is, “I can’t lose weight, and I’m really not ready.”
As we discussed in the previous chapters about your life and realities, your weight is but another reality of who you are. If you are heavy, no matter what you weigh, it’s because you have energized poor eating habits, which have resulted in the reality of being heavier than you desire. But if you’re finally ready to make a change, change your reality and you will start to lose weight just like I did and just like every TEAmmate in the Ultimate Tea Diet study.
YOUR LIFE = YOUR thoughts (plan)+ the energy to carry out YOUR thoughts.
Take a close look at these two examples:
Example #1: Dinner = I’ll decide what to eat when I get home from work + I have only enough energy to stick something in the microwave.
Example #2: Dinner = Tea chicken, vegetables, baked potato, a caramel hot todtea for dessert, and tea the rest of the evening (a cup of tea) + the energy I put forth to buy the right foods, plan the meal, and cook
them according to the recipes.
You can see for yourself, the person in example #2 really wants to lose weight. She has changed her way of thinking about dinner from “winging it” at the last minute to planning it beforehand. Only then was she able to make the proper meal plan and supply the energy necessary to make it a reality by shopping ahead of time, planning the meal, and preparing the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y ingredients.
It only works if you truly want to do it. Remember we are changing the way we think about things.
2. Drink tea all day. The Ultimate Tea Diet works upon the simple principle of drinking tea all day, every day. It’s okay to start slowly. As we said in the last chapter, if you are currently drinking too much coffee (or diet soda or energy drink or other caffeine-laden beverage), replace one of your usual cups each day with one cup of tea, and drink your tea in your coffee cup until you lose the urge to have coffee. The next week, replace daily two cups of coffee with two cups of tea. Keep going in small increments until you’re drinking tea all day. Do the same if you are addicted to sweets like cake or candy, or salty snacks like potato chips or french fries. Find the tea that satisfies that taste (see the next chapter) and replace one snack with a cup of tea. Then replace two snacks, and so on until you find you don’t want—or need—the unhealth(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y snack any longer.
Carry tea with you at all times. Tea bags fit easily in your purse or your pocket. If someone offers you coffee at their home or their office and they don’t have tea, you can always ask for hot water, pull out your own bag, and brew away. You can carry a water bottle or thermos of home-brewed tea. You can buy ready-made tea in most delis and grocery stores. Order tea whenever you eat out. It doesn’t matter what kind of tea it is. All that matters is that you add tea (white, green, oolong, or black, not Rooibos or herbal blends) all day to your diet plan. The exception is when you are having a trigger or binge food craving, then go to any tea, including a Rooibos or herbal blend, instead of eating your binge food.
We know from hundreds of scientific studies (some of which you learned about in chapter 3) that drinking tea actually suppresses appetite and helps to keep excess body fat under control. One particular study that appeared in the 2005 Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism showed that supplementation with EGCG abolishes—actually stops—diet-induced obesity (that means they purposely fed the test subjects a high-fat diet in order to get them to gain weight). The study concluded, “Dietary supplementation with EGCG should be considered as a valuable natural treatment option for obesity.”
When you drink tea all day, your body is working to metabolize the tea into your blood system through your stomach. When the L-theanine from the tea hits your brain, it acts as a mood and appetite stabilizer, giving you that satisfied feeling you have after you’ve just finished eating. As the day goes on and you continue to consume your tea, it continues to stimulate your body’s thermogenesis (fat burning processes).
The next time you have the urge to eat, especially when you’re not physically hungry, drink some tea instead. Two things will happen: first, the urge to eat will diminish, and then, when your body tells you it’s time to eat a meal, you’ll find that you are eating less.
3. Identify the foods that trigger you to binge or overeat. Remember the commercial that used to say, “Bet you can’t eat just one?” That ad referred to potato chips, and it was so true. It’s almost impossible to eat just one chip. Some people are able to eat just a handful, and then walk away. For others, nothing less than the entire bag will do. If you’re one of those people, then potato chips are a trigger food for you.
Trigger foods trigger binges. They’re the foods we’ll go out to get in a blinding snowstorm or at midnight when there’s already plenty of food in the house. They tend to be high in sugar or fat or both. They have little to do with being hungry (although if you’re very hungry, trigger foods are usually much harder to resist). If you feel that you’re out of control around a particular food, you’ve got to eliminate it from your reality. If you love to eat ice cream, for instance, and cannot stop at one or two scoops but must finish the half-gallon, then you cannot have ice cream in your house. You cannot order ice cream for dessert when you are out and about. This goes for anything you are compulsive over: candy, doughnuts, fries, beer, cakes, potatoes, gum, cookies, breads, or anything that triggers you to eat more than you want to. If you really want to lose the weight and change your reality, then:
Stop buying these foods for home. Stop ordering them when out. Stop eating your trigger foods.
Find a tea, Rooibos, or herbal blend you love instead and drink that tea whenever you have the urge to have your trigger food. This really does work and in chapter 7 we have provided you with a list of teas, Rooibos, and herbal blends identified from our Ultimate Tea Diet study to satisfy the desire to eat some of the most common binge foods.
Plan, or choose one from the list starting on page 148. Otherwise, eat only your planned meals and drink as much tea as you like in between. When you want to reach for a snack, have a cup of tea first, wait fifteen to twenty minutes, and then see if you still feel the need for something to eat. If you do, and because this plan is all about you, make it a smart choice. If you are eating balanced Tea Diet meals in conjunction with drinking your favorite tea throughout the day, your cravings and need to eat when you’re not hungry will go away. This usually happens within a few days to a week of implementing the Ultimate Tea Diet.
Follow this simple but most important rule: If what you are about to eat is not on your plan for the day, or you have the urge to have a candy bar, potato chips, coffee, or whatever is your particular bad habit, find a suitable tea to replace your desire or habit like I did, and watch the pounds disappear while you add pure natural good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) to your body.
Breaking the Late-Night Habit
l i
any peop e who come nto dr. tea’s tell me their habit is not so much a partcuar food as i l it i i l i
s eat ng ate at n ght. It becomes a li
habit that’s difficult to break. If you fee you must have someth ng late at night, don’t go for a trigger food. First go for tea. Then, if you li
must, choose a hea thy snack. Have a low-fat yogurt w th some loose i
tea mixed in, or a piece of fru t with your favorite sweet tea. The tea ii i
will help you reduce the nightt me eat ng impulse over a per od of time. l ii
Will it be difficu t to get over the hump? Every add ct on is tough i
to break. The tea might not satisfy you in the beginn ng, but soon i i i in to
the L-thean ne w ll beg n to work on the dopamine and seroton i
calm those urges and help you break the late-night hab t.
I didn’t successfully go cold turkey from sweets; I still had nights where I had to have my candy bar. But these evening cravings slowly gave way, and I looked forward to having my tea instead.
9. Enjoy being a tea drinker. Ignore the old stereotypes that tell you tea is for the “pinkies up” crowd, or for little old ladies, or for pairing with crumpets or cucumber sandwiches. The truth is that tea is hip, tea is health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y—and tea is sexy. Let me explain. I used to think that I had to order coffee to be macho and to do what everyone else did. But when I started to change my life and began drinking tea, a funny thing happened. I would go out to dinner with a date and order tea when the meal was over. And women began to look at me in a different light. They said I was sensitive. They said I listened. I thought they were kidding me; after all, hadn’t I always listened? No, I hadn’t. I’d been so wired on coffee, all I could hear were my own thoughts racing around my brain. When the tea started affecting my alpha brain waves, I really did become a better listener! And suddenly I was more popular than ever with the ladies. Who knew what a simple cup of tea could do! And it’s not just men who become sexier. It’s not sexy to be jumpy and anxious and tense from caffeine or from too much sugar and junk food. It is sexy when your skin is clear, your eyes are bright, your hair is shiny, you’re calm and centered, your clothes fit well, and you are the most confident woman in the room. (Makes you want to have another cup of tea right now, doesn’t it?)
10. Don’t expect perfection. We are all human. We all mess up. I did and you will, too. When you do, move on. Go right back to your tea. Learn from your mistake; it just might be the reminder you need of how you felt before you began the Ultimate Tea Diet. I remember “sneaking” a candy bar one night early on. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. When I finally did, I slept fitfully and woke up wanting a cup of coffee. I had no appetite. I felt so poorly that it actually helped me make a better choice the next time I had the urge for a sweet treat at night. Do not get bogged down in what you did—get energized about what you will do from now on.
You might find one day you have a jones for your favorite caffeinated drink. This happened to me when I was trying to give it up. One night I got lazy and forgot to pick up some tea after I ran out. The next morning I went to the shopping center in Malibu to get some. I pulled into a parking space, looked up, and there it was: the ubiquitous coffee shop. I was helpless. I could smell the aroma of the coffee putting me into a trance. Before I knew it, I found myself sitting down and having my old drug of choice: a regular coffee with a shot of espresso. And you know something, it was great! I felt right at home. And for a few minutes, I felt wonderful. Then in about twenty minutes I started to feel that old feeling. My heart began racing and I was ready for action. I had lost my grounded, centered state and instead there I was, all over the place. I had to get out of there. I went to the parking lot and couldn’t even find my car.
So I went back into the coffee shop and ordered a cup of tea. I drank it down and waited until the L-theanine kicked in and leveled me off. You too may forget to have your tea one day, or run out and forget to buy more. You too may decide to have just one cup of coffee, or a candy bar, or a bag of chips. It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. Here’s what you need to remember: It’s not that we’ve messed up that counts; it’s how long it takes us to get back on track. So if you should find yourself in a state of human imperfection, don’t be so hard on yourself. Go right back to your tea and the easy steps above. Brew your tea and drink it often. Go back to your plan and get back on track just like the TEAmmates of our Ultimate Tea Diet study group did.
This is why the Ultimate Tea Diet works: because we finally have something easy to go back to when we mess up—tea. Tea is easy. Tea is everywhere. And tea will become your best friend, as it has become mine. So go ahead and get yourself another cup and let’s get to the diet.
If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.
JAPANESE PROVERB
Name: Bill B. Age: 26 Total Weight Loss: 31 Total Inches Lost: 26.5 Favorite Tea: Orange Matcha Powder
have dieted several times before. I usually start it, and then realize that it’s too diffi
cult to do, and I just give up on it. But this is a lot easier than most other diets I’ve
found. At first I didn’t believe it would work. I thought, “I’ll definitely always have the
cravings.” But once I started replacing them with tea it seemed to help me actually
not feel like I really, really need to eat cheeseburgers all the time.
Or I can actually tell myself: No, you don’t need to get into that fridge. You don’t
need to eat that. You’re not actually hungry. I am able to think more clearly, and I
find more activities to fill up the time I usually spent preparing or eating food. I’ve
changed what I had normally been eating. I used to be a steak-and-sausage type
of guy. And now I’m more of a chicken-and-turkey type of dude. I’ve actually tried
using tea as marinades, and it really tastes great.
And, since I’m putting more exercise into my repertoire, I’ve been finding that
I’ve been having a lot more fun with my life. I’ve been going to a lot of different hik
ing trails in national parks, which is just wonderful for my cardio. I fill up water bot
tles with iced tea, instead of water, and off I go!
I’m not sure exactly how much weight I’ve lost, but I’ve dropped belt sizes up
the wazoo. One morning I went to buckle my belt and pulled it closed and realized
there was no hole to put the buckle in. I had run out of holes; I needed a whole
new belt. I didn’t just go down a couple notches—I needed a whole new, smaller
belt.
Then I went to my old roommate’s birthday party and saw a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a couple of months. They were not only amazed at my awesome weight loss, they also said I look much younger. My roommate, who has seen me fairly often over the last four years, said, “Wow, dude. I’m not kidding. You look like you did in your high school picture!” Now he’s started drinking tea, too.
7
Everyone who comes to dr. tea’s or sees me on television or hears me on the radio talking about the Ultimate Tea Diet asks the same question: “How do I get started?” And I give everyone the same an
swer: “Find a tea you love and drink it all day.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to find just one tea and stick to it,
forgoing all others. That would deprive you of the many wonders of the world
of tea! I urge everyone to try many different teas, hot or cold, until they find
the ones they love the best. If you eat the same foods over and over again,
you’re bound to get bored, and the same goes for tea.
So this chapter is going to be a reference guide to tea and how to find
which teas suit you best. There are light teas, sweet teas, spicy teas, heavy teas,
teas that taste like licorice, teas that have a fruity taste, teas that taste like
pumpkin pie. There are teas that remind you of your grandmother’s hugs, teas
that fill your senses with a hint of springtime, and teas with smoky flavors that
bring back memories of wintry days in front of a fireplace. There are teas that
you will choose to drink all day, and there are teas that you may choose to sat
isfy a particular yen, like the cravings teas you will find later on.
I can’t tell you which teas you are going to love, and I would never tell you
which teas to drink. This book is all about you; you are an individual with your own preferences, your own personality, and you will have your own favorites. Once again, let your taste buds be your guide.
I do understand, however, that if you are just beginning your journey to becoming a tea drinker, you may find all the choices intimidating. After all, there are the four basic kinds of tea (white, green, oolong, and black), and then there are all the flavor choices within each type (that is, there are many different kinds of black tea, green tea, etc., not to mention all the teas blended with various flavors). So how do you decide?
I could give you some technical advice on tasting tea the way experts do it. They taste tea the same way wine tasters taste wine—they swish it around and spit it out (mostly because they have more tea to taste and do not want to get full by drinking a whole cup of each tea). Tea tasters, like wine tasters, have an extensive vocabulary to describe what they’re tasting, including:
The more tea you taste, the better you’ll become at discerning all the qualities listed above. But the truth is, you don’t need any of those descriptive phrases. All you really need is to answer the question, “Do I like this tea?” And basically, the best way to answer that question is to try as many different varieties from as many different manufacturers and tea purveyors as possible, and stock up on the ones that suit you best.
The comedian David Steinberg tells a joke I have always loved: “Trying to describe my life to my parents,” he said, “is like trying to describe a cranberry to a Martian.” This joke always comes to mind when people ask me what the four basic tea types taste like. It’s almost impossible to answer, because there are so many varieties of each, but here are some basic concepts:
These are bases to which all ingredients are added to make flavored teas. However, because each type of tea has so many varieties, you may want to try several “pure” (unflavored) teas first and then move on to those with other flavors added.
If you can think of a flavor you love, you can probably find it in a tea. And you can probably find several versions of it. For instance, if you like orange, you are just as likely to find a green tea with orange flavor added as you are a black- tea-and-orange combination. Any type of tea can be made into a flavored tea—in fact, flavoring technology has improved so much in recent years that tea purveyors are limited mostly by their imaginations (and their taste buds) in designing new flavors for their customers. Here is just a partial list of the flavors of tea you can now find in your local supermarket and/or tea salons:
| Almond | Cream | Peach |
| Apple | Currant | Pineapple |
| Apricot | Ginger | Plum |
| Banana | Grapefruit | Pomegranate |
| Blackberry | Jasmine | Raspberry |
| Blueberry | Lemon | Rum |
| Caramel | Licorice | Spice |
| Cherry | Lime | Strawberry |
| Chocolate | Lychee | Tiramisu |
| Cinnamon | Mango | Toffee |
| Coconut | Melon | Vanilla |
| Coffee | Orange |
There are also some fairly well-known varieties of tea that you have probably come across in your local supermarket, tea salon, or restaurant—some of which have been popular in the western world for several hundred years, and others that are just now becoming “rising stars” in the rapidly expanding universe of teas in both bags and loose leaf formats. Here is a brief sampling:
shops in this country has been served for hundreds of years in India and South Asia. In fact, the word “chai” actually means tea, so when you ask for a chai tea, you are asking for a tea tea. It is properly called masala chai, and is sold by street vendors called “chai wallahs” on trains, in bus stations, and on the street in most Indian neighborhoods. It is traditionally prepared by boiling loose leaf black tea in a pot with milk and water and added spices including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper (although the specific spices vary from region to region). In some regions, they also add honey. They then place a sugar cube in the bottom of the teacup and pour the chai over it. Chai is more popular in India than coffee.
with light floral undertones. It has been said that when it is mixed with milk, it produces an aroma that is reminiscent of warm toast and honey. The surprising fact is that English Breakfast tea was actually invented in Edinburgh, Scotland by a tea merchant named Drysdale who simply called it “Breakfast Tea.” There is also a similar tea that we know as Irish Breakfast tea, but in Ireland it is simply known as “tea.”
The word pekoe may have come from a corrupted version of Bai Hoa, the Chinese word for white tip, referring to the white down that covers the leaf bud. The tea was originally brought from China to Holland, where it was presented to the royal family, the House of Orange.
Thenceforth, it became known as orange pekoe.
✸ Sencha: Sencha means green (sen) tea (cha) in Japanese. This green tea is the most popular type of tea in Japan today. Sencha is light green in color, and is both sweet and bitter at the same time. It is sometimes mixed with popped and roasted rice, and referred to as genmaicha.
Now that you have familiarized yourself with some of the teas available to you, you still may be asking, “Where do I start?” (If you already are drinking your favorite teas then skip this section and continue drinking what you love until you want to try something new.)
My first answer is always going to be: “Try as many kinds of tea as you can, and find the ones you love!” However, I realize that some of you would like some help in narrowing your options. So take the mini quiz below and find out what type of tea just might suit you best.
1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
A. Vanilla
B. Mint chocolate chip
C. Banana split with chocolate syrup, nuts, and cherries
2. What is your favorite dining experience?
A. Four-star restaurant
B. Fast-food restaurant
C. Backyard barbeque
3. What is your favorite type of food?
A. Light salad and broiled salmon
B. Burgers and dogs
C. Spicy ethnic dishes
4. You have an unexpected day off from work. Would you be more likely to:
A. Visit a museum B. Spend the day at the beach
C. Ride the roller coaster at an amusement park
5. Which beverage do you prefer to drink (besides tea, of course)?
A. Wine
B. Beer
C. Coffee
6. Which of these movie stars would be your ideal mate (ignoring their gender)?
A. Helen Mirren
B. Chris Rock
C. Bruce Willis
Now, before you tally your score, realize that in tea drinking, as in life, nothing is purely black and white—or in this case, white, green, oolong, or black. Every black tea drinker has a bit of white tea in them as well, and vice versa. But if you are looking for a place to get started, here are some hints according to your quiz results:
If most of your answers fell into the A category, you will probably enjoy a more sophisticated, refined tea, such as:
Jasmine Pearl Green Tea White Teas Pu-Erh Teas
If most of your answers fell into the B category, you will probably enjoy a tea that’s a bit heartier, such as:
Earl Grey Black Teas in general Roasted Oolong Teas
If most of your answers fell into the C category, you will probably enjoy a spicier, fun, more full-bodied tea, such as:
Lapsang Souchong
Spicy Chai Black Teas
Fruit-flavored Teas
And remember, there are no judgments here. One tea is not better or better for you than any other. It’s simply a matter of taste. And just because this quiz has pegged you as a Jasmine Pearl drinker doesn’t mean you might not also enjoy a Darjeeling or a spicy Chai.
In fact, here are some other criteria you might find useful:
✸ What is your favorite flavor? If you answered mint, for instance, there are many varieties of mint tea you might like. If you’re a fan of blueberries, look for a tea that will satisfy those berry-loving taste buds. Try several and find the ones that make you feel the best.
Keep True Tea in Mind
i ii ing
emember that f you are dr nk ng tea for the purposes of los
li
weight, you shou d be drink ng true tea that comes from the Ca
mellia sinens is pl ant. If you choose an herbal or Rooibos tisane, you
may like the taste, but you won’t get the Tea3 benefits. What you can
l il
do is simply add a sma l amount of wh te, green, oo ong, or black tea
to your beloved herbal or Rooibos tisane from a bag or in l oose leaf
i
form and you have just added the Tea3 benef ts to your favorite taste, and created a tea from a tisane.
On the Ultimate Tea Diet, there are actually two reasons for drinking tea. We’ve discussed the first throughout the book so far: so that the weight-loss properties of the caffeine, L-theanine, and EGCG can enhance thermogenesis, work on your body’s alpha waves, and help you burn more energy and curb your appetite. Now we come to the second reason for drinking tea: to satisfy a particular craving so that you are less likely to binge on a trigger food.
If you remember my story from chapter 6, you will remember my obsession with having a candy bar each night before going to sleep. The obsession was like a force inside me I couldn’t resist. I wanted that taste of chocolate and caramel. I don’t know if it was a physiological need I was trying to satisfy or a psychological one; all I know is I had what the dictionary defines as a craving—an intense desire for some particular thing. My particular thing was that candy bar.
You may find that simply by drinking tea all day—any tea—your cravings naturally diminish. That is probably due to L-theanine’s calming effect and its influence on your alpha brain waves. But if that doesn’t do the trick for you, you may want to find a tea you drink for the express purpose of satisfying the hankering you have for what would normally be a trigger food.
So here comes the exception to one of my basic rules—the one that says
you should be drinking true teas that come from my favorite Cami plant. If
you find a true tea that satisfies your flavor craving, all the better. But if you don’t—if your “craving” tea is Rooibos-based or is an herbal blend tisane, that is okay. This is not the tea you will be drinking all day; this is a tisane you will save for those times when you’re longing for a food that is not on your plan. Remember if your craving is late at night, like mine was, prepare the tea, throw out the first steep and drink from the second and subsequent caffeine-free steeps; you won’t have to do that with tisanes, as they are caffeine-free.
Many customers come into dr. tea’s and ask me to recommend teas for them. I tell them to drink whichever tea they love. If they want to lose weight, I tell them about the Ultimate Tea Diet. More often than not, at the end of our conversation, the customer will say, “There’s just one thing, Dr. Tea. I’m a chocoholic,” or “I love to have a piece of cherry pie for dessert,” or “I don’t know if I can give up my ice cream treat every night.”
“Ah,” I say, “I have just the thing for you!” And in my most “doctorly” voice I add, “Take one cup or as many pots as you need of this tea or tisane the next time you have a craving, and call me in the morning.” I love to get their phone calls or e-mails a few days later or speak to them again when they come back to dr. tea’s. They all tell me about how they are able, with the help of their craving tea or tisane, to finally give up what had become a problem food for them, just like my candy bar cravings became a thing of the past for me.
Identify Your Craving
The first thing you have to do is identify your craving, the same way you identified your trigger food(s). These may be one and the same, or they may be different (you may crave chocolate, but pizza is your trigger food). Your cravings may change as well. One night you may crave something sweet; other times you may want something salty. But as with trigger foods, most people have their favorites that they crave most often. If you keep a variety of teas on hand, you will always have choices that meet your desires.
If you often crave a candy bar at night, as I did, take a look at the key ingredients. If the candy bar has chocolate and caramel in it, find a tea that has chocolate or caramel or both as added flavors. If it has coconut, look for a coconut tea. Come fall, if you find yourself lusting for a piece of pumpkin pie, find a pumpkin-flavored tea (or try Chai, which has similar spices to those usually used in making pumpkin pie). If you’re ordering over the Internet and can’t taste or smell the tea before you try it, buy a small quantity at first to be sure the tea tastes like the item you’re craving.
The list of teas below is just to give you an idea of the kinds of flavored teas you can use to titillate your taste buds in place of some high-calorie confections you are currently consuming. You don’t have to use dr. tea’s teas. You can find flavored loose leaf or bagged teas in the supermarket from many different manufacturers. You may have a tea shop in your neighborhood with similar blends. Or you can go on the Internet, search for “chocolate tea” (or whatever your craving flavor might be) and come up with any number of places where you can order tea online.
