Are Wu Yi Tea and Oolong Tea the Same Thing?
April 4, 2010 by Caitlin Ryan
Filed under Weight Loss
Simple! Because wu yi tea is oolong tea. Confusing? It is not, really, but first you should know a few things about the various types of tea.
Camellia sinensis is the plant for which all real teas are harvested. The final product, or variety, depends on how it is processed.
Over 75% of tea produced in the world is the highly popular black tea. The leaves are harvested and then withered by leaving them out. The remaining moisture is then rolled out via a machine (CTC) or the old-fashioned way by hand (orthodox). The hand method leaves the tea in tact more while the CTC method is a bit harsher leaving the leaves more crushed.
They are then spread out in a cool, damp place to oxidize. This turns the leaves from green to brownish color. The tea leaves are then dried using hot air. Finally, the tea is sorted into various grades depending the final leaf size.
Green tea goes through a similar process, however the oxidation step is left out which allows the leaves to remain green. Instead, after the tea is dried, it is steamed to stop the oxidation process. This also helps maintain the integrity of the nutrients in green tea, though black tea also retains some of its nutritional value. Green tea is rather grassy in flavor due to the lack of oxidation.
Now, white tea is a rather special little tea. It is harvested only few days a year when the buds on the Camellia sinensis plant have yet to open. White tea processing is like green tea, but the young leaves lend to a very delicate, smooth flavor and aroma. We are finally seeing more white tea distribution, though it was once reserved for Chinese nobility. Because of its difficulty in harvesting, it is rather pricey.
Perhaps oolong is the best tea because it is not as pricey as white tea, but it has a great flavor more like black tea. Plus, it retains most of its nutrients and weight loss capabilities like green tea and white tea. Unlike white or green tea, oolong tea is oxidized to some extent, which is what lends to the flavor. However, it still has most of its nutrients and it can be harvested like green or black tea using more mature leaves.
Okay, so why do we call some oolong tea, wu yi tea? Think of it more as a brand name, but perhaps a bit more special. Wu yi tea is oolong tea so named for the chain of mountains where it grows. The Wuyi mountain chain in Northeastern China is home to the Camellia sinensis plant where wu yi tea is harvested.
You can sort of compare the naming to Florida oranges or Washington apples. This northeastern area of China is capable of growing the best tea in the world because of the climate. The soil, cool weather and protection from the mountains produce great tea.
Wu yi tea like white tea was once considered a gift for nobility. It is now available to the rest of the world who have embraced not only its health and weight loss benefits, but also it is gorgeous flavor more akin to black tea.
Find out how the stars are losing weight safely and effectively with wu yi tea. Go there now and get your own free e-book by signing up to our amazing newsletter packed with hints on dieting, exercise and wu yi green tea.
Why Acai Berry is the Queen of Purple!
April 6, 2009 by Caitlin Ryan
Filed under Weight Loss
Are you looking for loads of energy, more radiant skin and thicker hair? Would you like to slow the signs and symptoms of aging and look and feel more youthful? Your answers may be with the Queen of Purple: The acai berry!
It was not long ago that I was feeling tired and sluggish. I was noticing more lines on my face and my hair began thinning and had a high amount of breakage. I could not figure out what was wrong. I ate as well as possible trying to get enough fruits and veggies, but it is not easy to get eight servings a day as the FDA recommends. I even exercise often.
My doctor could not find anything wrong with me, so I decided to find a solution on my own. Looking into natural supplements, I found many products that might help, but I decided on the acai berry because it contained antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and essential amino acids.
There are so many supplements on the market that it can be difficult to decide what to buy. What I wanted was something simple. I did not want to take tons of pills or spend a bunch of money. Acai berries contain essential amino acids that are nearly as complete as animal protein and highly powerful antioxidants.
Using a test called Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC), the total antioxidant power of a given food or substance can be measured. While blueberries have an ORAC of 2400, Amazonian acai berries have an ORAC of 90,000 making their antioxidant capabilities more powerful than any known food source.
The benefits of purple fruits and plants have been studied extensively. The phytochemicals that give purple plants their color and high antioxidant quality are called anthocyanins. High amounts of anthocyanins have been found in acai berries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, plums and herbals such as bilberry and elderberry.
One of the most compelling actions of these highly powerful antioxidants is their anti-inflammatory ability, which lab studies have found to prevent a number of health problems.
Anthocyanin supplementation in animals reduced allergic reactions, reversed neurological defects normal in aging, reduced capillary malfunction as occurs in diabetes and prevented blood vessel damage. Anthocyanins are also capable of inhibiting human tumor cell growth and thus fantastic for cancer prevention.
As far as overall health, antioxidants such as anthocyanins are able to neutralize free radicals, repair damage and aid in cell regeneration. Free radicals and the damage they incur are responsible for the aging process as well as a host of other health problems such as cancer and heart disease.