Ultimate Tea Diet Craving Teas from dr. tea’s
CANDY:
CHOCOLATE:
VANILLA:
ICE CREAM AND SHERBETS
PIES, CAKES AND COOKIES
FRENCH FRIES AND POTATO CHIPS:
You can drink the tea, eat the tea, or break up the leaves and add them to your food.
POPCORN:
1. Genmaicha Green Tea
BAR B QUE:
1. Lapsang Souchong Black Tea
You will notice that several of the teas on this list are Rooibos-based tisanes. To my knowledge, there have been no studies done that prove Rooibos to have weight-loss properties (although it has a high number of antioxidants, so it’s a very health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y drink). But as we have mentioned before, all you have to do is add a small amount of white, green, oolong, or black tea to the Rooibos tisane and you have yourself a true tea. And some of these teas, because of the added ingredients, may have 5 or 6 calories per 8-ounce cup. But to my way of thinking, if you’re drinking a 5-calorie cup of tea versus a 500-calorie gooey dessert, you’ve just eliminated 495 unnecessary calories and added all of the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and weight-loss benefits of tea.
A Tip of Last Resort
f you have put in a good faith effort and still can’t find a tea to sat
isfy your craving, try making one yourself. That is what I did before li
I became a tea purveyor, as I exp ained earl er. I used my favorite candy bar. You can use your favorite craving flavor. If licorice is the i
flavor you crave, cut off a small piece of a licorice st ck or take one pi ece of Good & Plenty and m x it nto a cup of tea. i i l i
The prob em is, of course, that n order to do that, you have to i i
have your crav ng food n the house, which I do not recommend. il
Once you have cut off a p ece of a choco ate bar, it may be too much i
of a temptat on or struggle to put the rest away for your next cup of il
tea. Many t mes I found myse f taking a bite of the candy bar or, even li
worse, eating the who e th ng while my tea was steeping. But I had no ii i i
other cho ce at the t me. If that’s the case, my adv ce s “Don’t try th is i
at home.” Go back and try another search for a tea that w ll do the trick, or e-mail me drtea@u lti mateteadiet.com and we can d scuss it. i Or rather than adding an actual piece of candy to your tea, you
l
can try adding your own f avorings. For instance, you can use vanilla beans, coffee beans, cinnamon sticks, or sugar-free extracts like val ll
nil a, almond, rum, carame , choco ate, or butter pecan. Be sure to l
read the labe s before you use these extracts so you’re sure they are sugar-free. At dr. tea’s we use stevia, a natural sweetener from a l li
plant that comes in many f avors with zero to a few ca or es. Be ad-i
venturous. You just might come up with something delic ous!
One of the best things about tea is that you can enjoy the same kind of tea year-round, or you can change the type of tea you drink to fit the season (or the occasion or your mood or any other criteria). But there are some teas that go particularly well with changes in the weather and that mirror the type of seasonal foods you may eating.
In the spring, when a tea drinker’s fancy turns to love and rejuvenation, try
a Mint Tea, a Chamomile, a Jasmine Pearl, a Blueberry White Tea, or a tea in
fused with rosebuds.
In the summer, we usually eat a lighter fare than we do at other times of the year. In most parts of the country, it’s a time to enjoy fresh, delicious fruits. So it seems like a perfect time to try some of the teas blended with fruit flavors like pineapple, blueberry, coconut, strawberry, passion fruit, raspberry, lemon, lime, and peach—or by adding two tablespoons of fresh fruit right into your teapot.
In the fall, when you start to notice a chill in the air, you want something a little warmer, something that will fill up your senses and get you ready for the long winter months ahead. There’s something about cinnamon that shouts out cardigans and falling leaves. This is the time you might want to try a Pumpkin Tea, a Ginger Bread, a Caramel, a Chai, a Black Orange Spice variety, or you might want to try adding a dash of cinnamon to your tea.
And then it’s winter. It’s cold out. You’re spending more time indoors. You
want a “serious” tea, perhaps a straightforward black tea, an Earl Grey, or even a
Pu Erh. And for the holidays, how about an Egg Nog or Rum Raisin Black Tea?
More than anything, it’s simply what you like. If you like a “summery”
white tea with blueberry in the middle of winter, that’s what you should be
drinking. There are no rules here, only what makes you feel good.
If I asked you to drink coffee all day every day (which I would never do), it wouldn’t be a difficult task, as coffee is available everywhere. With tea—not as much. However, thanks to the fact that more and more people are discovering the tastes of tea every day—and its amazing health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits—that is rapidly changing. It is now easier than ever before for you to be drinking tea all day, every day.
Obviously, I don’t expect you to be at home every day brewing pot after pot. But I do hope that you will take tea with you wherever you go or have it available wherever you are. This is not at all difficult, but it may take a bit of planning until it becomes part of your lifestyle. Here are some suggestions:
✸ Develop a morning ritual. If you used to be a coffee drinker, you probably had a ritual associated with making your coffee. Many people I know grind their own beans, set them up in the coffee maker before they go to bed, set the timer, and have their coffee waiting for them in the morning. They then pour coffee into their travel cups and enjoy the brew in the car or train as they travel to work. You can do almost the same thing with tea. You can rinse your vessel with hot water, then coat the bottom with tea, ready for your morning brew. You can use a coffee maker with a timer to have hot water waiting for you in the pot when you get up, then follow the steeping instructions you learned in chapter
2. Let it steep for two to three minutes, pour it into your travel cup, and you’re off for the day!
strainers available, some that are used for making pots of tea, and some that are good for one cup at a time. If you search online, you’re sure to find one that fits your liking. Since you can resteep your leaves several times, you can just keep filling the pot or cup and strainer with hot water and have it available to you all day. If there is a microwave, you can use that as your heat source: heat a cup of water for 30 seconds or the appropriate amount of time according to your microwave, then pour over a strainer of loose tea leaves, or tea bag, into your drinking cup. Save the tea leaves to use again later. Or you can purchase an inexpensive electric immersion heater (a small wand you plug in and place in the cup and it heats the water) so that you can have hot water wherever there is an electrical outlet available.
by sharing my teas with the airline staff and neighbors sitting next to me. It is a great way to break the ice with some interesting people you might otherwise never speak to on your journeys. You can also purchase T-sac Tea Filters (I found them online), which are chlorine- and bleach-free paper bags for use with loose leaf tea, allowing you to make your own tea bags. So you can fill up a few pouches with your favorite flavors of tea and bring them along wherever you go. They come in several different sizes; the larger ones are handy for making pots of hot tea or jugs of iced tea at home or away.
Basically, there is no excuse for you not to have tea with you at all times. Just remember; “bring it and drink it.” We all know how important it is to keep the body hydrated, especially when you travel—it’s an important element of weight loss as well as general health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). And as we learned in chapter 4, tea is actually better for you than drinking water.
The effect of tea is cooling and as a beverage it is most suitable. It is especially fitting for persons of self-restraint and inner worth.
LU YU, The Book of Tea
Name: Marsha L. Age: 48 Total Weight Loss: 11 Total Inches Lost: 7 Favorite Tea: White Peach
’m a photographer—I work in the film business. That makes it difficult to be on a
diet because there’s food available all the time. And I had a child a little later in life,
at 43. And I put on some weight, and have not been able to successfully remove it.
And I’m really active, so I couldn’t understand why my weight had plateaued. But
then my doctor told me it was hormones and I’m going through menopause. That
made me think if I was ever going to lose weight, now would be the time to do it. So
I’m fighting hormones, middle age, kids who want to eat junk all the time, film sets
that have food everywhere—it’s a lot.
The thing that’s really changed in my life is the tea. And cooking with tea. Who
would have thought that? I mean, I cook with spices all the time, but I didn’t think
that I’d cook with tea. I use the white tea to cook my vegetables like broccoli and
cauliflower. I’ve used the oolong spice on my chicken and I’ve used it on my salmon.
It was delicious.
I take tea to work with me all the time. I brew the tea, and then I put it into a
Camel Pack. It’s like a backpack that has a soft water holder in it and you put the tea
in it and it stays cold, and you drink it through a straw that’s attached. It’s really hik
ing gear, but I use it so I can hold my camera and carry my tea at the same time.
But I like to have it when I come home as well. It’s just a nice little ritual, being
able to pour it cup by cup. I have beautiful little Japanese teacups that I use, and it’s
a delicate way to savor the taste of the tea.
And I’ve started exercising. I live in a canyon, so I’m walking up and down hills.
They call it the “butt burners.” My energy has really changed. I think it’s because I gave up coffee. And I love the taste of coffee. But now I don’t miss it at all. I decided I would give the tea a try, and I love it! I drink decaf tea at night, and it fills me up, so I don’t want a snack. You can use the leaves and over and over again, and when I’m done with the tea, I put it in my garden, in my compost. And the garden’s doing great!
I do feel it is working for me. I’m losing inches, and I’ve lost pounds—and it’s been very noticeable to my friends. And my husband.
8
In March of 2006, I started going to dr. tea’s in Beverly Hills simply because it was a wonderful place to write. I was a serious coffee drinker (four cups or more a day) and hardly ever drank tea. One day, Dr. Tea pointed out that maybe all that coffee wasn’t so good for me, and he also mentioned that quitting coffee would actually help me lose some weight. I do exercise, but I’m also a writer, which means I sit at the computer much of the day. I had a good 15 extra pounds on me. My downfall was snacking between meals. Usually something sweet. Dr. Tea suggested I drink some sweet tea instead. Initially, I laughed off his advice, but one day I decided to cut back on my coffee just to see what would happen. I found that I felt much better. Once I quit coffee and started drinking tea all day, I found my snacking went down dramatically. I simply did not want to eat as much.
I’ve never been really successful going on a diet. However, since Dr.
Tea seemed to be right about the snacking, I decided to listen to the rest
of his advice about what to eat and how to change my eating habits. In a little over a month, I lost 12 pounds simply by giving up coffee, following the food plan (although I wasn’t perfect by any means) and drinking Dr. Tea’s many varieties of teas and Frosteas (only 20–90 calories) all day long.
JASON N., LOS ANGELES
I know why you bought this book. It’s because for years you have been gaining weight, losing weight, and gaining it back again. You’ve tried all the new diets that have come along and probably had success with several of them— while you were “on” the diet. As soon as you went “off ” it, you were back to your old habits, and your old weight, once again.
So you picked up this book because you thought that you would give it one more try, and you thought that tea might be the “magic” ingredient you have been looking for all this time.
It is and it isn’t.
It is, because of the incredible weight-loss and general health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) properties it contains. It is the one ingredient that has been missing from all the other diets you’ve tried; yet it is the one ingredient that has been consumed for 4,700 years and has never been a part of any other diet plan. It is the one ingredient you can go right back to when you mess up (and we all mess up). But, as I told you right from the start, tea can’t do it all by itself. It’s part of a TEAm with a well-balanced diet of proteins, carbs, and health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y fats, along with a moderate amount of exercise. You’ve read about these components in other diet books, but it’s the tea that makes this a winning team.
I, too, am part of a team. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. I am a pretty good cook, but I’m not a professional chef. So I brought in professionals like nutritionist Christine Bybee and chef Pam Ross to add their extensive knowledge and expertise to my knowledge of tea, and together we have developed a program that is easy to follow, well-balanced, and contains recipes infused with tea, delicious enough to please any palate.
So why should I expect you to believe that the Ultimate Tea Diet is different from any other one you’ve been on before? I don’t. At least not until you give it a try. Not until you start drinking tea and can see for yourself what a difference it makes, just like it did for the TEAmmates you’ve read about throughout the book (you can read more of their stories in the rest of the book).
Don’t make any judgments about this diet until you’ve been drinking tea for a week or two or three and suddenly realize that you’re not as hungry between meals as you used to be, that your cravings for sweets and snacks have almost disappeared because you’ve found a replacement tea for them, and that you’re finding it much easier to control what you put in your mouth.
The science of tea makes it possible—the caffeine/L-theanine/EGCG triad that sends your brain signals to help you feel full. That, in combination with changing your thoughts to change your reality, makes it easy to incorporate the Ultimate Tea Diet as a way of eating and a way of life. It has to be easy, because that’s the only way you and I will stick to it!
This is not a new fad diet, one you’ll start and then can’t stay on. I would never put myself on anything like that, so why would I recommend it to you? I am not going to tell you that you will lose some outlandish number of pounds in four weeks, knowing you will gain them back almost instantly. I am not going to tell you to give up carbs, or to weigh and measure every bite you take. This is a lifestyle change, and it is meant to last your lifetime. I want you to have choices; I want you to enjoy your food and feel satisfied when the meal is over; and above all, I want to bring back the confidence that you lost oh-so-many diets ago.
In order to get there, I do want you to give up some of your old habits, like drinking coffee or diet sodas all day and eating fast food and snacking all night. I’m asking you to practice new health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y habits to put in their place. And I do mean practice—repeat these new behaviors over and over until you don’t have to think about them anymore. Be mindful of what you are eating. Plan your meals in advance. Drink tea all day.
Experts say that it takes at least twenty-one to twenty-eight repetitions before a behavior becomes a habit. The way you form a habit is to simply do it again and again. In order to form a lifestyle, you have to practice a new lifestyle. Tea, by itself, can begin to change your life. But this is a diet book, not just a “drink tea” book, because I want you to be health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y and feel good about yourself. So I ask you to make a commitment to me, to the Ultimate Tea Diet, and most of all to yourself, that you will see this through. Stick with it for at least four weeks and then see where you are. Take note of how many compliments you get, how many times people say, “You’re looking great these days!” Or, “What’s different about you?” Be aware of how you feel, and how much more energy you have. Take a good look in the mirror and notice how clear your skin is. Think about how long it’s been since you had a craving, how much better you are sleeping at night, and how much more capable you are able of handling the stress in your life. And how many inches you have lost.
Although—and this may sound strange in a diet book—the truth is that I don’t care if you’re thin. I think you’re great the way you are. Your weight goal should not be about the pounds you lose, but about feeling comfortable again in your own skin. And I want you to realize that it’s not all about the scale. Because it’s about the way your clothes fit. It’s about the fact that you can walk up a flight of stairs without needing an oxygen tank. It’s about the fact that you can run in the yard with your children instead of watching them from a folding chair on the patio. It’s about walking into a room and having that bounce in your step that only comes from the confidence within. Think for a moment: When was the last time you felt that way? Yes, the pounds will come off. But I don’t want you to be so consumed by a number on a scale that you forget to appreciate the real benefits the Ultimate Tea Diet will bring to your entire life.
However, I do care that you’re health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y, and we all know that being overweight presents a plethora of health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) risks. What I want most of all is for you to feel good and to feel good about yourself. That’s why what you’ll find here is a commonsense plan to lose weight, get health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y, and begin the process of making changes in your life, one cup of tea at a time.
The meal plan and advice you will find below is based on what has worked for me, and I want to share it with you. These are suggestions for you to follow, not mandates. The meals are health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y and delicious. If you want to eat exactly what you find here, be my guest. If you don’t, use these plans as guidelines for serving sizes and calorie counts. Feel free to incorporate any part of it into any other diet plan you may be on. But above all, don’t be so concerned with every bite you eat that you forget how to live.
The only two dictums of the Ultimate Tea Diet are: 1) add tea to your day—all day; and 2) say you can lose weight. Sometimes the second part is the more difficult of the two. Remember how powerful your thoughts are. As great as tea is, your thoughts are greater. Your thoughts will move you in the right direction to make the right choices, lose the weight, and keep it off. So go ahead and say it: “I CAN LOSE WEIGHT!” And come back to it for the rest of your life each and every time you have the urge to reach out for your binge or trigger food, or continue eating even if you’re exploding. Reach out for your tea instead! The weight will come off. You will feel better about yourself and you will start to take control of your life, just like I did.
What We Suggest You Drink:
Sober Up With Tea
ll
cohol yields more ca ories per gram than carbohydrates. If you choose to have a social drnk, have a gass of whte wne, whch is i l i i i li ii
about 70 ca or es, as opposed to a margar ta, wh ch has about 740 ca lii
or es! More good news about tea—several stud es have shown that l i
while a cohol ntoxication produces free radicals that can overwhelm the liver’s supp y of ant l ioxi i l
dants, the EGCG n tea great y reduces the ii
free rad cal product on and subsequent liver damage.
1. Eat three balanced meals a day, including carbohydrates, protein, and fats. You can create the illusion of more food by using smaller plates. So for four weeks I want you to put away your oversized dishes and use salad plates and small bowls to eat from. A 3 ⁄4-cup serving of whole-wheat pasta will look like more than enough on an 8-inch plate, but can appear to be a skimpy serving on a 12-inch plate.
Using an 8-inch salad plate, visualize a balanced meal as follows:
◆ One quarter of the plate should contain green or red vegetables. See the list of “free” foods below.
◆ The meal should contain a small amount of a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y fat, such as 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise, or 1 tablespoon of low-fat salad dressing (see list below).
YOUR LEAN PROTEIN CHOICES INCLUDE:
YOUR health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)Y CARBOHYDRATE CHOICES INCLUDE:
Carbs: The Real Story
li
f you do not eat any carbohydrates at al , as some other d et plans il
recommend, you may end up burn ng musc e and not fat. Not l
good. You may lose weight, but it comes from your musc e (see ) ii
chapter 9 . When you reintroduce carbs into your d et you w ll gain l li
your weight back, but still have not rep aced the musc e. So this t me, li health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y carbs not fr ed ( i
eat three balanced p anned meals a day w th )i
foods and potato chips , dr nk tea all day, and eat a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y snack if you’re hungry.
YOUR health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)Y FAT CHOICES INCLUDE:
YOUR “FREE” FOODS INCLUDE:
(The vegetables on the following list contain a negligible amount of carbohydrates per serving of 1 cup raw or 1⁄2 cup cooked. For this reason, we encourage you to use as much of these vegetables for a meal or a snack, raw or cooked, without guilt.)
Here are some additional free items. Where serving sizes are indicated, you may have up to four servings per day:
Remember, your foods don’t all have to be bland to be good for you. Use a tea you love to enhance and even change the flavor of a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y food, whether it’s a carbohydrate like brown rice (substitute brewed tea for the water used to cook the rice) or a protein (season your lean chicken breast with a tea-based rub).
Keeping a Food Journal
ll
here is one very valuab e too you can use to help keep you on il
track, and that is a food journal. It’s s mp y a log of everything ii
you eat dur ng the day. It goes back to the idea of be ng conscious of ii
what you put in your mouth— f you have to wr te it down, it some()
how keeps you more honest even if it’s only with yourself . Studies i
have shown that people who keep a detailed eat ng journal consistently lose 64 percent more weight than those who do not.
The following are suggested menus for the next fourteen days. You will find recipes for most of the dishes in chapter 11. In that chapter, you will also find additional recipes that you may substitute for any of the ones in the meal plan.
All meals are interchangeable. You can eat any meal at any time; for instance, you can eat a breakfast for lunch or a dinner for a midafternoon snack, or have a dessert after lunch. You can also add any of the free foods from the lists on pages 130–32 to any of these meals. All teas, Frosteas and Hot Todteas are interchangeable; if you like the taste of a Frostea and want to serve it hot, it will be delicious either way (and vice versa for Hot Todteas). If you find one in particular you love and want to drink that one all the time, that’s fine. If you want to drink a different tea at every meal, that’s fine also. It’s your choice.
Snacking Between Meals
li
he meal p an has a suggested health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y snack. Th s does not
mean it is mandatory unless your physician or health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) professional has recommended you eat a hea thy snack between mea s. If l l you are hungry between meals, chances are it’s because you are in the habit of eating at certain times of the day. Next time you’re hun
ii
gry before meal t me, try drinking 8 ounces of tea f rst. Wait twenty minutes and if you are still hungry, then have one of the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y i
snacks w th some tea.
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Yogurt Tea Parfait (page 192) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Apple Pie Hot Todtea (page 192), served hot or cold, as much as you like, with one tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Tea-Grilled (page 193) or Regular Chicken Breast 2 cups your favorite free veggies 1⁄2 cup brown rice or Tea Rice (page 193) 2 tablespoons Tea Salad Dressing (page 191) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
1 cup (8 ounces) edamame (soy beans) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Lettuce-Wrapped Tea Turkey Burger (page 194) Your choice of free condiments 1 medium corn on the cob 1 slice watermelon 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Strawberry Chocolate Mint Tea Frozen Yogurt (page 195) or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 2
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Breakfast Tea Burrito (page 195) Tomato Tea Salsa (page 196) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Frostea (page 196), as much as you like, with one tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Mediterranean Tea Salad (page 197) 1 whole-wheat pita pocket 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Strawberry yogurt bowl: combine in a bowl one 6-ounce flavored nonfat yogurt, 1⁄4 cup strawberries, and 1⁄
4 cup cottage cheese 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Lemon Tea Baked Halibut (page 198) Oven-Roasted Tea Asparagus (page 199) 1 medium baked sweet potato 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
TEAna Colada Frostea (page 199), served hot or cold, as much as you like, with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 3
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Toasted nutty cinnamon bagel: 1 toasted whole-wheat bagel, spread with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter and topped with 1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese, dusted lightly with cinnamon 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Blueberry Pie Frostea (page 200), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Vegetable Tea Soup (page 201) or any soup 4 ounces cooked skinless chicken breast on the side or added to the
soup 1 whole-wheat pita pocket (4-inch diameter) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Hard-boiled eggs and yogurt: 2 hard-boiled eggs One 6-ounce flavored nonfat yogurt 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Turkey Tea Meatloaf (page 202) 3⁄
4 cup brown rice or Tea Rice (page 193) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Baked Tea Pears (page 203) with Strawberry-Balsamic Tea Sauce (page 203) with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 4
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Vegetable Mushroom Tea Frittata (page 204) 2 slices 100% whole-grain toast 2 tablespoons low-sugar fruit jam 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Ginger Bread Hot Todtea (page 204), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Tuna tossed green salad with Tea Salad Dressing: Mix 2 cups of your favorite free veggies with 2 tablespoons Tea Salad Dressing (page 191) or any low-fat dressing, and 3 ounces tuna fish packed in water or 3 ounces cooked chicken breast 1 whole-wheat pita or 1 slice multigrain bread 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Mini cottage cheese berry bowl: 1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with 1 cup blueberries or any other berries you love 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Tea Chicken Tostadas (page 205) Tomato Tea Salsa (page 196) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Frostea (page 206), served hot or cold, as much as you like, with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 5
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Apple-Cinnamon Tea Oatmeal (page 207) 4 scrambled or hard-boiled egg whites 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Strawberry-Raspberry Pie DaiquirTEA Frostea (page 207), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Tea Garden Grilled Salmon (page 208) 1⁄2 cup brown rice or Tea Rice (page 193) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Nutty banana: 1 tablespoon natural almond, peanut, or soybean butter
with 1 medium banana 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
BBQ Tea-Grilled (page 209) or Regular Chicken Breast 1 cup steamed broccoli with fresh lemon juice 1 small baked sweet potato 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Tiramisu Rooibos Hot Todtea Tisane (page 209), served hot or cold, as much as you like, with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 6
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
1 cup Special K with 1⁄2 scoop low-fat, low-carb protein powder 1⁄2 cup nonfat milk
1⁄
4 cup sliced strawberries 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
1 sugar-free fat-free Popsicle, pudding, or Tea Popsicle (page 210), and any tea you love
Lunch:
Turkey Sandwich: 2 small slices whole-wheat bread 6 thin slices turkey breast 1 slice fat-free cheese 1 tablespoon light mayo Any free veggies you desire 1 piece fruit 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Apple and peanut butter: 1 medium apple with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Tea Chicken Stir-Fry (page 210) 1⁄2 cup brown rice or Tea Rice 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Orange Sherbet Frostea (page 211), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 7
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Fruit Tea Smoothie (page 212) 1 scoop low-fat, low-carb protein powder 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Caramel-Banana DaiquirTEA/Frostea (page 212), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Tea Orange Turkey (page 213) or Tea-Grilled Chicken (page 193) 1 small yam 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Cheese and crackers: 2 ounces fat-free cheese and 8 fat-free wheat crackers 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Tea Chicken Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Artichoke (page 213) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Tea-Poached Apricots or Plums (page 214) Tea Custard Sauce (page 215) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 8
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Egg White Tea Scramble (page 216) 1 slice 100% whole-grain toast spread with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter 1 tablespoon low-sugar jam 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Caramel Apple Hot Todtea (page 217), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Cold Chicken or Turkey Tea Salad (page 217) 1 slice multigrain bread 1 pear 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Turkey cheese roll: 1 stick low-fat string cheese rolled up in 1 slice turkey or chicken deli meat 1 pear or apple 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Tea Garden Grilled Salmon (page 208) 1 cup Cauliflower Tea Mash (page 218) 1 cup Tea Fruit Salad (page 219) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
CappuTEAno Frostea (page 220), served hot or cold, as much as you like, with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 9
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Cheesy toast: 2 ounces fat-free mozzarella over 1 slice whole-wheat toast One 6-ounce container of nonfat yogurt mixed with 1⁄4 cup fresh strawberries 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Cinnamon Roast Hot Todtea (page 220), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Tea Salad Niçoise (page 221) 1 pear or orange 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Baked Tea Apple (page 222) 1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Grilled Tea Steak (page 223) 1 cup steamed broccoli 1 small baked potato 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Black Tea Hot Todtea, served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love. (If you’re having this tea in the evening and you don’t want the caffeine, don’t drink the first steep.)
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 10
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Goat (or any low-fat) Cheese Tea Egg Scramble (page 224) 1⁄2 grapefruit 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Chocolate Cream Pie Todtea (page 225), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Tuna stuffed pita: 3.5 ounces water-packed tuna with your favorite free
veggies stuffed into a 4-inch whole-wheat pita with 1 tablespoon Tea Salad Dressing (page 191) or any low-fat dressing 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Fruit and nuts: 12 raw almonds or any raw nuts you love 1 pear or apple 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Rosemary Orange Tea Chicken (page 225) 1⁄2 cup Tea Rice (page 193) 1 cup cooked spinach 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Tea Fruit Salad (page 219) with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, and any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 11
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Tea-Infused Oatmeal (page 226) 4 scrambled egg whites 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Vanilla Berry Blast Frostea (page 226), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Chef Tea Salad (page 227) 2 tablespoons Tea Salad Dressing (page 191) or any low-fat dressing 1 apple 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Yam and cottage cheese: 1 small baked yam stuffed with 1⁄2 cup low-fat cottage cheese 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Tea Chicken Stir-Fry (page 210) 1 cup Tea Rice (page 193) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
1 cup sugar-free gelatine or pudding, Tea Popsicle (page 210), or Tea Fruit Salad (page 219) with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, and any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 12
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Cottage cheese with fruit and nuts: 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese 1 banana 10 cashews or any raw nuts you love 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Orange Spice Cake Hot Todtea (page 227), served hot or cold, as much as you like, with one tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Chicken or turkey tortilla wrap: 1 whole-wheat tortilla 4 slices deli turkey or chicken 1 slice fat-free cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion or any free veggies, wrapped
up tightly 1 apple 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Protein bar: 1 organic protein bar 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Lemon Tea Baked Halibut (page 198) 1⁄2 cup Tea Wild Rice (page 229) 1 cup Oven-Roasted Tea Tomatoes (page 228) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Key Lime Pie Frostea (page 229), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 13
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Breakfast quesadilla: Two 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas 2 ounces fat-free cheese 2 ounces chicken breast strips and your favorite free veggies, topped
with Tomato Tea Salsa (page 196) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Strawberry Pie Green Tea, served hot or cold, as much as you like, with one tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Chinese Tea Chicken Salad (page 230) 1⁄2 cup steamed brown rice or Tea Rice (page 193) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Cheese and popcorn: 1 cup of air-popped low-fat popcorn and 1 stick low-fat string cheese 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Tea Turkey Florentine (page 231) 1⁄2 cup Tea Rice (page 193) 1 cup green beans 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Any fruit you like with Blueberry Tea Sauce (page 231), with 1 tablespoon of fat- and sugar-free whipped topping, and any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
DAY 14
Start the day with a cup of tea Drink as much as you like of the tea(s) you love between meals
Breakfast:
Waffle with cottage cheese and Tea-Infused Blueberries (page 232) 1 whole-grain frozen waffle topped with 1⁄
2 cup low-fat cottage cheese 1 cup Tea-Infused Blueberries 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Hot Todtea (page 232), served hot or cold, as much as you like, or any tea you love
Lunch:
Turkey Bacon–Egg Tea Salad Sandwich (page 233) 2 slices 100% whole-grain bread 8 to 16 ounces tea
Snack:
Peanut butter rice cakes: 2 unsalted plain rice cakes spread with 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dinner:
Grilled Tea Marinated Chops (page 234) 1 cup TEABouleh (page 234) 8 to 16 ounces tea
Dessert:
Tea Apple Sauce (page 235), with 1 tablespoon fat- and sugar-free whipped topping and any tea you love
Drink as much of the tea(s) you love throughout the evening
Emergency Snacks to Tide You Over
When you’re trying to lose weight, some days will go exactly according to plan. All your meals will be thought out ahead of time and eaten in a timely fashion so that you don’t get too hungry in between.
Other days will be more difficult. For whatever reason, you may have to wait long hours between meals. Or you may find yourself stuck in a situation where the only thing you’re able to do is grab a quick bite from the deli or grocery store or—oh, no!—a fast-food restaurant. Here are some suggestions:
VEGGIE SNACKS:
ON-THE-GO GROCERY STORE STOP:
FAST FOOD STOPS:
There are two things you need to start the Ultimate Tea Diet: tea, and a plan. You want to have tea available to you at all times and you want to have a plan (see steps number 2 and 4 from chapter 6) so that every day, you know what you’re going to eat and what you need to have at hand in order to fulfill your menu.
That begins, of course, with shopping. A trip to the supermarket can be like a trip to Temptation Island: the aisles are lined with displays designed to lure you in; items you never knew you needed but now you “gotta have” are on sale; check-out areas are lined with candy. If you plan ahead, you can make fewer trips to the market, and fewer trips means less temptation.
Here are some tips for smart shopping:
Read Your Labels
If You Can’t Read It, Don’t Buy It!
l
an’t understand an ingredient on the abel? Don’t buy the food. i
It usually means the addit on of chemicals and other items bl i
ended from the laboratory that has no place in our d ets much less our bodies.
It is amazing how much we buy without knowing exactly what we’re getting. That is due, in part, to the fact that it can be difficult to read labels, especially if we don’t know just what we’re looking for. Remember that ingredients are listed from largest to smallest amounts, and that most nutrition facts are listed per serving. That means that a bottled beverage, for instance, may list 40 calories on the label—but that is for one serving, usually 8 ounces, and there can be any number of servings in the bottle, depending on its size.
The Food and Drug Administration has set up guidelines for “nutrient content claims” such as low-fat and low-calorie items. Here are some claims commonly found on food labels and their legal definitions:
✸ Free:
✸ Low:
✸ Lean and Extra Lean:
TEAhaviors
New behaviors are always difficult at first. It’s always easier to start a new habit than to give up an old one. So start by drinking as much tea as you can during the day. Keep tea in your cup, mug, glass, or portable bottle and sip all day; drink with meals; drink in between meals. Make up your own favorite tea drinks to have at any time of day and see how the pounds and inches come off.
You’ll then find it much easier to stop eating between meals or late at night. You’ll begin to feel better (without experiencing the pains associated with eating less you may have felt on other diets) and want to improve your eating habits to go along with your newfound energy and “alert relaxation” that comes from the tea’s L-theanine. Make a commitment to yourself. Plan your meals. Change your reality.
In his book Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, author Brian Wansink says that the average person makes well over 200 decisions about food every day. However, about 90 percent of the time we are not even aware of the decisions we make. And much of the time, the reasons we eat more than necessary are due to optical illusions. For instance, Wansink threw a party for some students and served Chex Mix in both gallon bowls and half-gallon bowls. Using scales hidden under a tablecloth, he measured how much each guest took. Students who had served themselves from the gallon bowl took 53 percent more than those who had served themselves from the smaller bowl.
Wansink also recommends dishing out 20 percent less food than you think you want (except for fruits and vegetables—then you should think 20 percent more). Remember, especially in restaurants where you can get oversized servings of food, you don’t have to eat everything that’s put in front of you. Most people will keep eating until the food on the plate is gone; don’t let the empty plate be your signal to stop eating. Let your body tell you when it’s full and start to listen. And when you are at home, don’t make it easy to overeat. If you’re having a snack, for instance, put a serving on a plate, then close the bag or box and put it away at the back of the refrigerator or cabinet. That makes it less convenient to serve yourself a second helping, and you have to make a conscious effort to do so.
I don’t expect you to be perfect at every meal. Do the best you can. And go right back to your tea if you do mess up. We have included calorie counts for the recipes in chapter 11, but these are only guidelines. Feel free to try these meals and freely substitute any of them the way you would like them prepared. Nothing will turn you off your good diet intentions faster than eating the same boring meals over and over. Take special notice of the Quick & Easy recipes for those occasions when you are pressed for time but still want something health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y and delicious.
Go Organic!
f possib e, go organic. health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y, pure foods taste the best because
Il
they offer the best that Mother Nature has provided. Taste buds adjust sweetness levels according to what they are offered regularly. l
If you provide your body with foods that are not over y processed, i
your taste buds will learn to appreciate the sweetness of a p ece of li
fruit, for examp e. It is the process ng of food that pulls us farther l
from true f avor and, simultaneously, pulls us away from the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) il
benef ts that food shou d and can present. i
Hippocrates sa d, “Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” Maximize your potential and make every bite count! Eat i ii
slowly. Savor each bite. Th nk about how w th each b te, you are imil i
prov ng your hea th, working toward reaching your goals, and f nally caring for yourself.
Tea does our fancy aid, Repress those vapours which the head invade And keeps that palace of the soul serene.
EDMUND WALLER, “OF TEA”
Name: Kate S. Age: 41 Total Weight Loss: 9 Total Inches Lost: 14 Favorite Tea: Earl Grey
’m a mother of three. My husband and I own a restaurant, and I was a clothing de
signer until I had my third child, and then I became a full-time mother. I have always
been a pretty active person, and have never been overweight. But since I hit my 40s,
I started putting on some weight. So I wanted to lose those 15 pounds I couldn’t get
rid of.
I was just looking for a diet program, but it became much more of a life change.
I went from being a die-hard coffee drinker my whole life to not drinking it at all any-
more—with the exception, maybe, of a cappuccino now and again. I just feel like I’m
thinking more carefully about what goes into my mind and body. You know, as Dr.
Tea says: “If you say you can do it, you can do it.”
I love drinking the tea. And making the tea—the whole process of brewing it and
steeping it—it’s like a ritual, almost, in the morning. And it comes out in such a
beautiful form when the leaves get wet. I just keep a pot going all day long. It feels
very cleansing, and I think my skin’s better.
I keep thinking about all the good things those antioxidants are doing for me.
Really, it’s like a miracle fluid. And for one thing, I sleep better. I was taking a little
sleeping pill every night—you know, the over-the-counter kind? I would go to bed
with two Motrin and a sleeping pill every night. I stopped that as soon as I started
the Ultimate Tea Diet. I haven’t had to take any since I started the Diet, and I’ve
been sleeping really well every night.
I work three days at the restaurant, and I drink tea all day. We brew iced tea
there, so sometimes I end up drinking that. Otherwise, I have two little pots on the stove. And I will pour a cup, and I just keep refilling it and reusing the same tea leaves all day long. By then all the caffeine is gone, and I can keep drinking it at night.
My children are drinking tea now, too, and they love it. They’re 9, 7, and 3. And my husband’s been drinking quite a bit, too.
Being in the restaurant business, I love to cook. I have been experimenting with cooking with tea. I’ve been crushing tea and putting it in everything: cereal, sandwiches, broccoli, pork tenderloin . . . We’ve used the tea rubs quite a bit, whenever I cook chicken or fish. And I use tea water in rice or to steam vegetables. It’s just been a great time to reevaluate what you put in your mouth.
For me, the great thing about this diet is that it’s not regimented. It’s not saying you have to eat this in the morning, and that for lunch. It gives you basic guidelines for putting meals together. And if you fall off the diet once in a while, you have a cup of tea, and you get going again in the morning.
9
Here’s a bold statement: mankind was not built to live in the modern world. We are genetically programmed to be able to move, to hunt for food or to escape from danger. When we shared our habitat
with animals in the wild, our physical strength and endurance could mean the difference between life and death.
What we don’t realize is that even in the modern world, our physical strength and endurance still mean the difference between life and death. The benefits of exercise, as you’ll see in this chapter, can help you live longer, be more productive, and lose weight. However, since we now live in a world of convenience, we have to work a little harder at working harder. It’s too easy just to sit on the couch doing nothing, changing the channel, turning on the air conditioning, and lowering the lights by remote control. With trains, planes, and automobiles readily available, we hardly have to walk anywhere anymore. Why, our cars can now even park themselves.
I’m not knocking the modern world. I am a big fan of convenience. However, all of this technological advancement has made us a sedentary society. And it has made more than 60 million of us overweight.
There is no way to get around it—if you want to lose weight, you’ve got to get moving.
Just in case you had any doubts that exercise is good for you, here are some facts that might convince you. Regular physical activity can improve health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and reduce the risk of premature death in the following ways:
Does any of the information above ring a bell? If you look back at chapters 3 and 4, you will see that tea can also improve health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and reduce the risk of premature death from heart disease and stroke, respiratory ailments, osteoporosis, diabetes, cancer, sleep disturbances, and stress and anxiety. That makes tea and exercise quite a powerhouse combination.
In fact, there have been a number of studies that prove that tea actually pumps your exercise benefits up a notch:
Needless to say, there are many more studies I could cite and many more that are ongoing. The point is that the combination of tea and exercise is proving to be a very effective pairing if you want to make the most of your exercise hours and your weight-loss abilities.
Some of you may already be exercising, which is great. And, if you have started drinking tea all day every day, you may already be seeing a difference in your stamina and in your weight loss.
If you are not already exercising, now is the time to get started. The U.S. government Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc .gov) advises that if you are just starting to exercise or if you have been inactive for a while, you should use a sensible approach by starting out slowly. Here are some tips from their Web site:
I know what you’re saying: “I don’t have time to exercise; don’t you know how busy I am?” Or: “I’m too old to exercise.” Or: “I’m not feeling well today, I’ll do it tomorrow.” But these are just some of the “I cant’s” you’ve been saying to yourself for a while now. The days pass into weeks, the weeks into months and before long you haven’t done anything for years. However, remember my mantra, “If you say you can, you will.” If you say you can exercise, you will. Don’t give in to the excuses you’ve always used. Exercise doesn’t always have to mean going to the gym or endlessly jogging around the track. You’re never too old and you have many opportunities during the course of your everyday life to be more active. For instance:
The fat-burning myth that dictates we must be moving fast and furious and end up huffing and puffing in a bucket of sweat in order to lose weight has brought much confusion to exercisers everywhere. Author and philosopher Alfred A. Montapert once said, “Do not confuse motion with progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.” That is the truth when it comes to exercise. Smart exercise is the key to losing weight. Many people think if they are just moving fast, they are making a difference. Unfortunately, exercise must be properly executed or you’re just spinning your wheels.
A Word of Caution
efore you start any kind of exercise program, you must consu lt
wi i ii
th your phys cian or health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) care profess onal. If you are g ven i ili
the okay, you m ght want to h re a persona tra ner (on your own or at ) i
the gym , even if t’s for just one or two sessions so that you under-ii
stand what to do w thout hurt ng yourself. l
Exercising correct y starts with understanding the two types of exercise: cardiovascular and strength training. Let’s talk about car
162 THE ULTIMATE TEA DIET
il (i i
diovascular exercise first. Card ovascu ar or card o) exerc se works l
the heart muscle and is the on y type of exercise responsible for ex-i
treme fat burn ng. i i
Here’s why: There are two types of muscle f bers n our bodies,
slow twitch and fast tw tch. Our muscles conta i in a mi xture of both
slow and fast fiber types. On average, we have about 50 percent
i i l
slow and 50 percent fast f bers n most of the musc es used for movement. However, the actual proport on i is determined genetically bel
fore birth. That’s why some peop e are better at endurance sports, and some are better sprinters.
Fast twitch muscle fibers are white in color because they do not have as many of those precious little fat-burning mitochondria cells. Glycogen (the form in which foods are stored in the body as energy) within muscle tissue fuels fast twitch muscle fibers. The main source of glycogen is carbohydrates. So if you follow certain fad diets and cut out carbs altogether, your muscles don’t get enough glycogen and your body starts to break down muscle tissue which appears as weight loss. This is not the lifetime weight loss we are seeking, because as soon as you reintroduce carbs into your diet, you gain back the weight lost from muscle and the only thing you have accomplished is adding another failed fad diet to your long list of other fad diets that did not work.
Your Target Heart Rate
We now know to burn fat more efficiently during exercise it is important to exercise correctly using your slow twitch muscle fibers. So how do you know which muscle fibers you are using? Many studies have proven that slow twitch muscle fibers contract when you exercise within 65 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, or what is called your “target heart rate” zone (THR).
In order to calculate your target heart rate (THR), you can use the following formula:
220 − your age = ____ × .65 = ____ the low end of your zone. 220 − your age = ____ × .85 = ____ the high end of your zone. YOUR TARGET HEART RATE ZONE _______ (low end) to _______ (high end).
Suppose you are 40 years old. Your formula would look like this:
220 − 40 = 180 × .65 = 117 (the low end of your zone) 220 – 40 = 180 × .85 = 153 (the high end of your zone)
YOUR TARGET HEART RATE ZONE: 117 (low end) to 153 (high end).
The easiest way to keep track of whether you are in your THR zone while exercising is to purchase a heart rate monitor, which you can find at many sporting goods stores or on the Internet. But if you don’t want to mess around with any of this just start to do some moving and add to it as it becomes easier.
Exercise Intensity and Duration
If you have been performing cardio on a regular basis, you should continue at that level. If you are just beginning a cardio program, the key is to start slowly and not overdo it. Consult your physician and/or speak to a trainer. The following chart can help you get started (it includes strength training, which you’ll learn about next):
| DR. TEA’S WORKOUT CHART | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| 1 | 15 min cardio | Strength 15 min | 15 min cardio | off | 15 min cardio | Strength 15 min | 20 min cardio |
| 2 | 20 min cardio | Strength 15 min | 20 min cardio | off | 20 min cardio | Strength 15 min | 25 min cardio |
| 3 | 25 min cardio | Strength 20 min | 25 min cardio | off | 25 min cardio | Strength 20 min | 30 min cardio |
| 4 | 30 min cardio | Strength 20 min | 30 min cardio | off | 30 min cardio | Strength 20 min | 40 m cardio |
| 5 | 40 min cardio | Strength 20 min | Continue doing strength and your cardio a minimum of 4 days per week and work up to 60 min per session to maintain your fat loss. | ||||
Your cardiovascular exercise can be performed by using the following: walking on flat land, climbing stairs, treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary bike, swimming, biking, jogging, or any other form of exercise that involves the large muscles of the hips, thighs, and buttocks.
Exercise Duration and Fuel Burning Ratios
The chart below shows the ratio of fat to sugar burned when you exercise. The longer you exercise within your target heart rate, the more fat you burn (and the more weight and inches you lose).
| DURATION | INTENSITY | FAT BURNED | SUGAR BURNED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest | None | 50% | 50% |
| 10 min | THR | 40% | 60% |
| 20 min | THR | 60% | 40% |
| 30 min | THR | 70% | 30% |
| 40 min | THR | 75% | 25% |
| 50 min | THR | 80% | 20% |
| 60 min | THR | 85% | 15% |
| 120 min | THR | 99% | 1% |
*Percentage refers to ratio of fat to sugar burned during exercise at target heart rate.
The second type of exercise, strength or resistance training—increasing muscle strength by pitting the muscles against a weight or force—is just as important as cardiovascular training, especially as we age and naturally lose muscle mass. Building muscle helps burn more calories. When you burn more calories, fewer calories remain to be stored as body fat. As you lose muscle mass, either from age or lack of use, your capacity to store glucose decreases, your ability to regulate blood sugar levels decreases, and you endlessly wonder to yourself, why am I gaining weight when I’m eating so well? Drinking tea can help ameliorate these processes, but it can’t stop them altogether because you’re not using as much muscle as you used to do. Resistance training, building and maintaining your muscle mass, is an important key to losing weight, and is particularly important for women because they usually start off with more body fat and less muscle mass than men of the same age and weight.
One very important thing you need to know about exercise: There is no such thing as “spot reduction.” Strength training will help you gain strength, not melt fat in one specific area, like your stomach (abs). Cardiovascular exercise is the only form of exercise that melts away fat.
But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Strength training has a
host of benefits and can transform a body when combined with the Ultimate
Tea Diet and proper cardiovascular exercise.
First of all, a toned muscular body definitely turns heads. Call me old-fashioned but I still think a person with lean muscles looks much better then a person with a sunken, shriveled body. Second, muscle burns fat all day and night. Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the number of calories you will burn in a day at rest. Your RMR increases when your muscle mass increases. What does this mean to you? It means with more muscle you will have a faster metabolism and can burn more fat even while not exercising.
Third, lifting free weights is an energizing and invigorating experience. The strength increase helps make everyday tasks like lifting groceries out of your trunk, carrying your children, or going up a long flight of stairs much easier. Lifting weights has also been known to increase bone mass and density, reducing your risk of osteoporosis. Increased muscle mass can also reduce your risk of injury and speed up recovery if you do get injured.
There are numerous ways to strength train and you should choose what you enjoy most. Pilates, yoga, weight lifting, core training (working the core muscles: abs, buttocks, chest), outdoor exercise courses, body sculpting, and calisthenics are all great ways to train your muscles. Do what you enjoy most and make it a habit two to three times a week. I used to do 15 to 20 minutes of strength training on the off days from my cardio. I had the time, but many of us do not. So you can do some strength training right after your cardio, which is better than doing it before your cardio, because your muscles are already warmed up.
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.
C. S. LEWIS
Name: John B. Age: 34 Total Weight Loss: 19.5 Total Inches Lost: 17 Favorite Tea: Moroccan Mint Green Tea
he biggest change I’ve noticed is in my energy. Instead of peaks and valleys, I feel like I am more alert and engaged throughout the day. I drink decaf tea at night and it really detoxes me for the following day. I don’t feel like I’m in a fog all morning.
I haven’t really dieted before. This is my first time. I am thinking about eating differently now. Now it doesn’t feel like I am at war with myself wanting to pig out. I make compartmentalized choices for each meal. I am really excited about being a bit more fit. My daughter is walking now and it is nice to be able to chase her around the house and not need to sit down after ten minutes.