This is primarily why I began to feel so much better after supplementing my diet with acai berry extract supplements. My energy levels went up after just one week and a month later, my hair was noticeably fuller and my skin was more radiant and youthful.
Acai berries are not a quick fix for energy such as caffeine. Acai berries will not cover wrinkles or give your hair volume immediately like mousse. What they will do is work to improve your health from the inside out, which will in turn make you more energetic and improve tissue health.
These are just a few of the amazing benefits of acai berries and more are bound to be found.
Check out the Revolutionary Acai Berry
April 4, 2009 by Jaylen Derell
Filed under Acai Berry
Are you struggling with your body’s fitness? You just not in the best shape as you could be? You’re definitely not the only one who struggles with this issue. Millions of people are trying to fight against obesity and/or diseases that affect their health. People just want to find something that works and make it easier for them to get fit.
everywhere you hear about this new diet supplement. A lot of big shows like the Oprah Winfrey show and NBC news have advertized the new product. There are books where it has been publicized in too. People are starting to call this supplement the most powerful and nutritious fruit out on the market today. What is this product that seems to be exciting the general public? It’s called the Acai Berry!
What makes this product at such a high demand? Outcomes! The outcome of this Acai Berry Diet is top of the line. There is no excessive exercise or fasting involved in this diet. The ingredient itself will help you get back fit by reaching all your goals involving your health.
No one ever told u what the Acai Berry diet is? This diet is from a Acai berry that is from or native to Brazil. This product holds ten times the amount of antioxidants in grapes and twice the amount of blueberries. This product is called a superfood because of its large amount of antioxidants.
The Acai Berry can also get rid of the poisons and excess wastes that could be just sitting in your body. That alone can result in up to 20lbs loss in weight. You also get help with muscle contraction and regeneration from the amino acids and minerals in this product. Another advantage to this product is that it will suppress your appetite because the heavy amount of protein and other nutrients in the berry make you feel fuller sooner.
Because the Acai Berry diet uses the finest minerals and vitamins, you body only wants to get stronger and healthy for you. Your body will always tend to fights diets continuously. Let your body make an easy transition into a healthy condition. The Acai Berry diet is just the product for anyone who wants to be in the best shape they have ever been in. Your health condition should be on the top of your list and using this revolutionary supplement you are taking care of any problems that need to be addressed. It’s about that time.
2 Great Ways to Use Acai Berry to Lose Weight!
April 1, 2009 by Caitlin Ryan
Filed under Weight Loss
Are you looking for the ultimate way to achieve a slender figure through weight loss and exercise while improving your overall health? Your solution may be through a wonderful super fruit from the Amazon rainforest called acai berry.
I needed help losing those last 10 pounds, but I also wanted to improve my energy levels and appearance. Success was found with acai berries and I lost the weight, have buckets of energy and more radiant hair and skin!
Can acai berries help you? Not on their own, but an acai berry supplement can help you achieve your goals more quickly as the antioxidant content fights free radicals, the damage incurred by free radicals and optimizing your overall health creating a better environment for weight loss as well as a more youthful appearance. I have two great ways for you to lose weight with an acai berry supplement.
The first is what I like to call the anti-aging weight loss program that incorporates an acai berry supplement, a menu that eliminates dangerous age-promoting foods and includes various age-fighting foods, and an exercise program that minimizes joint impact and toxicity from overworked muscles.
Refined sugar products, saturated fat and trans fat are the main culprits behind premature aging. Swap out fatty protein sources for lean protein such as fish, chicken breast, nonfat dairy, plant proteins and lean other cuts of meat. Try to reduce your alcohol consumption and make sure you drink plenty of water. Rather than eating empty carbohydrates that are overly processed, stick with whole grains, fruits and veggies.
Exercise lightly, but steadily. Try activities such as swimming, walking, hiking, yoga and bicycling. All of these are gentle yet effective for weight loss if you plan 30-40 minutes per day at least five times a week.
Need energy? Try using a maximum energy weight loss plan that includes an acai berry supplement, a diet that optimizes metabolism and exercise that increases energy.
Boost your metabolism by eating six small meals a day rather than three big meals. Never skip breakfast and make sure you begin your day with a protein source (yoghurt with flax seed or an egg) coupled with a simple carbohydrate such as a bowl of fruit. Plan ahead and make sure that you have a small snack, small lunch, small afternoon snack and dinner. Use clean food sources (try to avoid overly processed foods).
Use interval training to gain maximum energy. Try some combination programs such as circuit training combined with cardio or kickboxing. Use a treadmill or elliptical and following warm-up, alternate every other minute between high intensity and low intensity.
You need to figure your daily caloric needs for both of the plans using an online calorie calculator. Subtract 300 calories from the figure. Make sure you understand portion sizes and use a food diary just for awhile to familiarize yourself with an appropriate daily intake. For the acai berry supplement, just follow the directions on the bottle.