I drink tea all the time. Anywhere you go, when you’re out and about, you can find tea, hot or cold, fresh or bottled. So I drink it all the time. My wife is very proud of me and my mother-in-law said I looked lighter. My sister did, too. It’s nice to hear that stuff, but it’s better to feel that way about myself.
What I’ve learned is that this is a package deal—you have to eat well and you have to exercise as well. It’s not just a magic cup of tea and you lose a ton of weight. If you’re not doing the work, you’re not going to see the results.
But my health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) is also much improved. I have noticed my asthma is not as prevalent. I’m able to do more cardiovascular exercise now that I’m not carrying as much weight. I had severe intestinal problems last fall because I was drinking coffee. Those symptoms went away when I stopped, but now that I am on tea I feel like my gastrointestinal system is working really well.
When I messed up, I just got back on. I drank more tea. I ate less at the next meal. I worked out harder. I learned to think of it as not messing up as much as tipping the balance one way. When I did that, I had to tip it back the other way.
10
Dear Dr. Tea,
My daddy used to say, “Learn from others’ strong points to offset one’s shortcomings.” I now know that daddy’s advice was well worth following.
I have been a caffeine addict since my early days growing up in Abilene, Texas when I used to drink a six-pack of Dr Pepper a day. My high school and college years introduced me to the powerful effects coffee can have on the system. Picks you up, keeps you up. Great for those late nights studying or writing that last minute history paper. I never thought about how it had become a necessary part of my life. I never realized that I had, in fact, become a caffeine addict. If I had come to grips with it then, I’m sure I wouldn’t have cared or changed anything. I liked the smell. I loved the taste. I lived for the effect it had on me.
As the years progressed, I married, had kids, built my business, all on the back of my ability to juggle many things due to my endless, bountiful energy. I was wired and I loved it. What I didn’t realize was that the caffeine, although it gave me the impetus to do so much, changed who I was. I was too harsh with my wife, I lacked the patience and understanding necessary to be a good father, and my employees hated my brisk manner.
When my marriage was on the rocks and my kids didn’t want much to do with me, I thrust myself into my business. I put in more and more hours, and that eventually cost me my marriage. I hit rock bottom emotionally and decided I needed to seek a different path. I began to read books abut Zen philosophy and Japanese poetry. My outlook on life changed, but obviously something was still missing. I was still addicted to caffeine and no matter how I looked at life philosophically, I was still the same person.
I called upon my ex-wife to help. No one knew me better. I asked her what she thought I needed to help me regain her friendship and reconnect with my kids. Her answer was just four little words: “Get off the coffee!”
Dr. Tea, I must tell you that meeting you has changed my life. I don’t know why anyone would pay $300 for fifty minutes with a shrink, when they can spend time with you, talking about life, experiencing the interesting world of teas and herbs, for a whole lot less. My first visit to dr. tea’s, if you remember, lasted close to five hours. What I really loved was the education that you provided me. The information regarding the caffeine in coffee versus tea was fascinating. Like how, after the first steep, about 95% of the caffeine is rinsed away, but the bit of information that really knocked me for a loop was about L-theanine, and its ability to inhibit the caffeine stimulation that was destroying my life. That has really had the greatest impact on my life. I feel better and I have found the path that I will stay on for as long as I have a breath left. My tea and me!
I salute you, Dr. Tea. I have thrown my coffee maker away and pass those well-known chain coffee houses by without a thought. You helped
me and I will do my part to spread the word. You are at the forefront of the tea revolution and I’m glad I’m on the right side. Gratefully Yours, Blake S.
P.S. My ex-wife likes the change. So do my kids. Maybe my story isn’t finished. I’ll keep you posted.
It wasn’t that long ago that cigarette smoking was an accepted everyday practice in our country. When I was growing up, everyone smoked—at home, in restaurants, in movie theaters, on airplanes. Once, as a child, I was hospitalized for asthma, and I can remember my doctor coming into the hospital room smoking a cigarette. Then, all of a sudden, one scientific study after another began to pop up. We began to learn about the harmful effects of cigarette smoke. Eventually, we made significant changes in our attitude about smoking. Warning labels appeared on packages, smoking was banned from airplanes, restaurants, and the workplace, all because we had become educated about the dangers. I believe that caffeine, like cigarettes, will have warning labels one day.
Americans drink over 330 million cups of coffee a day. That means we drink 100,000 cups of coffee every 15 seconds of every day. Just think about that for a moment. That’s a lot of caffeine. In fact, many people believe that caffeine is the most widely used legalized drug in the world.
Mother Nature has strategically placed caffeine in the leaves of tea, coffee, and other plants, not to get us up in the morning, but to protect the leaves from insects attempting to feast upon them. The insects will come to the leaf to eat and are repelled by the harsh taste of the caffeine. If they should eat the leaf anyway, their nervous systems go into shock and they fall off the leaf— paralyzed from the caffeine. It’s Mother Nature’s perfect way of protecting her plants.
What happens when you ingest too much caffeine? Your nervous system, too, goes into a state of shock. You consume your coffee, which is digested in your stomach. The stomach then metabolizes the beverage into the blood system. The blood system with caffeine then races all over your body, eventually gets to the brain, secretes the caffeine into the brain and stimulates the beta brain waves (the ones that put you in the fight-or-flight mode). Your pupils dilate, your heart rate increases, your muscles will tighten, and glucose is released into your blood system in order for you to take care of a perilous situation. You think you are energized. But this is not energy, as Stephen Cherniske, a nutritional biochemist who has more than twenty-five years of academic research and clinical experience in the study of the effects of coffee, and author of Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America’s #1 Drug points out. He says, “While caffeine users may feel more alert, the experience is simply one of increased sensory and motor activity (dilated pupils, increased heart rate, and higher blood pressure).”
Of course, coffee isn’t the only beverage that contains caffeine. So do many
of the most popular sodas, cocoa, over-the-counter drugs, and the steadily in
creasing varieties of super-caffeinated energy drinks.
A report in the April 30, 2007 issue of the Flint (MI) Journal titled “Beware of Caffeine in Energy Drinks” warned parents of the danger of the ubiquitous high-caffeine beverages now being marketed heavily to teenagers. According to the article, 31 percent of teens report that they consume energy drinks— and they have more opportunities to do so every year, as more than 500 new energy drinks were launched worldwide in 2006 alone. This is a dangerous trend, as teenagers are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than adults. They can easily get addicted to the roller-coaster effects of these drinks, and they need to keep drinking them in order to feel normal.
These energy drinks typically contain several times the amount of caffeine found in a can of soda or a cup of coffee. They also contain chemical additives and a lot of sugar, which can exacerbate their addictive qualities. As Dr. Andrew Weil stated in his book From Chocolate to Morphine: Everything You Need to Know About Mind-Altering Drugs, “The combination of sugar and caffeine seems to be especially habit forming.” And even more alarming, research from the American College of Emergency Physicians found that emergency room visits and poison-center calls are increasing due to caffeine abuse. They tracked calls to the Illinois Poison Center in Chicago for three years and found that more than 250 cases of medical complications arose from caffeine abuse, and that 12 percent of the callers had to be hospitalized. The average age of the callers was 21.
Parents need to help kids avoid the caffeine abuse cycle. Obviously, the earlier they start, the more difficult it will be for them to kick the habit. Let your children know how dangerous these drinks can be when used in excess (as teens are liable to do). Why not introduce them to bottled teas which will give them an energy boost, but will also give them the protection of L-theanine and EGCG? Better yet, why not make their favorite iced tea or Frostea at home and fill a bottle for them to carry during the day?
As you all know by now, tea has caffeine in it, too. But as you also know, not only does tea have much less caffeine than coffee, but L-theanine counters the effect of the caffeine that it does contain. Coffee, sodas, cocoa and energy drinks do not have any L-theanine. You can see in the chart below how much caffeine tea has in the first steep compared to a regular cup of coffee:
| Black Tea | 50 percent less caffeine |
| Oolong Tea | 70 percent less caffeine |
| Green Tea | 80 percent less caffeine |
| White Tea | 90 percent less caffeine |
| Rooibos Tisane | no caffeine (naturally decaffeinated) |
Caffeine is very soluble and is secreted from coffee, tea, and cocoa in the first steep or brew by the addition of the hot water. Tea is the only one of these beverages that you can resteep or brew over and over again; in fact, the second and third steeps are considered to be the best by tea experts. The second steep is 94 to 98 percent caffeine free and any additional steeps are totally caffeine free. You would never resteep your coffee grounds or cocoa drinks because there is no flavor left after the first steep.
Small amounts of caffeine every day won’t cause you great harm. I’m not saying that you must cut out every bit of caffeine from your diet, or that you can never have a cup of coffee or can of cola again. I live in the real world, and so do you, so if you enjoy an occasional cup of coffee or can of soda like I do, then go for it—as long as you’re drinking it because you want it, not because you need it to feed your addiction.
And caffeine is addictive. One of the hallmarks of addiction is that you initially feel “high” from the addictive substance (whether it is a drug like heroin or cocaine, or an activity like gambling or shopping), and then “come down” when that high wears off.
I Need My Morning Coffee
hat first cup of coffee in the morning seems to be the one peo
ple have the most difficu ty g l ivi ng up. So here’s my advice: As i
soon as poss ble after you have your coffee, drink a cup of tea. That i i i ii
way, you’re introduc ng L-thean ne nto your system, wh ch w ll couni io
ter the harmful effects of the caffe ne. After I appeared on a rad i
program with Dr. Michael Ro zen, author of You: The Owner’s Manual and You: On a D eti , he not only agreed with this philosophy, he sa id l il i iii i
that he wou d immed ate y beg n incorporat ng th s reg me nto his daily life.
There is an ongoing debate in the scientific community about coffee and whether or not it is harmful to your health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). As of today, there have been more than 20,000 studies done—and no consensus reached. Several studies have shown that drinking a few cups of coffee a day is actually good for you. Some benefits researchers have found include:
However, other studies have uncovered associated health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) risks. Coffee:
In 2002, Dr. James D. Lane, a researcher at Duke University Medical School, told CBS News that he believes the consumption of caffeine probably creates a public health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) risk because after fifteen years of study, his research showed that “caffeine always raises blood pressure.” He also believes that many Americans drink enough coffee each day to raise their risk of heart attack or stroke by 20 to 30 percent. “Half of the adult population of the United States are regular coffee drinkers . . . drinking an average of three to four cups of coffee a day,” he said. “That might be 100 million people who are putting themselves at great risk of a heart attack, a stroke, or early death as a result of the coffee drinking they do.”
And when it comes to losing weight, coffee comes up short again. There have been a number of studies that prove that coffee has organic acids that raise your blood sugar and insulin. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, “drinking caffeine in large amounts as coffee over a short period of time has been shown to raise blood sugar. Caffeine does this by enhancing the effect of two hormones (adrenaline and glucagon). These two hormones release stored sugar from the liver resulting in high blood sugar.” In response, large amounts of insulin are released into the bloodstream. And, as we learned in chapter 3, when there’s high blood sugar, insulin begins to do its job, which is to escort glucose into the liver and muscles where it’s turned into glycogen and waits to be burned as energy. If there’s more glucose (blood sugar) than there is cell storage space, the excess is converted into fat.
In his book The Perricone Prescription, Dr. Nicholas Perricone states that “coffee raises the levels of cortisol and insulin, hormones that accelerate aging and store body fat. Substitute green tea instead, which . . . can also block the absorption of bad fats by 30 percent.” He clarified this even further on a November 10, 2004 Oprah Winfrey Show appearance, saying that “insulin puts a lock on body fat. When you switch over to green tea, you will drop your insulin levels, and body fat will fall very rapidly.”
Canadian researchers have also found that coffee may actually slow down metabolism. Professors Terry Graham and Lindsay Robinson, of the Department of Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph, studied the effects of caffeine following a typical breakfast of milk and cereal. For the study, ten health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y male participants aged 20 to 27 were given either caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, or water, along with a serving of cereal and milk. Following breakfast, all of the participants’ blood glucose (sugar) levels rose as they digested the meal. But the caffeinated coffee drinkers released much more insulin than other participants. In theory, the large amount of insulin released in the body should have caused the glucose levels to drop quickly. But three hours later, the glucose levels of the coffee drinkers had still not returned to normal. This suggests that caffeine reduces insulin’s effectiveness, and we already know this increases the chances of storing more fat in your cells (and as we know from chapter 3, tea increases your insulin effectiveness).
If You Want to Lose Weight, Don’t Let Caffeine Keep You Awake!
hen your caffe ne intake i interferes w th your sleep patterns,
Wi
you cou d be l in deep troub e. Sleep deprivation is epidemic
l ili l
in our soc ety. Anima stud es have shown that this can be fata , and i
it’s no different for human be ngs. And there’s now evidence that l i
how much sleep you get cou d be one of the most mportant factors influencing weight loss.
l i
Research has recent y shown that sleep has an mportant effect i
on two hormones that impact our weight: lept n and gherlin. Leptin li
affects your evel of sat sfaction after eating a meal. When you don’t l l
get enough sleep, eptin evels go down, and when you wake up, you don’t feel satisfied after you eat, and we all know what that means— we eat more. At the same time, lack of s eep causes l leve s of gherlin
l il ling
to rise, which st mu ates your appetite. So when you’re not s eep i
well, you end up eating more food and f nding it less satisfying.
Despite what most marketers would like you to think, there really is no such thing as a decaffeinated drink. Even decaffeinated tea contains small amounts of caffeine (tempered, of course, by the L-theanine). However, the amounts of caffeine in “decaf ” coffee can vary widely and add up quickly. An October 2006 study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology stated that “Patients vulnerable to caffeine effects should be advised that caffeine may be present in coffees purported to be decaffeinated.” The study’s authors found that decaffeinated beverages “are known to contain caffeine in varying amounts.” The first phase of the study looked at ten decaffeinated samples from various coffee shops: findings there showed caffeine in the range from zero to 13.9 milligrams per 16-ounce serving. In phase two of the study, “Starbucks espresso decaffeinated . . . and Starbucks brewed decaffeinated coffee . . . samples were collected from the same outlet to evaluate variability of caffeine content of the same drink . . . The caffeine content for the Starbucks decaffeinated espresso and brewed samples collected from the same outlet were 3.0 to 15.8 mg per shot of decaf espresso and 12.0 to 13.4 mg per 16-ounce serving of the decaf brewed, respectively.” A 16-ounce cup of regular Starbucks coffee contains about 372mg of caffeine, and a shot (about 2 ounces) of espresso about 100.
The conclusion? The authors felt that “further exploration is merited for
the possible physical dependence potential of low doses of caffeine such as
those concentrations found in decaffeinated coffee.”
Now that you know what coffee and caffeine consumption does to your body’s systems, it might be useful to know just how much caffeine you are consuming on a daily basis. It is sometimes difficult to calculate, because although caffeine added to food and beverages in the United States must be listed as an ingredient, manufacturers are not required to list amounts (although that may be changing in the near future).
The chart below gives you an approximate idea of the caffeine content of some common beverages (these numbers are estimates—no two sources quote exactly the same numbers):
| Beverage | Ounces per Serving | Milligrams of Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| 7-UP | 12 | 0 |
| A&W Cream Soda | 12 | 29 |
| Amp | 8.4 | 80 |
| Arizona Green Tea Energy | 16 | 100 |
| Barq’s Root Bear | 12 | 23 |
| Black tea | 8 | 40–50 |
| Black tea, decaffeinated | 8 | 4 |
| Chocolate milk | 8 | 5 |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 12 | 34 |
| Coca-Cola Zero | 12 | 35 |
| Coffee, brewed | 8 | 80–135 |
| Coffee, decaffeinated brewed | 8 | 5–15 |
| Coffee, drip | 8 | 115–175 |
| Coffee, espresso | 2 | 100 |
| Coffee, instant | 8 | 65–100 |
| Diet A&W Cream Soda | 12 | 22 |
| Diet Barq’s Root Beer | 12 | 0 |
| Diet Coke | 12 | 45 |
| Diet Dr Pepper | 12 | 41 |
| Diet Mountain Dew | 12 | 55 |
| Diet Pepsi-Cola | 12 | 37 |
| Diet RC Cola | 12 | 43 |
| Diet Sunkist Orange | 12 | 42 |
| Dr Pepper | 12 | 41 |
| Enviga | 12 | 100 |
| Fresca | 12 | 0 |
| Green tea | 8 | 20–30 |
| Green tea, decaffeinated | 8 | 4 |
| Jolt | 12 | 71 |
| Lipton Iced Teas | 20 | 50 |
| McDonald’s large coffee | 16 | 145 |
| McDonald’s small coffee | 12 | 109 |
| Minute Maid Orange Soda | 12 | 0 |
| Mountain Dew | 12 | 55 |
| Nestea Iced Tea | 16 | 34 |
| Oolong tea | 8 | 25–30 |
| Pepsi One | 12 | 100 |
| Beverage | Ounces per Serving | Milligrams of Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Pepsi-Cola | 12 | 38 |
| Red Bull | 8.5 | 80 |
| Rockstar | 16 | 150 |
| Royal Crown Cola | 12 | 43 |
| Sierra Mist | 12 | 0 |
| Snapple Tea | 12 | 32 |
| Sprite | 12 | 0 |
| Starbucks Grande caffe latte | 16 | 116 |
| Starbucks Grande cappuccino | 16 | 116 |
| Starbucks Grande coffee | 16 | 372 |
| Sunkist Orange Soda | 12 | 41 |
| Tab | 12 | 46 |
| White tea | 8 | 10–20 |
Here are some caffeine amounts you may not think about—many medications contain caffeine. If you’re counting daily totals, you should take these into consideration as well:
| Product | Tablet | Milligrams of Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Anacin | 1 | 32 |
| Dristan | 1 | 16 |
| Dexatrim | 1 | 200 |
| Excedrin | 1 | 65 |
| Midol | 1 | 32 |
| No-Doz | 1 | 100 |
| Vivarin | 1 | 200 |
| Vanquish | 1 | 33 |
Sources: American Beverage Association; US Food and Drug Association; www.mayoclinic.com; www.energyfiend .com
Using the chart below, fill in the amount of caffeine you consume in a day. Be sure to consider how many servings of each substance you consume. While a cup of coffee or tea is about eight ounces, for instance, a mug may hold 12 or 14 ounces. And we all know that what they call a “small” soda at the movie theater is a true misnomer. Also, remember that if you resteep your tea leaves, each new cup has virtually no caffeine and should be calculated as zero.
When you have filled in the blanks, add up your caffeine consumption score for the day.
Here’s a sample chart of the amount of caffeine I was consuming fifteen years ago:
| Caffeinated Beverage, Food, or Drug | Number of Servings | Serving Size | Total Milligrams of Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black tea | 0 | 8oz | 0 |
| Coffee, brewed | 15 | 8oz | 1500 |
| Starbucks Grande coffee | 1 | 16oz | 372 |
| Diet Coke | 1 | 12oz | 45 |
| Excedrin | 2 | 2 tablets | 260 |
| Total for the Day: | 2,177 WOW! |
NOW FILL IN YOUR OWN CHART:
| Caffeinated Beverage, Food, or Drug | Number of Servings | Serving Size | Total Milligrams of Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total for the Day: |
While no one knows exactly how much caffeine is too much, most experts agree that more than 300 milligrams a day (which is about the equivalent of three cups of coffee) can start to cause you physical problems, including sleeplessness, headaches, muscle tremors, digestive problems, heart palpitation, irritability, and anxiety. Once you get up to the 500 to 600 milligrams per day range, you’re most likely addicted (and it’s easy enough to do, as you can see from the sample chart). Be aware that different people react differently. Some people are particularly sensitive to caffeine and will start to feel its effects with as little as 100 milligrams a day. When you get above 600 milligrams per day, you may be in trouble. Your risk of heart attack may be more than double that of someone who does not use caffeine, and you’re also at risk for a stroke. It’s definitely time to cut back, and start your journey towards good health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) one cup of tea at a time!
We had a kettle; we let it leak: Our not repairing made it worse. We haven’t had any tea for a week . . . The bottom is out of the Universe.
RUDYARD KIPLING
Name: Debbie D. Age: 40 Total Weight Loss: 10 Total Inches Lost: 16.25 Favorite Tea: Green Tea
decided to do this program because I’ve been having a difficult time lately and I
needed to do something for myself. Back in November I had a bad fall and broke
five bones in my foot. I had to have surgery to have pins put in my foot. So I was on
crutches for two and a half months. I just got the pins out in January and started
walking again without crutches, with just a boot. As I started doing the physical
therapy on my foot, I realized I’d gotten really out of shape and gained all this
weight because I hadn’t been able to exercise. And so I had started exercising, and
then I heard about the tea diet. And then I lost my grandfather recently, and it was
a really stressful three weeks of him being ill and us not knowing what was going on.
And then my kids had spring break, and we went on a planned trip to Disneyland.
And the one consistent thing that I really stuck to was making my tea.
I took my tea with me. I bought this portable electric water heater, and I made
my tea in our hotel room at Disneyland. Through everything, I had my tea with me.
And I think it’s kept me in a balanced state through all the stress I’ve been through.
And even though there were a couple weeks where my weight fluctuated, I’ve defi
nitely lost pounds and inches.
I’ve really been eating a lot better and I’ve really been making a conscious effort
to be aware of what I’m eating when I’m emotionally upset. And I now cook a lot
with tea. I add green tea to my vegetables and whatever I’m cooking. We had hali
but and shrimp for Mother’s Day, and I put green tea in that. And I use oolong tea in
my salad dressing.
My kids love the tea. I’ve bought them some blueberry white tea and peach white tea, and they adore it. I just pour off the first pot so there’s no caffeine. I’ve now stocked my office with a teapot, strainer, and tea, and a lot of my colleagues are starting to drink it.
And now that my foot is better, I’ve started doing the treadmill five days a week. Even if I can only get on fifteen minutes here or thirty minutes there, I think that’s made a huge difference. And it’s kept my stress level and anxiety down, as well. Even with all the setbacks I’ve had, I still continue to lose. And it’s not like I spiraled downward and gained weight, which has always happened before when I was on a diet. It seems that I’ve found better ways to deal with the stress. And I won’t say I’ve eaten perfectly—I’ve had a bad day here or there. But I’ve kind of been able to reflect on it and go: “You know, that just didn’t work for me.” But Dr. Tea always tells us it doesn’t matter if you’re not perfect. You’re already a success. It’s not like other diets I’ve been on that are so strict, where you have to follow the plan exactly or you feel like you’re a failure. With the Ultimate Tea Diet, I feel there’s a lot of freedom. And I think that’s what’s worked for me. I think it’s really important that even though I may have slid a little bit here and there, just drinking the tea really kept me on track. Instead of making excuses because this or that happened in my life, I’ve been able to say, okay, this did happen, and I slipped a little bit, but all I need to do to start again is have another cup of tea.
11
The one ingredient you will find in these recipes that you will not find in any other diet is tea. All the recipes in this chapter are made with tea. The chapter is divided into five parts:
When I first started telling my dr. tea’s customers about cooking with tea, they looked at me as if I were a mad scientist. What do you mean, cooking with tea? They were a bit less skeptical when I told that them that tea will tenderize your meat, add more flavor to your sauces, and spice up any dish you can imagine. It is, more than anything, a flavor enhancer—it brings out the best from the proteins, carbs, and fats you are already using to lose weight, and adds the Tea3 properties that will aid the process even more.
I promise, there is nothing to be afraid of. I know that some of you are having a hard time with the concept of “eating” tea. But it is perfectly edible. If you really wanted to, you could take loose leaf tea right out of the tin or the bag and eat it. It would do you no harm. But if a recipe calls for “1 teaspoon dry oolong tea,” you can use it as is, grind it up into smaller pieces, or just crush between your fingers. If you choose to grind the tea, then it would reduce to 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon of tea.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with your own recipes as well. Just remem
ber that tea brings out the saltiness in food, so most recipes that include tea do
not need additional salt.
When you read the recipes, you will see that we have made suggestions for the type of tea to use. (It does not matter which brand you use or if it comes from a tea bag or is loose.) However, feel free to experiment. The tea flavor does not overwhelm any of the dishes, but if you prefer a slightly different taste, use the tea you like best.
Tea seems to bring out the best in everyone and everything! The tea does more than add flavor, however. When you cook the Ultimate Tea Diet way, all the health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits that come in a cup of tea are now being cooked into your food as well.
PART 1 ✸ RUBS AND DRESSINGS
You may use loose leaf tea or remove the tea from your tea bags. Do not worry about being precise as to the measure of tea, as a little more will only serve to add more health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) to your dish.
A rub is just what it sounds like: a combination of dry seasonings that you rub into beef, pork, chicken, or fish to bring out the true flavor of the dish. To use a rub, you first spread a very small amount of olive oil onto your meat, rub it in, and then “rub the rub” onto the meat as well. You can do this immediately prior to cooking, but if you want the flavor to permeate and tenderize the meat, you can let it stand for at least 30 minutes (refrigerated overnight is fine, too). Store any leftover rub or dressing in a tightly closed jar.
You can also use these rubs as seasonings for vegetables, salads, and om-elets—just sprinkle them on as you would salt and pepper. And don’t be afraid to mix and match. If you like to use the chicken rub on steak or fish, go right ahead. They’re all tea-riffic!
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely ground dry Plum Oolong Tea, or any oolong tea you love
Mix all ingredients together. Sprinkle lightly on skinless, boneless chicken breasts. May be used more liberally on whole chickens.
Makes 5 teaspoons
NUTRITION PER R
UNDED 1
TE
POON
RVING
NUTRITION PER R UNDED 1 TE POON RVING calories 5, fat 0 g, protein 0 g, carb 1 g
4 teaspoons ground white pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons finely ground dry oolong tea
Mix all ingredients together. Use generously.
Makes 8 teaspoons NUTRITION PER⁄4
calories 10, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 2 g
NUTRITION PER 3
4 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 teaspoons chili powder
4 teaspoons packed light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons finely ground dry oolong tea
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
Mix all ingredients together. Use generously.
Makes about 6 tablespoons NUTRITION PER 1 ⁄-T ING calories 20, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 4 g
NUTRITION PER 11SPOON SE
4-T
SPOON SE
ING
4 teaspoons ground black pepper 4 teaspoons chili powder 4 teaspoons packed light or dark brown sugar 2 teaspoons finely ground dry Lapsong Souchong Black Tea 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon paprika
Mix all ingredients together. Use generously.
Makes about 6 tablespoons NUTRITION PER 1⁄4
calories 25, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 5 g
NUTRITION PER 11
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of finely ground dry Green Tea
1⁄
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Mix in a small bowl and drizzle over salad.
Serves 2 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 70, fat 7g, protein 0g, carb 2g
2 large tomatoes (try to use organic if possible) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1⁄2 teaspoon dry green tea 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄
4 teaspoon ground pepper
Clean and dry the tomatoes. Quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds with a spoon, placing the seeds into a small bowl. Use the quartered tomatoes for your salad or as a side dish to your breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Combine the tomato seeds, vinegar, dry tea, salt, and pepper and mix. Spoon onto salad or over tomatoes.
Serves 2 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 35, fat 0 g, protein 2 g, carb 7 g
PART 2 ✸ MEAL PLAN RECIPES
1⁄4 cup low-fat granola 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry fruit tea or tisane (your favorite) One 7-ounce container low-fat Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar 1⁄4 cup fresh raspberries 2 walnuts, crushed
Combine all the ingredients in bowl, or layer for a parfait effect: pour the granola into a bowl or parfait glass, add the tea, and mix. Combine the yogurt with the honey and spoon half over the granola/tea mixture. Spread the raspberries as the next layer. Add the rest of the yogurt, and sprinkle the crushed walnuts on top.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 320, fat 4.5 g, protein 21 g, carb 52g
Apple Pie Black Tea or Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot, or
one bag apple-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 to 4 minutes, strain, and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Apple Pie Black Tea or Rooibos tisane, use any plain Black Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 teaspoon cubed, peeled dried or fresh apples, a dash of ground cinnamon, and 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 40, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 8g 
calories 45, fat 0 g, protein 1 g,
carb 10g
Four 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Chicken Tea Rub (page 189), or add 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground
dry tea to your best chicken seasoning
Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Mix the oil and vinegar and rub into the chicken. Sprinkle lightly with chicken seasoning. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Heat a grill pan to high. Grill the chicken breasts until well browned.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 160, fat 5g, protein 27g, carb 1 g
2 teaspoons dry Plum Oolong Tea or other dry oolong tea you love 2 cups boiling water 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup brown rice
Brew the dry tea in the boiling water for 10 minutes (you can still resteep these leaves and use again). Strain the tea into a saucepan. Bring the tea to a boil. Add the salt and pepper. Rinse the rice well. Add the rice to the boiling tea. Lower the heat until tea is at a simmer. Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for approximately 40 minutes, or until tea has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
Serves 6 NNUTRITION PERUTRITION PER1⁄2
calories 180, fat 1.5g, protein 4g, carb 38 g
1 pound ground white meat turkey 2 eggs 2 tablespoons chopped celery 2 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes 2 tablespoons grated fat-free Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 teaspoon dried 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon finely ground dry green tea 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon hot sauce 1⁄4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) Olive oil cooking spray 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated, rinsed, and dried
Combine the turkey, eggs, celery, tomatoes, cheese, parsley, Worcestershire, dry tea, hot sauce, and panko in a medium bowl, mixing lightly until all ingredients are incorporated. Divide into four portions and form into patties. Heat a grill pan or barbeque to medium. Spray the pan or grate with a little olive oil cooking spray. Cook for about 8 minutes each side.
Serve in the lettuce leaves.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 210, fat 2.5 g, protein 35 g, carb 13 g
1⁄2 cup filtered water 3 tablespoons dry Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Rooibos, or any dry
chocolate tea 1 quart plain nonfat yogurt 1 cup sugar-free frozen strawberries
Bring the filtered water to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the dry tea and steep for 5 to 7 minutes. Strain the tea into a blender or food processor. Add yogurt and strawberries to the tea mixture, and blend until smooth. Place into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2 hours, or until you are ready to serve.
Makes about 1 quart; serves 4 NUTRITION PER 1⁄4
calories 120, fat 0 g, protein 13g, carb 22g
NUTRITION PER 11
DAY 2
Olive oil cooking spray 1⁄2 red bell pepper, chopped 1⁄2 yellow bell pepper, chopped 12 egg whites 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper 1⁄8 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea Two 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas Tomato Tea Salsa (page 196) 2 tablespoons shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
Spray a large nonstick skillet with an olive oil cooking spray. Heat to medium-high. Sauté the peppers for approximately 2 minutes.
Whisk together the egg whites, cilantro, pepper, and dry tea. Add to the pan and scramble until done to your taste.
Heat the tortillas. Remove the eggs from the pan and divide in half placing them in the middle of the tortillas. Top each with 1 tablespoon salsa and 1⁄2 tablespoon cheese. Wrap the burritos and serve with the remaining salsa.
Serves 2
NUTRITION PER S RVING ( ITH 1 T ESPOON SALSA
NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITH 1 T
ESPOON SALSA
calories 310, fat 4.5g, protein 26 g, carb 41 g
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (save the seeds to make Tea To-
mato-Seed Salad Dressing, page 191)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Grated zest of 1⁄4 lime
1 tablespoon your favorite dry tea
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
All-Purpose Fish/Vegetable Tea Rub (page 190) to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
Serves 2 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 150, fat 4 g, protein 25 g, carb 3g
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot, or
1 bag chocolate hazelnut–flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 to 4 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have the Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Rooibos tisane, use any plain black tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1⁄2 teaspoon of mini chocolate chips and a small handful of chopped hazelnuts to the steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 2 g, protein 1 g, carb 7 g 
calories 60, fat 2g, protein 1g,
carb 9 g
4 Tea-Grilled Chicken breast halves (page 193) 2 heads romaine lettuce 1 English cucumber, seeded and chopped 8 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1⁄2 red onion, chopped 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1⁄4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of ground dry oolong tea 1⁄2 teaspoon chopped cilantro
Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl.
Chop the lettuce into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Add the cucumber, olives, red pepper, tomatoes, onion, and feta cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and mustard together. Add the olive oil and whisk well. Add the pepper, dry tea and cilantro. Drizzle over the salad and toss together.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 290, fat 11 g, protein 36 g, carb 15g
2 lemons, sliced thin
Four 4-ounce halibut fillets
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons All-Purpose Fish/Vegetable Tea Rub (page 190), or add 1⁄4
teaspoon your favorite finely ground dry tea to any fish seasoning you love
2 anchovy fillets,* rinsed and patted dry
2 teaspoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle. Place half of the lemon slices on the bottom of a baking dish. Place the halibut fillets on the lemon slices. Brush with the olive oil. Rub the fish with the Tea Rub. Chop the anchovies and sprinkle on top of the fish. Cover with the remaining lemon slices. Sprinkle with the capers and dill.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish is white and flaky.
*The anchovies will add a depth of flavor and will not taste fishy.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 150, fat 4 g, protein 25 g, carb 3g
1 pound medium-thick asparagus 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry tea you love 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bend one asparagus stalk until it snaps. This will tell you where to cut the rest of the asparagus. (The woody part of the stalk is good saved for soup.) Trim all the asparagus.
Place the asparagus on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the pepper, salt, and dry tea. Toss the asparagus to ensure they are evenly seasoned. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese, if desired, and roast until cheese is melted.
Serves 4 NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITH CITH C
):): calories 110, fat 7 g, protein 5 g, carb 8 g
NUTRITION PER S RVING (
TEAna Colada Frostea
Green or White Tea with Pineapple* to cover the bottom of the teapot, or 1
bag pineapple-flavored tea
1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons Torani Sugar-Free Coconut syrup, or any sugar-free coconut
syrup
1 cup filtered water, boiled
Ice to fill a blender
I tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea, agave nectar, and syrup in the teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have a tea with pineapple, use any plain White or Green Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 tablespoon chopped dried or fresh pineapple while steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 12g 
calories 60, fat 0 g, protein 1 g,
carb 14
White Blueberry Tea* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag blueberry-
flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have a blueberry tea, use any plain white or green tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 tablespoon fresh or dried blueberries while steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 60, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 14 g
Four 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 teaspoons olive oil 1⁄2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine 2 cups shredded cabbage 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 1⁄2 cup chopped carrots 1⁄2 cup chopped celery One 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes 1⁄2 cup chopped green beans 1⁄2 cup chopped zucchini 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon finely ground dry oolong tea 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dry 2 tablespoons grated fat-free Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and stir, being careful not to burn it. Add the cabbage and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add the broth and 11⁄2cups water.
Add the carrots, celery, and tomatoes with their juice. Cook for 30 minutes.
Add the green beans, zucchini, pepper, dry tea, Worcestershire sauce, and basil. Cook for 15 minutes more. Add the Parmesan cheese before serving.
This recipe may be doubled and kept in refrigerator or freezer.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 240, fat 4.5g, protein 33 g, carb 16 g
1⁄2 cup brewed oolong tea 3⁄4 cup quick-cooking oats 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1⁄2 cup chopped red or orange bell peppers 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves, chopped 2 pounds ground turkey breast 4 egg whites, beaten 1⁄4 cup ketchup 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon ground black pepper Olive oil cooking spray 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the brewed tea over the oats and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Cook the onion over medium heat for a few minutes, until translucent.
Add the bell peppers and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add the spinach, stir, and allow to wilt. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
Mix the turkey, egg whites, oats, ketchup, 2 teaspoons of the Worcestershire sauce, the pepper, oats and the cooled vegetables.
Spray the bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Form the turkey into a loaf approximately 5 inches wide and 8 inches long. Mix the tomato sauce and remaining 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and pour over the meatloaf.
Bake for approximately 1 hour, until the internal temperature measures 160 degrees F. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serves 8 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 200, fat 4g, protein 32g, carb 12 g
2 pears, peeled, halved, and cored
1⁄
2 cup brewed fruit tea, any flavor 2 packets dry stevia 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the pears in a baking dish. Pour the brewed tea over the pears. Sprinkle with the stevia and cinnamon. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until fork tender, spooning the tea over the pears halfway through the cooking process.
Allow pears to cool to room temperature before serving.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 0 g, protein 0 g, carb 12 g
1 cup strawberries 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons your favorite brewed tea Pinch of ground black pepper 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Chop the berries into small pieces. Combine with the vinegar, brewed tea, pepper, and sugar in a small saucepan. Stir well. Cook on a low heat for approximately 10 minutes, until the strawberries are soft.
This sauce can also be made without cooking. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes. The sauce will be thinner and the strawberries chunky, but equally delicious.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 20, fat 0 g, protein 0 g, carb 5 g
DAY 4
1⁄2 pound mushrooms (any kind you love), cleaned and diced 2 green onions (scallions), trimmed and sliced 1⁄
2 cup diced green, red, or yellow bell pepper 2 pinches of any dry tea you love 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 cup brewed tea (any kind you love) Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) 8 egg whites
Heat a large nonstick skillet. Add the mushrooms, green onions, bell peppers, dry tea, and celery.
Add the brewed tea to the skillet, cover, and bring to a simmer. If you want it a little spicy, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Stir occasionally. Cook until vegetables are done to your taste.
Beat egg whites in bowl. When vegetables are done, pour in egg mixture. Cover and cook over a low heat until firm.
Serves 2 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 140, fat 0.5g, protein 23g, carb 10g
Ginger Bread Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag
ginger-flavored tea 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 4 minutes. Serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Ginger Bread Rooibos, use any plain tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1⁄2 teaspoon dried ginger, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, 1⁄2 teaspoon chopped almonds, and 3 whole pink peppercorns to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 1.5g, protein 1g, carb 9 g 
calories 60, fat 1.5 g, protein 1 g, carb 10 g
Four 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea 4 to 5 drops of hot sauce, such as Tabasco 2 heads romaine lettuce 4 tomatoes, chopped 1⁄2 cup grated carrots 1 medium avocado 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped 1 red onion, chopped 1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro Juice of 2 limes 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped (optional) 1⁄4 cup shredded fat-free Cheddar cheese Tomato Tea Salsa (page 196)
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush tortillas with olive oil and toast in the oven until crispy.
Season the chicken with the pepper, dry tea, and hot sauce. Grill in a hot grill pan until browned on both sides, approximately 8 minutes. Set aside to cool, then chop into bite-size pieces.
Slice the romaine in half lengthwise. Place on the grill pan for 1 to 2 minutes, to wilt slightly. Remove from the pan and chop very coarsely.
Put the lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots in a large bowl. Add the chicken.
Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop out the flesh. Chop the avocados into cubes and place in a medium bowl. Add the cucumber, onion, cilantro and lime juice. If you like, add the jalapeño to the bowl.
Place the tortillas onto 4 plates. Divide the salad among the 4 plates. Top with the avocado mixture. Sprinkle each salad with 1 tablespoon Cheddar cheese. Serve the salsa on the side.
Serves 8
NUTRITION PER S RVING ( ITHOU SALSA
NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITHOU
SALSA
calories 230, fat 6g, protein 20g, carb 32g
Any mint chocolate tea or Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or
1 bag mint chocolate–flavored tea
1 teaspoon agave nectar, or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water
1 cup filtered water, boiled
Ice to fill a blender
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have a mint chocolate tea or Rooibos tisane, use any plain white or green tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried mint and 1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips while steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 1.5g, protein 1g, carb 9 g
DAY 5
Oatmeal for 1 serving 3 pinches of ground dry tea, any kind you love 1 tablespoon chopped almonds 1⁄4 cup chopped apples Ground cinnamon
Prepare the oatmeal as per package instructions. Add the dry tea to the oatmeal. Top with the almonds and apples. Dust with cinnamon.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 210, fat 6 g, protein 8 g, carb 31 g
Any strawberry- or raspberry-flavored tea or tisane* to cover the bottom of a tea pot or 1 bag strawberry- or raspberry-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon
hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 4 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have a strawberry- or raspberry-flavored tea or Rooibos tisane, use any plain Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or dried strawberries or raspberries to the steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 45, fat 0g, protein 1 g, carb 10g 
calories 50, Fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 12g
Four 4-ounce salmon fillets or one 16-ounce fillet Olive oil cooking spray 2 teaspoons All-Purpose Fish/Vegetable Tea Rub (page 190) or add 1⁄3
teaspoon any finely ground dry tea to your favorite fish seasoning Olive oil
Rinse and pat the salmon dry. Spray the olive oil on both sides of the salmon. Rub the seasoning on both sides of the salmon.
Heat a grill pan or barbeque to high.
Using a small amount of olive oil on a paper towel, rub the grill pan or barbeque grill to prevent the fish from sticking.
Grill the salmon for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
This fish may be served hot, at room temperature, or chilled on a salad.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 189, fat 8 g, protein 26g, carb 1 g
Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons Chicken Tea Rub (page 189) or BBQ Tea Rub (page 190), add
1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry tea to your best chicken seasoning
Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Mix the oil and vinegar and rub into the chicken. Sprinkle lightly with the chicken seasoning. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Heat a grill pan or barbeque to high. Grill the chicken until well browned, about 8 minutes.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 170, fat 3 g, protein 28g, carb 5 g
Tiramisu Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag plain black
tea or Rooibos tisane 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 to 4 minutes and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Tiramisu Rooibos tisane, use any plain Black Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1⁄2 teaspoon mini chocolate chips, 1⁄2 teaspoon chopped almonds, and 1⁄4 teaspoon almond extract to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 2g, protein 1g, carb 8 g 
calories 60, fat 2 g, protein 1 g, carb 9 g
Any Frostea you love (double recipe) 6 unit Popsicle tray and sticks
Prepare Frostea, doubling the recipe. Let the ice melt for 20 to 30 minutes. Pour the mixture into the Popsicle trays, insert the sticks, and place in the freezer. Freeze until firm, 1 hour or more.
Serves 6 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
Varies according to Frostea recipe used
2 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced into strips 1 red onion, sliced 1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 green bell pepper, sliced 2 cups chopped broccoli florets 1⁄2 cup brewed oolong tea Juice 2 lemons 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup snow peas
DR. TEA’S KITCHEN 211
Grated zest of 1 lemon Tea Rice (page 193), for serving
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the red pepper flakes and thyme. Cook for just a few seconds to allow the seasoning to infuse into the oil.
Add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, and remove from the pan.
Add the onion to the pan. Cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes longer. Add the red and green bell peppers and the broccoli. Cook for a few minutes.
Add the chicken back into the pan. Add the tea, lemon juice, and pepper. Add the snow peas. Add the lemon zest and cook for just a few minutes more. Serve with Tea Rice.
Serves 4 NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITHOUITHOU
RIC
):): calories 240, fat 5 g, protein 33 g, carb 18g
NUTRITION PER S RVING ( RIC
Any orange-vanilla green or white tea* to cover the bottom of a teapot or
1 bag orange-vanilla–flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have an orange-vanilla tea, use any plain white or green tea, or Rooibos tisane and add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or dried orange peel and 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract while steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 35, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 8 g
1 cup frozen blueberries or strawberries 1⁄2 cup your favorite brewed fruit or vanilla tea 11⁄2 cups plain nonfat yogurt 1 teaspoon honey
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 270, fat 5 g, protein 17 g, carb 49 g
Any caramel black tea or Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag caramel-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon
hot water 1 or 2 tablespoons diced fresh bananas 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have a caramel-flavored tea or Rooibos tisane, use any plain black tea or Rooibos and add 1 teaspoon caramel bits to the steep.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 60, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 14 g
Juice of 1 orange 8 turkey breast cutlets 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger 2 tablespoons olive oil
Pour half of the orange juice over the turkey cutlets and allow to sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Put the flour, dry tea, salt, pepper, and ginger in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the turkey and shake until evenly coated.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the turkey and cook on both sides until browned, approximately 12 minutes. Drizzle with the remaining orange juice.
Serves 8 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 200, fat 8 g, protein 28 g, carb 5g
Olive oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon Chicken Tea Rub (page 189) or any poultry rub you love plus 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground tea
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 lemon, halved crosswise One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered 1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed, drained) 1 teaspoon dry oolong tea or any other dry tea 8 ounces whole-wheat pasta
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a large baking dish with olive oil cooking spray and set aside.
On medium-high heat, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook until softened. Place in the bottom of the baking dish.
Season the chicken with the Tea Rub, oregano, and juice of half of the lemon. Cook in the skillet until brown on both sides. Layer the chicken on top of the onions in the baking dish.
Slice the remaining half of the lemon into very thin slices and place over the chicken, along with the artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Bake uncovered for approximately 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the oolong tea and allow to steep for 3 minutes. Strain the tea leaves from the water and bring back to a boil. (You can resteep the leaves while you cook.) Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta. Serve the chicken and vegetables over the pasta.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 310, fat 6 g, protein 26g, carb 39g
2 quarts filtered water 4 tablespoons your favorite dry black tea 1 cup rice wine vinegar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DR. TEA’S KITCHEN 215
1 teaspoon ground cloves (optional) 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 4 pounds fresh apricots or your favorite plums Tea Custard Sauce (page 215, optional)
Bring the filtered water to a boil and set aside for a few minutes. Add the tea and steep for 3 minutes. Strain into a large stainless-steel saucepan. (Resteep the tea during your cooking, if you like.)
Add the vinegar, cinnamon, cloves (if using), and vanilla to the tea. Add the fruit and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Remove the fruit and take off the skins. Cut in half and remove the pits. Place the fruit back into the pan, cover, and refrigerate until cold.
Serve with Tea Custard Sauce, if you like. Two whole fruits (4 halves) makes a meal and one whole fruit (two halves) makes a dessert. The tea-poached fruit could also be used as a side dish to any meal, or as a topping on nonfat cottage cheese or yogurt.
Serves 4 
calories 280, fat 4.5g, protein 3 g, carb 46g
Tea Custard Sauce
1⁄3 cup nonfat evaporated milk 2 tablespoons brewed vanilla tea or tisane or any brewed tea or tisane you love 1 egg 2 teaspoons sugar 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat the milk and brewed tea in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edges.
In a heatproof bowl that will fit over a medium saucepan, beat the egg and sugar until sugar is totally dissolved. Add the hot milk and tea gradually, beating continuously so that the egg does not curdle.
Place the bowl over a medium saucepan of hot water (not boiling). Stir in the vanilla. Cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Remove from the heat. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap, with the wrap touching the top of the custard. This will prevent the sauce from forming a skin on the top. May be served warm or chilled over poached apricots or plums, or over any fresh fruit or dessert you like.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 35, fat 1g, protein 2g, carb 3 g
Green tea 1 tablespoon olive oil 1⁄2 cup sliced crimini or button mushrooms 1⁄2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach 12 egg whites 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons grated fat-free Parmesan cheese
Brew some green tea and set 2 tablespoons aside to cool. Enjoy the rest of the tea while preparing your scramble.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. If the oil is totally absorbed you can add a little brewed green tea to the pan. Add the bell peppers and cook for a few minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites, 2 tablespoons brewed tea, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook, stirring, until done to your taste. Add the cheese just before serving.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 130, fat 4g, protein 17 g, carb 7g
Caramel Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag caramel-
flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 tablespoon peeled and cubed fresh or dried apple 1 cup filtered water, boiled
Combine the tea, agave nectar, and apples in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 to 4 minutes, strain, and serve hot.
*If you do not have Caramel Rooibos use any plain black tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 teaspoon of caramel bits to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 60, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 14 g
Four pieces Tea-Grilled Chicken (page 193), BBQ Tea–Grilled Chicken (page 209), Tea Orange Turkey Breast (page 213), or Rosemary Orange Tea Chicken (page 225)
1 orange or blood orange 1⁄
2 grapefruit 1 bulb fennel, sliced thin
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped One 16-ounce package shredded cabbage and carrots (cole slaw mix) 2 tablespoons slivered almonds 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄8 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons olive oil
Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and place into a large salad bowl.
Grate the zest from the orange and set aside. Cut the orange in half horizontally. Squeeze the juice from one half and set aside. Cut off and discard the outside membrane from the other half and separate the sections. Cut the sections into chunks.
Cut off and discard the peel and membrane from the grapefruit. Separate the sections and cut into large chunks.
Add the chicken, orange and grapefruit chunks, fennel, romaine, cabbage mix, and almonds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange zest and juice, pepper, dry tea, and mustard. Add the olive oil. Whisk together and drizzle over the salad. Toss to mix.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 400, fat 11 g, protein 32 g, carb 49 g
Cauliflower Tea Mash
1 teaspoon dry oolong tea 2 cups boiling water 1 clove garlic 1 pound cauliflower florets, preferably fresh but frozen are okay 1⁄2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 tablespoons grated fat-free Parmesan cheese (optional) Salt Ground black pepper
Brew the tea for 10 minutes in the water. Strain the tea into a large saucepan. (Resteep the tea leaves for a cup of tea while you cook.)
Add the garlic to the saucepan. Add the cauliflower. Add water to cover the cauliflower. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until fork-tender (approximately 12 minutes). Save 2 tablespoons of the liquid; drain the rest.
Transfer the cauliflower, garlic, and reserved liquid to the bowl of a food processor. Add the chicken broth slowly while processing until cauliflower is smooth. Add the Parmesan cheese, if you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serves 4 NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITH CITH C
):): calories 60, fat .5g, protein 6g, carb 9 g
NUTRITION PER S RVING (
1⁄2 cup any brewed fruit tea Juice of 1 lemon 2 teaspoons honey 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint 1 pound strawberries 1 pound blueberries 1 pound raspberries 3 kiwis, peeled and sliced
During winter months when berries are unavailable they can be substituted with winter fruit or frozen sugar-free.
Combine the brewed tea, lemon juice, honey, and mint. Put all the fruit in a large bowl. Pour the topping over the fruit before serving.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 130, fat 0g, protein 2g, carb 36g
Roasted Oolong Tea to cover 1⁄2 of the teapot (or any oolong or black tea) or
1 bag oolong tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon of hot water 1 tablespoon Torani Sugar-Free Coffee Syrup, or any sugar-free coffee syrup 11⁄2 teaspoons any Torani Sugar-Free Hazelnut Syrup, or any sugar-free
hazelnut syrup 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea, agave nectar, and syrups in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 5 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories: 25, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 6g 
calories 30, fat, 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 7g
DAY 9
Cinnamon Roast Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag
cinnamon-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Steep for 3 to 4 minutes, strain, and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have Cinnamon Roast Rooibos, use any plain black tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 30, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 7 g 
calories 35, Fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 8 g
8 small red potatoes (about 1⁄2 pound) 1 tablespoon any dry Tea you love 1 pound green beans, trimmed 1 pound fresh tuna fillet, cut in 6 pieces Olive oil cooking spray 1⁄4 teaspoon All-Purpose Fish/Vegetable Tea Rub (page 190) or any season
ings you love mixed with a pinch of any finely ground dry tea you love One 5-to 7-ounce Spring Mix Salad Mix 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 small bunch radishes, trimmed and sliced (optional) 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained 16 pitted Kalamata olives 4 anchovy fillets (optional) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
In a small saucepan, boil the potatoes with the dry tea in water to cover until fork tender. Remove the potatoes from the boiling water and set aside to cool. Keep the tea water. Slice the potatoes when cool enough to handle and set aside.
Cook the green beans for 5 minutes in the same boiling tea water used for the potatoes. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately place in the ice water to bring the beans to room temperature quickly. Remove the beans from the ice water, clean off any tea leaves (or keep them as I do) and set aside.
Heat a grill pan to hot. Spray the tuna on both sides with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with All-Purpose Fish/Vegetable Tea Rub. Grill on the grill pan; the tuna may be just seared or cooked through, as you prefer. Set aside.
On a large platter, use the lettuce mix for a bed for the other vegetables and fish. Top with the tomatoes, sliced radishes (if using), green beans, potatoes, capers, and olives. Halve the anchovy fillets and add them to the salad, if you like. Place the tuna on top.
Mix the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Drizzle over the top and serve.
Serves 6 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 410, fat 13g, protein 27 g, carb 50 g
4 medium apples 1 cup brewed Caramel Dream Tea or any sweet tea you love 4 packages stevia, sugar substitute, or any other noncaloric sweetener you
love 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts 2 tablespoons raisins or currants 1 tablespoon honey
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the tops off the apples and set aside. Remove the cores, being careful not to cut through the bottom of the apples. Place the apples in a shallow baking dish. Pour the tea over the apples. Sprinkle half of the stevia and the cinnamon on the apples. Push the walnuts and raisins into the apple cavities.
Place the tops on the apples. Drizzle with the honey. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and stevia over the tops. Bake for 45 minutes or until fork tender.
Delicious eaten warm.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 120, fat 2.5 g, protein 1 g, carb 28 g
1 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 4 portions Olive oil cooking spray 3 teaspoons Steak Tea Rub (page 190) or 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry Tea
added to your favorite steak seasonings
Allow the steaks to rest out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan or barbecue to medium-hot. Spray both sides of the steaks with olive oil cooking spray. Rub the Steak Rub into the steaks on both sides. Grill on a barbeque or grill pan to your desired doneness. Remove from the heat. Cover loosely and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 120, fat 11 g, protein 22g, carb 0 g
Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Black Tea* to cover the bottom of a tea pot or 1 bag plain
Black Tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 4 minutes. Strain and serve hot.
*If you do not have the Candy Bar Tea, use any plain Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1⁄2 teaspoon mini chocolate chips and 1⁄2 teaspoon caramel bits to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 45, fat 1g, protein 1 g, carb 9 g
DAY 10
1 teaspoon olive oil 4 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, drained if oil-packed, chopped fine 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach 6 egg whites 2 tablespoons nonfat milk 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄8 teaspoon finely ground dry green tea 2 ounces soft goat cheese (about 1⁄2 cup), crumbled
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook for just a few minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts.
Whisk together the egg whites, milk, pepper, and dry tea. Add the egg mixture to the pan.
Add the goat cheese when the eggs are almost done. Stir until the eggs are cooked through.
Serves 2 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 160, fat 6 g, protein 20 g, carb 6g
Chocolate Cream Pie Black Tea* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag
chocolate-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 4 minutes and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Chocolate Cream Pie Tea, use any plain tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1⁄2 teaspoon mini chocolate chips to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 35, fat 0.5g, protein 1g, carb 7 g 
calories 45, fat 0.5 g, protein 1 g, carb 9 g
1⁄4 cup olive oil 2 oranges 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried, plus fresh sprigs
for garnish 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground green tea 11⁄2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Mix together the olive oil, juice of 11⁄2 oranges (set aside the other half), pepper, salt, chopped rosemary, and dry tea. Pour this marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a grill pan or barbecue until hot. Remove chicken from the bag, discarding the remaining marinade, and grill until browned on both sides. Thinly slice the remaining orange half and serve with the chicken. Decorate with a sprig of rosemary.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 170, fat 2.5g, protein 28 g, carb 8 g
Oatmeal for 1 serving 3 pinches of your favorite finely ground dry tea
Prepare the oatmeal per package instructions, adding the tea during cooking.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 150, fat 2.5g, protein 6g, carb 25 g
Vanilla Berry Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag vanilla-
flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 4 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have a Vanilla Berry Tea or tisane use any plain tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 tablespoon fresh or dried berries of your choice and 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract to the steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 10 g
2 ounces sliced turkey pastrami 2 ounces sliced or shredded cooked chicken breast 2 chopped hard-boiled egg whites 2 ounces crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese (about 1⁄2 cup) 1 medium Roma tomato, sliced 1⁄2 cup chopped cucumber 1⁄2 cup chopped carrots 1⁄2 cup chopped jicama 1⁄4 cup chopped celery Sprinkle of any Tea Rub you like (pages 189 to 190) 8 ounces or as much as you like of your favorite lettuce or spring mix Tea Salad Dressing (page 191) or Tea Tomato-Seed Salad Dressing
(page 191)
Combine everything in a salad bowl and toss gently.
Serves 4
NUTRITION PER SERVING (
ITH DRESSING):
NUTRITION PER SERVING ( ITH DRESSING): calories 220, fat 11g, protein 20g, carb 10g
DAY 12
Orange Spice Rooibos tisane* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag
orange-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon of hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 to 4 minutes and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Orange Spice Rooibos, use any plain Black Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 tablespoon grated orange zest and a pinch of ground cinnamon to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, add the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 35, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 8 g 
calories 40, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 10
1 pound cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry tea of your choice
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, pepper, and tea in a baking dish that will hold the tomatoes in one layer. Bake until tomatoes start to split, approximately 25 minutes. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Servings 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 100, fat 7 g, protein 3 g, carb 7 g
One 7-ounce box wild rice (any brand) 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea
Follow the package directions, substituting tea for salt in recipe.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 170, fat 0 g, protein 4 g, carb 38 g
Any lemon-or lime-flavored tea or tisane* to cover the bottom of a tea pot or
1 bag lemon-or lime-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled Ice to fill a blender
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain the brewed tea mixture over the ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
*If you do not have Lemon-or Lime-Flavored Tea or Rooibos tisane, use any plain Tea or tisane and add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice to the steeping.
Can also be served hot.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 30, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 8 g
DAY 13
Strawberry Pie Green Tea* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag strawberry-flavored tea
1 Teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 tablespoon fat-and sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a teapot or cup. Add the water and steep for 2 minutes. Strain and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Strawberry Pie Green Tea, use any plain Tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried strawberries to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 30, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 7 g 
calories: 40, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 9 g
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound) 2 teaspoons Chicken Tea Rub (page 189) or add 1⁄4 teaspoon any finely
ground dry tea to a chicken seasoning you love 1⁄2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 tablespoon orange pulp 2 pinches any finely ground dry tea 1⁄2 head lettuce of your choice, chopped 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Massage the chicken with Chicken Tea Rub. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Combine the chicken, bell pepper, orange juice and pulp, and dry tea in a large nonstick skillet.
Cook until the chicken turns white and is firm to the touch. Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Drain off any liquid and scoop the chicken and pepper mixture over the lettuce. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 186, fat 4 g, protein 30g, carb 7g
Two 10-ounce packages frozen spinach, thawed 1 medium lemon 1 pound turkey breast cutlets Olive oil cooking spray 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons Chicken Tea Rub (page 189) or 1⁄4 teaspoon any finely ground dry
tea added to your best chicken seasoning 2 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄
2 cup white wine
Squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach. Grate to zest of the lemon, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice.
Spray both sides of each cutlet with olive oil cooking spray. Place the flour, 1 teaspoon of the Tea Rub, and the cutlets in a large resealable plastic bag. Shake the bag to evenly coat the cutlets. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the cutlets on both sides until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Add the white wine and cook for a few minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add remaining olive oil. Add the spinach. Stir in the remaining Tea Rub and the lemon juice and zest. Cook for a few minutes, until the spinach is heated through. Stir well to ensure all the flavors have incorporated. Place the turkey cutlets over the spinach and serve.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 250, fat 8 g, protein 33 g, carb 13g
2 tablespoons brewed blueberry tea or any brewed tea you love Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon
1 cup blueberries 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine 1 tablespoon brewed tea, the lemon zest, and the blueberries in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining brewed tea, the cornstarch, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add to saucepan and allow to come to a boil one more time. Reduce heat and stir until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
May be served warm or chilled and with any fruit you love.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 30, fat 0g, protein 0g, carb 8 g
1⁄4 cup your favorite hot brewed fruit tea 1 cup fresh blueberries 1⁄4 teaspoon honey (optional)
Pour the hot tea over the blueberries. Stir in the honey, if desired.
Serves 1
NUTRITION PER S RVING ( ITHOU HONE
NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITHOU
HONE
calories 80, fat 1 g, protein 1 g, carb 23 g
Green Tea with Pineapple* to cover the bottom of a teapot or 1 bag pineapple-flavored tea 1 teaspoon agave nectar or any honey, mixed with 1 tablespoon of hot water 1 cup filtered water, boiled 1 tablespoon sugar-free whipped topping (optional)
Combine the tea and agave nectar in a tea pot or cup. Add the water and steep for 3 to 4 minutes. Strain and serve hot with whipped topping, if desired.
*If you do not have the Green Tea with Pineapple, use any plain green tea or Rooibos tisane and add 1 teaspoon chopped dried or fresh pineapple to the steeping.
If you desire a Frostea, strain the brewed tea mixture over ice in a blender and blend to your desired thickness. Serve with whipped topping, if desired. Resteep the loose or bagged tea.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 35, fat 0 g, protein 1 g, carb 8 g 
calories 40, fat 0g, protein 1g, carb 9g
1 slice turkey bacon 4 hard-boiled egg whites, chopped
1⁄
4 cup brewed white or green tea 1 large tomato or 7 cherry tomatoes, chopped 1 green onion (scallion), trimmed and chopped 2 slices multigrain bread
Cook the turkey bacon to desired crispness and chop. Combine in a medium bowl with the egg whites, brewed tea, tomatoes, and green onion. Serve on the bread as one closed or two open-face sandwiches.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 370, fat 8g, protein 31g, carb 44 g
2 tablespoons any brewed fruit-flavored tea 1⁄2 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground ginger Four 4-ounce center cut boneless pork or lamb chops, well trimmed
In a small bowl, stir together the brewed tea, brown sugar, cinnamon, mustard, pepper, and ginger. Pour the mixture into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chops. Allow to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
Heat a grill pan or barbecue to medium-hot. Remove the chops from the bag. Discard the marinade.
Grill the chops until browned on both sides and cooked to your desired doneness. Remove from heat and cover loosely. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 140, fat 6 g, protein 20 g, carb 2 g
TEABouleh
1 teaspoon your favorite dry tea 11⁄2 cups filtered water, boiled 1 cup bulgar wheat 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 unpeeled English cucumber, seeded and chopped into medium pieces 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 1 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 cup chopped green onions (scallions) 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint
DR. TEA’S KITCHEN 235
1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Combine the tea and water and allow to steep for 3 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the bulgar wheat, lemon juice, and olive oil. Strain the brewed tea over this mixture. Stir. Set aside and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Add the cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, green onions, mint, salt, and pepper. Stir well. The TEABouleh may be served at room temperature or refrigerated.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 130, fat 3g, protein 5g, carb 25 g
2 small apples, peeled, cored, and chopped 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons any brewed tea 2 droppers liquid stevia, or any sugar substitute equivalent to 2 teaspoons sugar 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine the apples, lemon juice, and brewed tea to a blender. Process until smooth. Stir in the stevia and cinnamon. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Serves 2
NUTRITION PE
NUTRITION PER 3⁄4
calories 70, fat 0g, protein 0g, carb 18 g
PART 3 ✸ QUICK & EASY RECIPES
2 cups nonfat milk 1⁄
4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons dry Masala Chai or any other dry tea or tisane you love 1 dropper liquid stevia (optional)
2 cups plain nonfat yogurt or one 16-ounce container cottage cheese
Bring the milk, cinnamon, and dry Masala Chai to a boil in a medium saucepan. Lower to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring the mixture frequently, until the tea and cinnamon mix thoroughly (about 3 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the stevia, if using. Allow to settle. Strain the leaves from the mixture. This could be done the night before. Refrigerate.
Place 4 to 6 ounces of yogurt or cottage cheese on your plate, cover with sauce.
Serves 3
NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 130, fat 0 g, protein 12 g, carb 23 g
2 cups filtered water 1 tablespoon any dry green tea 1 piece low-sodium turkey bacon 1⁄2 cup sliced crimini or button mushrooms 1⁄2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach 3 egg whites 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional) 2 tablespoons grated nonfat Parmesan cheese
Bring the filtered water to a boil. In another pot place the tea at the bottom and add the now less than boiling water and steep for 3 minutes. Strain. You can resteep the leaves.
Set 2 tablespoons of the brewed tea aside to cool. Enjoy the rest of the tea while preparing your scramble.
Chop the turkey bacon and place in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until about half done. Add the mushrooms. If there is not enough fat from the bacon, you can add a little brewed tea to the pan. Add the bell peppers and cook for a few minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites, 2 tablespoons of brewed tea, pepper, and red pepper flakes, if using. Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook, stirring, until done to your taste. Stir in the cheese just before serving.
Serves 1 NUTRITION PER S RVINGNUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 290, fat 8 g, protein 32g, carb 23g
3 egg whites 1⁄
2 cup brewed tea (any oolong, Assam, or other black tea) Dash of Tabasco sauce Ground pepper 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach 1 medium roma tomato, seeded and chopped 3 slices turkey bacon
Whisk together the egg whites, 2 tablespoons of the brewed tea, the Tabasco, and a pinch of pepper. In medium nonstick skillet, wilt the spinach in the remaining brewed tea. Add the tomato and cook for a few minutes allowing the flavors to marry. Remove the spinach-tomato mixture from pan.
Over medium heat, cook the bacon in the sauce pan. Remove and cut into bite-size pieces.
Add the egg whites to the pan and cook undisturbed until set. Place the spinach-tomato mixture and turkey bacon on half of the omelet. Fold the other side over. Keep over the heat just until heated through.
Serves 1
NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 220, fat 6g, protein 31 g, carb 11g
3 egg whites 1⁄2 teaspoon finely ground dry tea 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley Salt and pepper 1⁄2 cup chopped veggies* 1 tablespoon reduced-fat feta, nonfat ricotta, cottage cheese, or chopped
string cheese
Beat the egg whites with the dry tea, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the vegetables and cheese. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the mixture and cook on one side until golden. Flip and cook the other side.
*Use any cooked veggies that are in your fridge, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions, or any raw veggies you love.
Serves: 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 0g, protein 0g, carb 12g
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, sliced 1 pound broccoli florets 2 cups brewed oolong tea 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth Ground black pepper 1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, brewed tea, and broth. Cook over medium to low heat until broccoli is tender, approximately 20 minutes. Blend in small batches in a blender. Hold a towel over the lid of the blender to prevent splatter. Reheat. Season the soup to taste with the black pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Serves 6 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 80, fat 4 g, protein 6 g, carb 7 g
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped One 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, with their juice 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea 4 drops Tabasco sauce Salt and ground pepper
Set aside one quarter of the bell peppers and cucumber to use as garnish.
Place the tomatoes, onions, the remaining bell peppers, cucumber, garlic, vinegar, oil, and Tabasco in a food processor and process until the desired consistency. It is always good to have a little texture.
Transfer the soup to a container, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. If the soup is too thick, thin it out with cold-brewed Oolong Tea. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Serve chilled, garnished with the reserved chopped peppers and cucumber.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 180, fat .5 g, protein 9 g, carb 38 g
1 head Belgian endive 1⁄4 pound fresh crabmeat 1⁄4 cup brewed Key Lime Pie Tea or any tea you love 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped green onions (scallions) 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Separate the endive leaves and place on a serving platter. Pick through the crabmeat to ensure that all the shell has been removed. In a bowl, combine the crabmeat with the brewed tea, capers, basil, green onions, and pepper. Spoon into the endive leaves.
Serves 1 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 110, fat 1g, protein 21 g, carb 4 g
Two 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained 1⁄4 cup tahini paste 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1⁄2 cup brewed Key Lime Pie Tea (or other lemon-flavored tea) 8 whole-wheat pitas
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes in the bowl of a food processor. Add half of the brewed tea. Blend, adding remaining brewed tea slowly until the hummus is the desired consistency. Season to taste with more salt and/ or pepper if needed.
Cut the pita into quarters. Warm the pita for a few minutes in the oven.
Serves 16 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 130, fat 3.5 g, protein 6 g, carb 21g
1 firm Bartlett or Bosc pear 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 heads romaine lettuce 4 ounces soft goat cheese (about 1 cup) 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry green tea 2 tablespoons olive oil
Slice the pear into thin slices. Pour a little of the vinegar over the pear to prevent it from discoloring; the flavor of the vinegar will infuse into the pear. Break the lettuce into bite-size pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Cut or crumble the cheese into small pieces and add to the lettuce. Add the sliced pear and walnuts.
Mix together the salt, pepper, dry tea, olive oil and remainder of the balsamic vinegar. Toss together with the salad.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 230, fat 14 g, protein 9 g, carb 20 g
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced One 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes 2 cups broccoli florets 2 cups loosely packed spinach leaves 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground red pepper Pinch of red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon dry oolong tea 1⁄2 of a 12- to 14.5-ounce package multigrain penne pasta 1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil until soft. A little water can be added once the olive oil is absorbed. Add the tomatoes and simmer.
Boil or microwave the broccoli for just a few minutes to soften slightly. Add to the skillet. Add the spinach and stir to wilt. Stir in the black pepper, salt, ground red pepper, and pepper flakes.
Add the dry tea to the boiling water. Cook the penne for 6 minutes, just until cooked through. Drain the penne.
Add the pasta to the pan. Stir. Add the Parmesan cheese and serve.
Grilled chicken or steak can be added to this recipe.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 360, fat 11 g, protein 14 g, carb 53 g
Filtered water 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄
4 teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon dry oolong tea or other tea you love 1 pound fresh or frozen peeled, deveined shrimp (thawed if frozen) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 small to medium clove garlic, minced 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fill large saucepan or deep skillet with filtered water. Bring to a boil and add the salt, pepper, and dry tea. Add the shrimp and remove from the heat. Let the shrimp sit until you see them turning pink. While the shrimp are cooking, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic. Do not let the garlic burn. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Drain the shrimp.*
Put the shrimp in a serving bowl, toss with the sauce, and serve.
*I eat the tea leaves with the shrimp as they add a great flavor, or you can remove them by rinsing them under water.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 190, fat 9 g, protein 24 g, carb 3g
2 quarts filtered water 2 tablespoons dry green tea 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄
4 teaspoon ground pepper 4 large ears fresh corn, shucked, silk removed (organic if possible)
Bring the filtered water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the dry tea, salt, and pepper to the water. Add corn and cook to desired firmness. Remove and serve.
Serves: 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 130, fat 1 g, protein 6 g, carb 29g
1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon of your favorite dried fruit tea 3 cups filtered water 1⁄2 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger Four 4-ounce salmon fillets 1 lemon, sliced
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the garlic, dry tea, filtered water, and ginger in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the poaching liquid into a baking dish fitted with a rack; the liquid should not reach the rack.
Place the salmon fillets on the rack and cover with the lemon slices. Place the baking pan carefully in the oven and bake until cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
Serves: 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 190, fat 6 g, protein 32 g, carb 1g
PART 4 ✸ ADDITIONAL RECIPES
2 tablespoons olive oil 4 large onions, sliced thin 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 cups brewed tea (golden Assam, or any oolong tea)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Sherry or brandy
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
4 thin slices French bread (1 ounce each)
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, brewed tea, bay leaf, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add the Sherry or brandy.
While the soup is simmering, heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the bread and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and the cheese has melted.
Place a slice of toast in the bottom of each of four soup bowls and pour one quarter of the soup over each.
Serves 4 
calories 140, fat 7g, protein 4g, carb 16 g
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 4 thin slices French bread
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the bread. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and the cheese has melted.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 90, fat 1.5g, protein 3 g, carb 16 g
1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon your favorite dry chai or any other dry tea 1 cup Greek nonfat yogurt or your favorite nonfat yogurt 11⁄2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded,* and cut into small pieces 1⁄2 cup peeled, seeded, diced Japanese or English cucumber Kosher salt and pepper
In a small dry skillet, roast the cumin seeds, stirring, until lightly brown and you begin to smell the aroma. Add the dry tea and roast for 1 minute more over low heat. Remove from the heat and place in a blender or a mortar and grind the cumin and tea until powdered.
Drain the yogurt of any moisture.
In a medium bowl, combine the tomato and cucumber with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the tea-cumin powder. Add the yogurt and mix evenly. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Drain any liquid that may have accumulated before serving.
*Use the seeds for Tea Tomato-Seed Salad Dressing.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 50, fat 0g, protein 6g, carb 6 g
French Tea Ratatouille
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 small eggplants (preferably Japanese), halved lengthwise 1 small to medium clove garlic, minced 3 cups filtered water 1 tablespoon dry oolong tea 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely 1 onion, chopped 1 cup chopped zucchini
DR. TEA’S KITCHEN 247
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the eggplant skin side down and cook until the skin softens. Sprinkle the garlic around the eggplant and cook until the garlic browns lightly. Remove from the heat.
Bring the filtered water to a boil and set aside for a minute. Add the dry oolong tea and brew for 3 minutes.
Place the eggplant skin side down in a large baking dish. Cover with the tomatoes, onions, and zucchini. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper, and pour in the tea (including the leaves). Bake for 30 minutes, or until the desired tenderness of the vegetables is reached. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour the lemon juice on top and serve.
Serves: 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 140, fat 4.5 g, protein 5 g, carb 23g
1 teaspoon finely ground dry Lapsang Souchong B lack Tea or any black tea
you love 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon dried sage 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄2 teaspoon ground pepper 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Four 4-ounce salmon fillets
In a small bowl, combine the dry tea, paprika, sage, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sprinkle the flesh side of the salmon heavily with the spices. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the fillets skin side down. Turn heat down to medium. Cook on until nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Carefully turn over and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 150, fat 5 g, protein 23 g, carb 1 g
Cooking Spray
1 pound chicken tenders
1 teaspoon Chicken Tea Rub (page 189), finely ground or 1⁄4 teaspoon tea you
love added to chicken seasoning
4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
Juice of 1 lime
3 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into planks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 red onion, sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 small whole-wheat tortillas
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Spray a grill pan with a cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with the Chicken Tea Rub, Tabasco, and half of the lime juice. Cook the chicken until well browned on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
Drizzle the zucchini, red bell pepper, and onion with the olive oil. Cook in the grill pan until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and sprinkle with the remaining lime juice. Slice the chicken tenders into strips. Warm the tortillas. Divide the chicken and vegetables among the tortillas. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 370, fat 10g, protein 33 g, carb 48g,
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground pepper 1⁄
2 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry oolong tea 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 2 lemons 1⁄2 cup white wine
Mix the flour, pepper, salt, and dry tea in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Place the chicken into the pan and cook until browned on both sides, approximately 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a sheet of paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Add the lemon juice and white wine to the pan. Cook, scraping up any brown bits, until the sauce reduces by half. Add the chicken back into the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
This is delicious served over cauliflower tea mash.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 230, fat 8 g, protein 27 g, carb 8 g
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium red onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 teaspoon Chicken or Vegetable Tea Rub or 1⁄4 teaspoon finely ground dry tea you love added to any chicken seasoning 1⁄
2 teaspoon dried oregano Juice of 1⁄2 lemon 3 Japanese eggplants, sliced into 1⁄2-inch rounds 1⁄2 cup brewed tea you love, or more as needed 1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed) Grated zest of 1⁄2 lemon 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Season the chicken with the Chicken Tea Rub, oregano, and lemon juice. Place in the pan and cook until brown on both sides. Add the chicken to the onion.
Place the eggplant in the pan. Add 1⁄2 cup brewed tea and cook until soft. Sprinkle with a pinch of Chicken or Vegetable Tea Rub. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for just a few minutes to allow flavors to blend. You can add a few tablespoons of brewed tea to the pan if you feel that you need more liquid.
Add the chicken and onion back to the pan and cook until heated through. Add the lemon zest and chopped basil. Place on a platter and serve.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 310, fat 9 g, protein 31 g, carb 28g
Artichoke Tea Chicken
2 teaspoons any dry green tea 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 11⁄2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil 1⁄2 cup white wine One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered 8 pieces sun-dried tomatoes (drained if oil-packed) 8 chopped pitted Kalamata olives 1 tablespoon chopped basil or 1 teaspoon dry 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dry
1⁄
4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
Boil 1 cup water. Add the dry tea and steep for 10 minutes.
Place the flour, salt, and black pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and shake until evenly coated. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken lightly on each side. Remove from the pan. Add the white wine to the pan to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits. Strain the tea into the skillet and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the artichokes, tomatoes, olives, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken back into the pan. Stir until well covered. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, adding the capers about 5 minutes before serving.
This chicken may be baked in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes instead of on the stove top, if preferred.
Serves 6 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 360, fat 8 g, protein 28 g, carb 46 g
1 cup dried or fresh apricots, cut into small pieces (pitted if fresh) 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger 2 tablespoons dry Earl Grey Tea or your favorite dry tea 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil Four 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine the apricots, ginger, dry tea, soy sauce, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until a smooth puree.
Brush the chicken breasts with the olive oil. Place them skin side down in an ovenproof nonstick skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the skin is lightly browned. Turn over and brown the other side. Brush the tea mixture generously onto that side, then turn over and brush it generously on the skin. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the apricot glaze is browned but not burnt.
Remove from the oven, plate, sprinkle the top with the cilantro, and serve.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 260, fat 3g, protein 30 g, carb 27 g
3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon finely ground dry Plum Oolong Tea or 2 to 3 tablespoons any
dry tea you love mixed with 1 teaspoon chopped dried plums and ground
together 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 1⁄2 pounds boneless pork loin
Take the meat out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you will cook it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix the garlic, rosemary, thyme, pepper, lemon zest, and dry tea with the olive oil and mustard until it forms a paste. Rub the mixture all over the meat. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 1 to 11⁄2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Cover loosely and allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
If you do not eat pork, substitute trimmed beef tenderloin.
Serves 8 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 230, fat 12g, protein 27 g, carb 2 g
Cooking spray 5 cups sliced Fuji or any of your favorite apples 5 cups sliced Granny Smith apples 2 tablespoons orange juice 1⁄4 cup your favorite brewed fruit tea 1⁄2 cup whole-wheat flour 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute 1⁄2 cup old-fashioned oats 1⁄2 cup fat-free margarine spread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 13- by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine the apples in a large bowl. Pour the orange juice and brewed tea over the apples and toss to coat. In a small bowl, combine 1⁄4 cup of flour, the orange zest, 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar substitute. Toss gently with the apples. Spread in the prepared baking dish.
Combine the remaining flour, sugar substitute, and cinnamon with the oats and margarine. Stir until crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the apples.
Bake for approximately 50 minutes, until the apples are fork-tender and bubbling, and the topping is browned.
This cobbler can be made with any fruit or a combination of different fruit.
Serves 12 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 160, fat 8 g, protein 2 g, carb 22 g
Make your ice cubes with your favorite tea instead of water. You will have full-flavored iced tea instead of watered-down tea.
Take a little extra time to make the ice cubes a little more special. Small slices of orange, lemon, or lime added to your ice cube sections before pouring the tea in will look beautiful when frozen and will add extra flavor to your tea as the ice cube melts.
Blueberry Tea Cubes Add 2 blueberries to each section of your ice tray before pouring the tea in. Serves 6 (1 tray of 12 ice cubes) Calories 5, fat 0 g, protein 0g, carb 1 g.
Orange Tea Cubes Zest an orange into long strips. Add a strip of orange zest to each section of your ice tray. Pour the tea in and freeze. Serves 6. Calories 0, fat 0 g, protein 0 g, carb 1g.
Strawberry Tea Cubes Add small pieces of strawberry to the sections of the ice tray before freezing. Serves 6. Calories 0, fat 0g, protein 0 g, carb 0g.
Apple Tea Cubes Add small chunks of apple with the peel left to your ice cube sections before pouring apple or any fruit tea into the tray. Serves 6. Calories 5, fat 0g, protein 0 g, carb 1g.
Ginger Tea Cubes Use a zester that makes long thin strips of ginger to liven up ginger tea ice cubes. Serves 6. Calories 0, fat 0g, protein 0g, carb 0g.
Pineapple Tea Cubes Add small pieces of pineapple to your ice cube trays before filling with the tea. Serves 6. Calories 5, fat 0 g, protein 0 g, carb 1 g.
Have fun with your ice cubes. The options are limitless.
PART 5 ✸ DINNER PARTY FOR FOUR WITH TEA PAIRINGS
ST AR TER
Grilled Tea Shrimp with Yogurt Curry Sauce
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 2 teaspoon brewed oolong tea 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 12 large raw shrimp (peeled but keep the tails on) Salad greens, for serving
Combine the olive oil, brewed tea, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a large reseal-able plastic bag or bowl. Add the shrimp and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Heat a grill pan over high heat. Grill the shrimp until cooked. Serve on salad greens with Yogurt Curry Sauce.
1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt or any plain fat-free yogurt 1⁄2 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons finely ground dry Key Lime Pie Tea or any dry tea
1 teaspoon chopped chives
Mix all ingredients together and serve with the shrimp.
Serves 4
NUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITH SAL
D G
EENS)
NUTRITION PER S RVING ( ITH SAL D G EENS) calories 170, fat 10g, protein 14g, carb 6g
Tea Chicken Marsala-Masala
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 8 chicken breast tenders 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 shallots, chopped 12 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms 1⁄2 cup Marsala wine 1 cup brewed Masala Chai or any black tea, plus more if needed 1 tablespoon low-fat sour cream Kosher salt
Place the flour and black pepper in a large plastic bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat evenly.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for approximately 7 minutes each side, until brown. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. If all liquid is cooked out, do not worry, simply add a little brewed tea.
Add the Marsala wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add the brewed tea. Cook for approximately 8 minutes, until liquid is reduced by one third. Add the sour cream and stir until smooth. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings, adding a little salt if needed.
Return the chicken to the pan and reheat a few minutes over low heat. Serve over Currant Tea Couscous.
Serves 4 
calories 240, fat 13g, protein 9 g, carb 17g
1 to 2 cups brewed Strawberry or Raspberry fruit tea or tisane, or any black
tea (according to package directions) 1 tablespoon butter 1 cup dry instant couscous 1⁄2 cup currants
In a medium saucepan, bring the brewed tea and butter to a boil. Remove from the heat. Stir in the couscous and currants. Cover and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Serves 4 NNUTRITION PER S RVINGUTRITION PER S
RVING
calories 240, fat 3 g, protein 6 g, carb 47 g
Prepare the recipe on page 228, using cherry or tear drop tomatoes in a mix of colors, if available. If you like, sprinkle the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese as soon as you remove them from the oven.
NUTRITION PER S RVING ( ITHOU EENUTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITHOU
EE
: calories 100, fat 7 g, protein 3 g, carb 7g
Baked Tea Apples
Prepare the recipe on page 222. These are delicious eaten warm, and elegant served with a sugar-free vanilla pudding or fat-free whipped topping.
N PER SN PER S
calories 120, fat 2.5g, protein 1g, carb 28 g NNUTRITION PER S RVING (UTRITION PER S
RVING (
ITH ⁄
ITH 12
calories 229, fat 4g, protein 13g, carb 40g
calories
207, fat 4 g, protein 13 g, carb 35 g
Name: Pam F. Age: 39 Total Weight Loss: 5 Total Inches Lost: 6.5 Favorite Tea: Orange Spice Cake
have had a weight problem all of my life. I’ve tried all kinds of diets—from the
Scarsdale diet to the Atkins diet to the liquid diet to Weight Watchers . . . you
name it, I’ve tried it. I usually lose weight in the beginning, but then I get bored with
it, and as soon as I go off, the weight comes back, plus.
I have to admit that I went into this program really hoping to lose a lot of weight
quickly. Where I got that idea from, I don’t know; probably because that is what I was
used to reading from other diet books. Anyway, I did not lose a ton of weight in the
first few weeks. But I did lose weight and inches, and since I have been doing this pro
gram, my skin looks so much better (I have actually been told that I look a lot younger).
I have more confidence and I feel so much better—not sluggish like I was before.
The best things that I have learned while doing this program are: 1) I will drink
tea for the rest of my life—and will try to get as many other people to drink it as pos
sible; 2) I am more conscious of the things I am eating (and drinking); 3) Exercise is a
must in a health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y life (I had hurt my shoulder and did not exercise for the first six
weeks, but have been gradually adding it back in. I feel so much better and I have
much more energy); 4) Inches are just as important, or more important, than pounds
when losing weight.
Anyway, I am so thankful for meeting Dr. Tea and for being included in such a
fantastic program with so many great people. I will be talking about this program—
and especially about drinking tea—for the rest of my life. I am a changed person (for
the better).
12
The history of tea is long and convoluted. It travels from one country to another, starting in China and working its way around the world in fits and starts, causing revolutions in taste, lifestyle, and, of course, politics. In fact, if tea had not been discovered, the course of world events would have been very different. No one knows for sure how tea came to be discovered. Legends abound, although there are two that are most famous. The most popular, and the one that most historians agree might actually have happened, involves the Chinese emperor Shen Nung. He was a skilled leader, a patron of the arts, and a scientist. One of his edicts was that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One day in 2737 BC, as he (or more probably his servant) was boiling his water to drink, some leaves from what we now know as the Camellia sinensis plant accidentally blew into the pot. Being the curious scientist he was, Shen Nung decided to taste the liquid and found it very refreshing. And so, tea was born. The second legend, which comes from Japan, is a bit more gory and a lot more fanciful. This one says that an Indian prince name Bodhidharma was visiting China from India in order to spread Buddhism. He is said to have sat facing the wall at Shaolin Temple meditating without moving for nine years. At some point, he fell asleep while doing so. Supposedly, he became so frustrated by this that he ripped off his eyelids and threw them to the ground. Then, it is said, the deity Quan Yin made the first tea bush sprout on the place where his eyelids fell in order to aid him and all followers of Zen on their path to enlightenment.
Needless to say, I prefer to believe in legend number one.
What follows is a brief, noncomprehensive history of tea facts and fancies, according to history and hearsay.
brewed, becoming a popular drink throughout China. Caravans carried tea on the Silk Road, trading with India, Turkey, and Russia.
Impressions of Tea
ven the art world was influenced by tea. In the late eighteenth
and ear ly ni i l
neteenth centur es, wea thy Europeans were enami iust tea
ored of everyth ng or ental. People had to have more than j imported from the east—they had to have tea ware as well. Impressi ii i il
on st pa nters such as Monet, Cézanne, and Reno r were nf uenced i ( i igi na y come to France as wrap-
by Japanese art pr nts wh ch had or ll pi ng paper for imported goods , and by the tea ware that d splayed ) i ii
mages of nature such as b rds and trees. The painters began to copy the Japanese sty le of al lowing brush strokes to show, and of pa nting i scenes li
en p ein air, or outdoors (as opposed to portra ts and land-ii
scapes done ins de art sts’ studios . )
✸ The first real evidence of tea in England was in the form of an ad in a newspaper by Thomas Garway in 1658. It read in part, “That excellent and by all physicians approved drink called by Chineans tcha, by other nations Tay alias Tea is sold at the Sultaness Head a Cophee house in Sweetings Rents by the Royal Exchange London.” Some of his claims about the benefits of tea included:
strengthen the inward parts.” Milk was not originally used in tea in England as it is today. Instead they added saffron, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. It has also been said, although it has never been documented, that the use of milk in tea might have come from the Mongols, who to this day mix hot milk with their tea. This practice was eventually brought into China and the practice was then taken abroad via the Dutch East India Trading Company, which is where the French probably adopted it.
compelled to accept more treaties, to which France, Russia, and the United States were also party, opening even more ports to trade.
✸ In 1840, Anna, the Duchess of Bradford, started the custom of afternoon tea in England. At the time, the English would have a small breakfast in the morning, and then not dine again until eight or nine o’clock at night. As a result, they were often hungry in the afternoon. The Duchess, noticing that every afternoon she would have a “sinking feeling,” began to order a small meal of bread, butter, cakes, tarts, and biscuits, to be brought secretly to her boudoir. She thought that if discovered, she would be ridiculed—but it turned out everyone else was hungry, too, and her idea caught on with the masses. In an historical coincidence, the Duchess conceived the idea of afternoon tea at approximately the same time that the Earl of Sandwich came up with the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread. . . .
Hand-Me-Down Tea
ii
n the 1700s and 1800s, tea was a luxury item kept n only the r chest households. The wealthy prized their tea, and kept it locked away ii
n tea chests. They would resteep the tea several t mes. After a few l
steeps, the servants wou d take the tea leaves and use them to make tea l
for themse ves. After they steeped the tea, they would sell the used ll
eaves to street vendors, who wou d press the leaves into tea cakes iii i)
(somet mes m xed w th manure from the horses n the street . They were ll ll
so d to peop e who cou d on y afford to spend a penny or two for tea. i
It s from these street vendors that we get the phrase “tea for two.” l
The vendors usually so d a pot of tea for three pence, or thruppence. i li
But if they wanted to drum up bus ness, they wou d somet mes lower i
the pr ce to tuppence, or two pence, by yelling, “Tea for two.”
clipper ships brought Chinese labor to the United States, which helped build our country. The best known of these ships were the China clippers, also known as tea clippers, designed to sail the trade routes between Europe and the East Indies. The last surviving example of these ships was the Cutty Sark, which was preserved in drydock in Greenwich, England. Unfortunately, it suffered extensive damage in a fire on May 21, 2007.
packed them in hand-sewn silk pouches. The customers liked the convenience of these bags so much, they demanded to receive their tea in like style. So Sullivan replaced the silk with more economical gauze, and the tea bag was born.
Want Faster Service?
offeehouses were popular gathering p aces in eighteenth cen-
Cl
tury England, and became even more popular when they added tea to the menu. They were often called “Penny Univers iti es” because for a penny you could get a pot of tea and a newspaper, and usually fi nd someone w th whom you cou d engage i l in an “ mportant” con
i
versation. Many traditions we still follow have their roots in these bev
erage shops. In one particular coffeehouse called the Turk’s Head,
i
many arguments arose. In order to settle these d sputes, the owner li l
wou d br ng out an old wooden box and patrons wou d vote as to iili is
wh ch s de shou d w n the argument. When democracy took hold, th became the template for the now familiar ballot box.
ll
Often these coffeehouses wou d be so busy, patrons wou d find themselves with a long wait before being served. If they wanted to i
make sure they were served qu ckly, they would put money into a wooden box labeled T.I.P.: To Insure Promptness. Thus, the modern
il
concept of tipp ng evo ved.
Name: Meghan C. Age: 23 Total Weight Loss: 12 Total Inches Lost: 16.5 Favorite Tea: Moroccan Mint
hen I went to college, I took advantage of everything college had to offer— which included eating and drinking—and I just had gotten to a weight that was unhealth(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y. I already had a medical history, even at my age, so I wanted to lose weight just for my
health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com). Plus, I wanted to look better.
I have a pretty busy work schedule. I’m a production assistant at a TV show. There’s a lot of running around. During the day, I switched to taking the stairs even before I started the diet, and I work on the seventh floor. After starting the diet, I joined a gym. I was a runner before; I used to run track. I started off running four miles a day. Now I’m running anywhere from seven to eight miles a day.
Like a lot of places in this business, we always have food around. And a lot of unhealth(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)y food. When it’s right there at your fingertips, it’s hard not to eat it. So I gained a lot of weight this season just working on my show. Bad food was in my face all the time. In the morning, I’d have cereal or a bagel, maybe some fruit, and always a couple of cups of coffee. Lunch would be ordered in from somewhere in the neighborhood, usually sandwiches. Dinner was very sporadic. I’d pick something up on the way home, or anything that was left over from the lunch at the office. Or I’d make a can of soup.
Since I went on the diet, I started having yogurt in the morning with some fruit, or egg whites with a piece of ham and a slice of nonfat cheese. When I did want some carbs, especially when I was running a lot, I’d have a whole-wheat English muffin or some oatmeal with some fresh fruit in it. Lunch was the hardest meal to switch. I stopped going for the free food and started bringing my own health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)ier food. Sometimes I’d just make a sandwich with a couple of slices of turkey and some veggies. Sometimes I would order out from work, I’d get a salad or a piece of salmon with some sauce on the side.
Dinner was also a really big change. My roommate and I—she’s also on the diet—started cooking for ourselves. All fresh fruit, all fresh vegetables. Chicken, or meatballs. We used a lot of the recipes we got from Dr. Tea. At the beginning we were a little leery of cooking with tea. But we tried all the rubs and loved them. Any time we steam vegetables, we use tea. Any time you use water in a recipe, we use tea instead.
At the beginning, it was difficult to make all these changes. But then I would drink the tea and that would help me not eat all day. When I first started, it was really hard to give up coffee. I gave it up cold turkey after the first meeting and I haven’t had a cup since. I replaced my two cups of coffee in the morning with two cups of tea. Then I usually have another cup of tea after I’ve had breakfast. It fills me up. I have one or two before lunch, depending on how busy my day is. Sometimes it was hard when I was running around doing errands for work. But then I just started carrying a large water bottle with me filled with tea. Then my roommate and I got these large jugs of water with a spigot. We drain it, use the water to make tea, refill it with the tea, and then we have it in the refrigerator with tea already in it. So instead of having to make tea for each small water bottle, we just open the spigot, fill up a water bottle right from the fridge and we’re ready to go.
One of the reasons I like this diet is because it definitely requires you to have some “me” time. I have this very busy job where I cater to a lot of people. I wasn’t really taking care of myself. I’d come home and I’d crash. I was just very tired all the time. I didn’t feel good, physically or mentally. Because of the diet I started making time to work out and I started eating better. I became more conscious about decisions I was making. I stopped drinking beer, which, as a young person, was a bit hard to deal with—all that peer pressure. But I feel so much better now. I’m less tired. My body feels better. I feel like I can do more things.
+ + + + +
13
It’s amazing how life goes around in circles. My family has been in the tea business for well over 200 years. My grandfather was one of the biggest distributors of teas in the Middle East. He was a wholesaler, and though he
dealt with many other commodities, his passion was for tea. When he was a merchant in Iraq, there was no television, no movies. As it was in most of the Middle East, social life centered around tea. In the 1950s, my grandfather, sensing that it was time to leave, moved his sons out of the Middle East. And my family more or less left the tea behind.
My father, who eventually became an accountant, started drinking coffee because everyone in America drank coffee. My grandfather still drank tea, and so did my mother’s parents, but it was no longer the center of social life. We had both tea and coffee in the house and drank them both equally.
I grew up neither interested nor uninterested in tea. It was a part of my history, but nothing more.
However, as I grew up, I discovered that I was a man of nose and palate— which means I love all things related to the senses. I have always loved food and the intricacies of cooking. I became a connoisseur of fine foods, wines, spirits, beers, and tobacco. I’m one of those people who gets passionate about things. I can’t help it; it’s who I am.
When I started to make changes in my life, when I gave up coffee and started drinking tea, it became not only my passion, but my life. Now, every time my father walks into dr. tea’s, he laughs at how life has come full circle, from his father to his son.
Writing this book has been an incredible journey and an honor for me, and I hope reading it has been one for you, too. It makes no difference to me if you lost 10 or 100 pounds. What matters to me is you have begun the process to change your life one cup of tea at a time.
Now that you’ve come to the end of the book, you have not come to the end of your journey. This is just the beginning. You can keep going down this new road you’ve just started traveling. All you have to do is remember: If I say I can, I will; if I say I can’t I won’t.
I would love to hear your test-TEA-monials. Please send me your stories. E-mail me if you have any questions. Come visit me at dr. tea’s. Stay in touch; I look forward to hearing from you.
You are the new voice of the Ultimate Tea Diet!
Dr. Tea dr. tea’s 8612 Melrose Avenue West Hollywood, CA 90069 1-310-657-9300 1-888-UTD-TEAS drtea@ultimateteadiet.com www.ultimateteadiet.com www.doctor-tea.com www.shopdrtea.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Rusty Robertson, for her vision, guidance, coaching, and extraordinary abilities in making the Ultimate Tea Diet, Dr. Tea, and dr. tea’s a reality. You are truly one of a kind and I am most appreciative of your tireless efforts.
Mary Ellen O’Neill, my publisher, who go it! I am forever grateful MEO!
Sharyn Kolberg, for her words and oh so much more.
Christine Bybee and Pam Ross, for their expertise, time, and devotion to the Ultimate Tea Diet.
Paul Olsewski, Angie Lee, Janina Wong, Teresa Brady, Laura Dozier, and the entire HarperCollins Team.
Ed Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Angee Jenkins, Karen Reifschneider, Karen Saunders, and Woody Frasier, for your inexhaustible efforts.
All members of my Ultimate Tea Diet study group, who devoted eight weeks of their lives (now for the rest of their lives), who said I CAN, and they DID lose weight and inches, but more importantly confirmed that tea does change one’s life in every way and for every age. For this I am forever proud to know each and every one of you.
Gram, for her love and devotion and showing that everything in life is better when love is added. I know you would be proud!
Grampa, for his big cup of tea each day.
My dad and my entire Ukra family from Baghdad, who started our tea business 200 years ago. Your dad and my grandfather would be proud.
My mom Charlotte, who never gave up on me.
My sis Tara MacMahon, for her lifelong devotion, and my brother-in law Paul MacMahon, for his guidance and wisdom.
Jan and Michael Schwartz, for always being there.
All of our family and friends, who are a constant source of love, support and encouragement.
All of our devoted dr. tea’s family and staff, past and present, who make what we do every day so much fun.
Our spiritual teachers and inner ashram, whose guidance and wisdom has led us to where we are today.
Dr. Robert Gerard, my teacher, who at 90 years old always believed in me, and whose teachings and guidance taught me the meditations and invocations that led us to dr. tea’s, finding my true path in life, and planetary consciousness.
My two devoted loving assistants, Curly and Lulu, with whom I spent every hour researching and writing this book.
And Julie, my wife and partner for life, and Lucky, my daughter and constant teacher and my pride and joy, who provided me the encouragement to write this book. Their love and devotion and light allowed me the incentive to make this book a reality and for this I am forever grateful.
APPENDIX A
There are thousands of Web sites offering tea and tea accessories. Those listed below are just a few you might want to visit.
TEA
dr. tea’s www.ultimateteadiet.com 1-888-UTD-TEAS
CVS www.cvs.com 1-888-607-4287
Dean & Deluca www.deandeluca.com 1-800-221-7714
Lipton Tea www.liptont.com 1-888-547.8668
Art of Tea www.artoftea.com 1-877-268-8327
Tea Affair www.tea-affair.com 1-866-832-7467
Red & Green Company www.rngco.com 1-415-626-1375
Adagio Teas www.adagio.com
Stash Tea www.stashtea.com 1-503-603-9905
Republic of Tea www.republicoftea .com 1-800-298-4832
Upton Tea www.uptontea.com 1-800-234-8327
Tazo Tea www.tazo.com 1-800-299-9445
Special Teas www.specialteas.com 1-800-365-6983
Harney & Sons www.harney.com 1-888-427-6398
The Tao of Tea www.taooftea.com 1-503-736-0198 In Pursuit of Tea www.inpursuitoftea.com 1-866-878-3832
Revolution Tea www.revolutiontea .com 1-888-321-4738
Whole Foods Market www.wholefoodsmarket.com 1-512-477-4455
Bigelow Teas www.bigelowtea.com 1-888-244-3569
TEA ACCESSORIES
dr. tea’s www.ultimateteadiet.com 1-888-UTD-TEAS
Dean & Deluca www.deandeluca.com 1-800-221-7714
Art of Tea www.artoftea.com 1-877-268-8327
Bodum www.bodum.com 1-800-232-6386
Stash Tea www.stashtea.com 1-503-603-9905
Café de Fiori www.cafedefiori.com 1-818-901-7777
The Tao of Tea www.taooftea.com 1-503-736-0198
Bigelow Teas www.bigelowtea.com 1-888-244-3569
SpecialTeas www.specialteas.com 1-800-365-6983
These days, your local supermarket probably carries a wide variety of teas in a vast array of flavors. Here are just a few you may find in a store near you (and if you can’t, try their Web sites):
Dr. Tea’s Ultimate Tea Diet Teas
www.ultimateteadiet.com
Lipton Tea
www.liptont.com
Rishi Tea
www.rishi-tea.com
Two Leaves and a Bud
www.worldpantry.com
Republic of Tea
www.republicoftea .com
Triple Leaf Tea
www.tripleaf-tea.com
APPENDIX A 283
Mighty Leaf Tea www.mightyleaf.com
Stash Tea www.stash.com
Twinings Tea www.twinings.com
Allegro Tea www.allegrocoffee.com
Yogi Tea www.yogitea.com
Golden Moon Tea www.goldenmoontea.com
APPENDIX B
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Ahmad, N., et al. Antioxidants in chemoprevention of skin cancer. Current Problems on Dermatology 2001; 29:128–39.
Ahmad, N., et al. Green tea polyphenols and cancer: biologic mechanism and practical implications. Nutrition Revision 1999 March; 57(3):78–83.
Ahmed, S., et al. Green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) differentially inhibits interleukin-1β-induced expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and -13 in human chondrocytes. Journal of Pharmacology And Experimental Therapeutics 2004; 308(2):767–73.
Anderson, R.A., and M.M. Polansky. Tea enhances insulin activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2002 Nov; 50(24):7182–6.
Arteel, G.E., T. Uesugi, et al. Green tea extract protects against early alcohol-induced liver injury in rats. Biological Chemistry 2002 Mar–Apr; 383(3–4): 663–70.
Aschan, Stefan. “Caffeine Exposed.” ABC News, March 29, 2007. http:// abcnews .go.com/health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com)/Diet/Story?id=2990014& page=1, accessed April 15, 2007.
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Baker, J.A., et al. Consumption of black tea or coffee and risk of ovarian cancer. International Journal of Gynecological Cancer 2007 Jan/Feb; 17(1):50–54.
Banerjee, S., P. Maity, et al. Black tea prevents cigarette smoke-induced apoptosis and lung damage. Journal of Inflammation 2007 April; 4(1):3.
Bell, S.J., et al. A functional food product for the management of weight. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2002; 42(2):163–78.
Bettuzzi, S., M. Brausi, et al. Chemoprevention of human prostate cancer by oral administration of green tea catechins in volunteers with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia: a preliminary report from a one-year proof-of-principle study. Cancer Research 2006 Jan.; 66(2):1234–40.
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Bliss, Rosalie Marion. Brewing up the latest tea research. Agricultural Research. Sept. 2003:11–13.
Bukowski, J.F. et al. Human gamma-delta T cells recognize alkylamines derived from microbes, edible plants, and tea: implications for innate immunity. Immunity 1999 July; 11(1):57–65.
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Davies, M. J., J. T. Judd, et al. Black tea consumption reduces total and LDL cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. Journal of Nutrition 2003; 133:3298S–3302S.
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SUBJECT INDEX
Alcohol, 66
alprazolam (Xanax), compared to L-theanine, 39
American Cancer Society, 54 , 55
American College of Emergency Physicians, 173
American Dental Association, 59
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 37
American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 158
American Revolution, 269
Anna, Duchess of Bradford, 267
Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, 90
Anne, Queen, 266
antioxidants, 6 , 15 , 40 – 41, 48 . See also epigallocatechin- 3 -gallate
A&P (Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company), 270
Archives of Internal Medicine, 52, 57
Asia, tea in, 261– 263 assam tea, 102 Astor, John Jacob, 270
Banks, Sir Joseph, 268 BBC News, 50 behavior, 152–153 black tea, 19, 52 antioxidants in, 50 caffeine in, 173 taste, 101 Blechynden, Richard, 270 blood sugar, 42–43. See also insulin Blumberg, Dr. Jeffrey, 27 Bodhidharma, Prince, 260–261 brain waves, 38, 56–57, 73 breakfast, 93 14-day meal plan, 134 –147 morning ritual, 115 breast cancer, 53 – 54 brewing, 24 – 29 “Brewing Up the Latest Tea Research,” 27 Bybee, Christine, 121
caffeine, 6, 28–29 addiction to, 71, 82 , 173 – 174 in common beverages, 179 –180
caffeine (continued) EGCG and, 41–42 quiz, 180–182 thermogenesis and, 37 as weight-loss ingredient, 37–38 of white tea, 16
Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America’s #1 Drug, 172
Camellia sinensis, xi, 14–19, 268 black tea, 19 green tea, 16 –18 oolong tea, 18–19 white tea, 16
Cami. See Camellia sinensis Canadian Diabetes Association, 176 cancer
breast, 53 – 54 exercise and, 158 lung, 54 ovarian, 54 prostate, 54 – 55 tea for prevention of, 53 – 56
Cancer Research, 54 Candy Bar Tea, 46 carbohydrates, 126
choices, 129 cardiovascular exercise, 161–165 catechin, 40 Ch’a Ching, 262 chai tea, 102–103 chemotherapy, tea and, 55 China, Fujian province, 16 cholesterol
effect of EGCG and triglycerides and, 42 physical activity and, 157
coffee, 169 –182 addiction to, 173 –174 , 178 –180 cups per day, 171 decaffeination of, 178 as energy, 172 –173 health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) and, 175–177 morning, 174 sleep and, 177
coronary artery disease, tea as health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefit with, 52 – 53 cortisol, 39 – 40 effect of tea on, 40
cravings, 108 –113 bar-b-que, 112 candy, 110 chocolate, 110 french fries/potato chips, 112 ice cream/sherbets, 111 identification of, 109–112 pies, cakes, and cookies, 111–113 popcorn, 112 vanilla, 110–111
Cutty Sark, 270
Darjeeling tea, 103 , 268 decaffeination, 178 desserts, 253 – 255. See also Recipe Index
diabetes exercise and, 157 type 2, 43
diets behavior and, 152–153 cravings, 108 –113 eating habits and, 10 , 81– 82 food plan for, 8 – 9 14-day eating plan, 132 – 147 meal plan, 120 –153 perfection and, 95 – 96 process of, 87–98 types of, 9 yo-yo, 5, 33, 45
dinner, 14-day meal plan,
134 – 147 DNA damage, 54 dopamine, 39 dr. tea’s (shop), xi, 69 – 70 , 275 Dragon’s Well, 18 dust, 23 Dutch East India Trading Company,
Gunpowder tea, 25 , 104 Gyoki, 262
hand-me-down tea, 267 health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits, 5, 15 of coffee, 175–177
heart cardiovascular exercise, 161–165 disease and stroke, 157 tea as health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefit, 52 – 53
heart rate, 163 – 164 herbal drinks, 21 honey, 28 Hsu, Dr. Stephen, 51, 57– 58 Hugo, Jan, 263 hunger, 92
identification of, 10 hypertension, 52 – 53
ice cubes, 31 iced tea, 31– 32 , 59 immune system, 50 – 52 India, tea in, 268 insulin. See also blood sugar
resistance, 43 interleukin-8, 51 Irish Breakfast tea, 104
Japanese tea ceremony, 17 Jasmine Pearl tea, 25 journal, 72 – 73
inventory of positives, 78 – 80 inventory of self-beliefs, 76 – 77 inventory of thoughts, 77– 78 list of caffeinated beverages, 181 on the weight-loss plan, 132
Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry,
43 Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 178 Journal of Biological Chemistry, 42 Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 41 Journal of health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) Science, 159 Journal of Inflammation, 54 Journal of Nutrition, 44
King Wen of Zhou, 261 Kuo Po, 261
Lane, Dr. James D., 175 –176 Lapsong Souchong, 9 , 263 letters, 3 – 4 , 8 , 169 –171 life styles, 9, 65 – 66 , 68 , 80 – 81
changes in, 76 – 80 personal versus business life,
80 – 81 lipoproteins, 42 loose leaf tea, 23 lunch, 14-day meal plan, 134 –147 lung cancer, 54 Lu Yu, 262
masala chai. See chai tea matcha tea, 104 . See also green tea meal plan, 120 –153
behavior and, 152–153 carbohydrates, 126 choices, 129
dinner party for four with tea pairings,
255 – 258 fats, 129 –130 “free” foods, 130–132 guidelines, 123–124 protein, 126
choices, 127–129 quick & easy recipes, 235–244 recipes, 192 – 236 . See also Recipe
Index desserts, 253 – 255 entrees, 248 – 253 side dishes, 246 – 247 soup, 245
strategies for smart shopping, 149 –151 vegetables, 126
serotonin, 6, 39 Sévigné, Madame de, 264 Shen Nung, 260 side dishes, 245–247. See also Recipe
Index Sjogren’s syndrome, 51 sleep
coffee and, 177 deprivation, 177 exercise and, 158
slow twitch, 162 smoking, 54 , 82 , 171 snacks, 126 , 133, 148–149
fast food, 149 14-day meal plan, 134 –147 on-the-go grocery store, 148 vegetable, 148
Song Dynasty, 16 –17 Song tea ceremony, 17 soup recipe, 244 St. Louis World’s Fair, 270 stevia, 28 , 113 stimulants. See caffeine strainer, 25 strength training, 165–166 stress, exercise and, 158 stroke, 157 Stuyvesant, Peter, 268 sugar, 28 Sullivan, Thomas, 270
T’ang Dynasty, 16, 261–262 tannins, 21, 58 target heart rate (THR), 163 –164 tea
accessories, 281–282 alcohol and, 66 American consumption of, 4–5 aroma, 30 art and, 264 bags, 23 , 29 balls, 26 bottles-to-go, 115 brewing, 24 – 29 ceremonies, 17, 262 chemotherapy and, 55 costs of, 20 daily intake of, 124 effect on cortisol levels, 40 enjoyment of, 94 – 95 exercise and, 158–159 extracts, 57– 58 f lavors of, 22, 102, 107 forms of, 22 – 23 hand-me-down, 267 health(Buy now from http://www.drugswell.com) benefits of, 5 , 15 , 47– 60 history of, 260 – 271
in America, 268 – 271 in Asia, 261–263 in England, 265–267 in Europe, 263–264 in India, 268
as natural vaccine, 51 at night, 83 , 94 plantation, 268 to prevent breast cancer, 53 – 54 to prevent lung cancer, 54 to prevent ovarian cancer, 54 to prevent prostate cancer, 54 – 55 principle of drinking all day, 89 – 91 purchasing, 30 quiz, 105–108 recipes. See also Recipe Index
meal plan, 192–235 quick & easy, 235 – 244 rubs and dressings, 189 –191
replacing bad eating habits with, 93 – 94 ,
125 resources, 279–283 in restaurants and parties, 116 seasonal, 114 selection, 99–117 shelf life of, 23 shopping for, 30 – 31 stains, 58 – 59 tastes, 101
teeth and, 58–59 traveling with, 116 – 117 varieties, 8 , 102 –105 , 124 versus water, 50 Web sites, 279–283 weight-loss ingredients, 35–44 women and, 269 at work, 115 –116 Tea Association of America, 4–5, 21 tea cup, 83 “Tea of Royals,” 16 teapots, 25, 26 teeth, 58 – 59 theaflavins, 49, 52 L-theanine, 6 compared to alprazolam (Xanax), 39 as weight-loss ingredient, 38–40 thearubigins, 49 thermogenesis, caffeine and, 37 THR (target heart rate), 163 –164 Tibet, 20 Tieh Mu (mountains), 18 tisane, 15 , 30 Tom’s Coffee House, 266 Townsend Revenue Act, 269 travel, 116–117 Treaty of Nerchinsk, 263 triglycerides, EGCG and, 42 Twining, Thomas, 266
United States, tea in, 268 – 271
U.S. Government Centers for Disease Control, 159–160
vegetables, 126 Vilmer, Pat, 270
Wansink, Brian, 152 Washington, President George, 269 water daily requirement of, 10 versus tea, 50 weight loss, 6–7 philosophy of, 9 –11 Weil, Dr. Andrew, 172 –173 white tea, 16 caffeine in, 173 taste, 101 flavonoids and, 48 – 49 women, 269 Wu Liang, 18
Xanax (alprazolam), compared to L-theanine, 39
You: On a Diet, 174 You: The Owner’s Manual, 174
RECIPE INDEX
All-Purpose Fish/Vegetable Tea Rub, 190 Apple-Cinnamon Tea Oatmeal, 207 Apple Pie Hot Todtea, 192 –193 Apple Tea Cobbler, 253 – 254 Apple Tea Cubes, 254 Apricot-Ginger Black Tea Chicken Breasts,
252 Artichoke Tea Chicken, 250–251 Ayurvedic Tomato-Cucumber Tea Yogurt,
Baked Tea Apples, 222 – 223 , 258 Baked Tea Pears, 203 BBQ Tea-Grilled Chicken, 209 BBQ Tea Rub, 190 Blueberry Pie Frostea, 200 Blueberry Tea Cubes, 254 Blueberry Tea Sauce, 231– 232 Breakfast Tea Burrito, 195 –196
Cajun Tea Salmon Fillets, 247 CappuTEAno Frostea, 220 Caramel Apple Hot Todtea, 217 Caramel-Banana DaiquirTEA Frostea,
212 – 213 Caulif lower Tea Mash, 218 Chef Tea Salad, 227 Chicken Tea Rub, 189 Chicken Tea Soft Tacos, 248–249 Chinese Tea Chicken Salad, 230 Chocolate Cream Pie Hot Todtea, 225 Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Frostea,
196 – 197 Cinnamon Roast Hot Todtea, 220 – 221 Cold Chicken or Turkey Tea Salad,
217– 218 Currant Tea Couscous, 257 Dr. Tea’s Candy Bar Black Tea Hot Todtea,
Eggplant and Sun-Dried Tomato Tea Chicken, 249–250 Egg White Tea Scramble, 216 – 217
French Bread with Parmesan (carb option),
245 French Tea Ratatouille, 246–247 Fruit Tea Smoothie, 212
Ginger Bread Hot Todtea, 204 – 205 Ginger Tea Cubes, 254 Goat Cheese Tea Egg Scramble,
224 Grilled Tea-Marinated Chops, 234
Grilled Tea Shrimp with Yogurt Curry Quick & Easy Tea Omelet with Spinach and Sauce, 255–256 Turkey Bacon, 237 Grilled Tea Steak, 223 Quick & Easy Tea Oven-Poached Salmon, 244 Key Lime Pie Frostea, 229
Rosemary Orange Tea Chicken, 225 Lemon Tea Baked Halibut, 198 Lettuce-Wrapped Tea Turkey Burgers, Special Plum Tea Pork or Beef Loin, 252
Strawberry-Balsamic Tea Sauce, 203 Mediterranean Tea Salad, 197–198 Strawberry Chocolate Tea Frozen Yogurt, Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Frostea, 195
206 – 207 Strawberry Pie Green Tea Hot Todtea, 229
Strawberry-Raspberry Pie DaiquirTEA Onion Tea Soup, 244 Frostea, 207–208 Orange Sherbet Frostea, 211– 212 Strawberry Tea Cubes, 254 Orange Spice Cake Hot Todtea,
227– 228 Tea Apple Sauce, 235 Orange Tea Cubes, 254 TEABouleh, 234 Oven-Roasted Tea Asparagus, 199 Tea Chicken Marsala-Masala, 256 – 257 Oven-Roasted Tea Tomatoes, 228 , 257 Tea Chicken Pasta with Artichokes and
Sun-Dried Tomatoes, 213 – 214 Pineapple Tea Cubes, 255 Tea Chicken Piccata, 249 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Hot Todtea, Tea Chicken Stir-Fry, 210 – 211
232 Tea Chicken Tostadas with Tomato Tea
Salsa, 205–206 Quick & Easy Broccoli Tea Soup, 238 Tea Custard Sauce, 215 Quick & Easy Egg White–Tea Omelet, Tea Fruit Salad, 219 – 220
238 Tea Garden Grilled Salmon, 208 Quick & Easy Parmesan-Bacon–Egg White Tea-Grilled Chicken, 193 Tea Scramble, 236 – 237 Tea Ice Cubes, 254 – 255 Quick & Easy Pear and Goat Cheese Tea Tea-Infused Blueberries, 232
Salad, 241 Tea-Infused Oatmeal, 226 Quick & Easy Spicy Veggie Tea Pasta, 242 TEAna Colada Frostea, 199–200 Quick & Easy Tea-Boiled Shrimp, 243 Tea Orange Turkey Breast, 213 Quick & Easy Tea Corn on the Cob, 243 Tea-Poached Apricots or Plums, 214 Quick & Easy Tea Crab Salad in Endive Tea Popsicles, 210
Leaves, 240 Tea Rice, 193 –194 Quick & Easy Tea Gazpacho, 239 Tea Salad Dressing, 191 Quick & Easy Tea Hummus with Whole-Tea Salad Niçoise, 221– 222
Wheat Pita, 240 – 241 Tea Tomato-Seed Salad Dressing, 191 Quick & Easy Tea-Infused Yogurt or Tea Turkey Florentine, 231 Cottage Cheese, 235 Tea Wild Rice, 229
Tiramisu Rooibos Hot Todtea Tisane, Vanilla Berry Blast Frostea, 226 209 – 210 Vegetable Mushroom Tea Frittata, 204 Tomato Tea Salsa, 196 Vegetable Tea Soup with Chicken, 201 Turkey Bacon–Egg Tea Salad Sandwich, 233 Yogurt Curry Sauce, 255 Turkey Tea Meatloaf, 202 Yogurt Tea Parfait, 192
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