Acai Berry Tales and Truths
March 24, 2009 by Caitin Ryan
Filed under Weight Loss
Are you looking for ways to improve your health through nutrition? Have you thought about looking in the Brazilian rainforest for the answer? You do not have to book a flight because a miracle fruit from this mystical region is now available to all of us in various acai berry products. You are going to love what this super fruit can do for your health!
Acai (pronounced Ah-SIGH-ee) berries have become quite popular in the past few years, but the people of the Brazilian rainforest have long revered this gorgeous purple fruit that grows on a palm tree.
Folklore tells the tale of an Amazon Indian girl named Iaca whose father was the tribal chief. The tribe had become too large and soon, there was not enough food to feed everyone. The tribal chief ordered that any child born needed to be sacrificed. His daughter was the first to give birth after this decree, but the chief showed no mercy for the sake of the whole tribe.
She mourned her child to the point of hearing the cries of a baby outside her hut. She desperately searched for what she thought was her newborn baby crying for her. Instead, she found a new palm tree growing in the midst of the Amazon rainforest. Terribly heartbroken, she lay beneath the palm tree and died.
The tribe discovered Iaca and noticed that the new tree had purple berries plentiful enough and nutritious enough to sustain the entire tribe. The tribal chief said that the newborns would now be spared death and he named the berries Acai (Iaca spelled backwards) after his daughter.
Clever story, but the truth behind acai berries is just now being realized. Scientists are finding that acai berries just might be the most potent fruit available because they contain super antioxidants, essential amino acids and omega 3 fatty acids.
The antioxidant that gives acai berries their beautiful royal purple color is called anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is a super antioxidant able to slow or stop tumor growth. All antioxidants are capable of fighting and preventing cancer because of their ability to stop the cancer-causing actions of free radicals at the cellular level. They are also important for rebuilding and repairing damaged tissue.
Because free radicals are also responsible for the aging process, acai berries are also great for preventing premature aging and slowing the biological clock.
Essential amino acids are important for tissue structure. Though only animal protein contains a complete blend of essential amino acids, it also contains dangerous saturated fat. Acai berries contain a nearly complete blend of essential amino acids making them fabulous for maintaining tissue structure (i.e. collagen in skin cells).
Speaking of fat, acai berries contain good fat called omega 3 fatty acids, which are capable of lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and raising good cholesterol (HDL). You may have heard of omega 3 fatty acids in regard to the benefits of eating fish or taking fish oil supplements.
Acai berries are able to improve your health, prevent disease and slow the aging process. Available in a number of ways, acai products can truly benefit your overall health and restore a more youthful appearance.
Acai berry juice lines the supermarket shelves with its growing popularity, but make sure you do not fall prey to these corn syrup juices.
Are Wu Yi Tea Reviews Honest?
March 11, 2009 by Caitlin Ryan
Filed under Weight Loss
The short shorts and teeny bikinis are hanging on the store racks. Are you hoping you will be hot when the weather turns hot? Maybe you are perusing the internet for a weight loss product. Chances are you have stumbled across wu yi tea reviews and are wondering whether this is the right weight loss aid for you.
Just like green tea, wu yi (oolong) tea contains antioxidants and other properties that can help you lose weight and look fantastic by summer. That being said, you are probably wondering what to believe when it comes to wu yi tea reviews. Some are quite negative.
Are these wu yi tea reviews honest? Are the wu yi companies trustworthy? If you want to reap the rewards of wu yi tea like I did and look great in your summer clothes, you should know whether the wu yi tea review is honest.
Currently, there is a major wu yi tea scam being talked about in many wu yi (oolong) reviews. The wu yi company offers consumers a free trial, and then charges your credit card for auto shipments. Some wu yi tea reviews have reported losses over $150! You may lose weight, but you will definitely lose money!
There are wu yi tea reviews written by people who were not able to lose weight and feel as though they were scammed. Maybe, maybe not. There are certainly wu yi tea companies who sell poor quality tea that ends up containing very little pure wu yi tea. This is why it is very important to make sure that the company sells USDA CERTIFIED organic tea, and they are members of the BBB Online Reliability Program.
Another reason for lack of weight loss could simply be that the consumer did not realize they needed to diet and exercise along with drinking the wu yi tea. Some wu yi reviews would have you believe that they drank the tea and did not lose weight, yet the fail to mention the donuts they had for breakfast or that they did not move from the couch most nights.
Wu yi tea has been a WONDERFUL addition to my weight loss plan that also involves exercise and a healthy menu. Oolong (wu yi) and green tea help you continue to burn fat long after you have finished exercising. It also blocks some of the starch you consume, but it will not forgive TOO many junky foods in your diet.
Think about how many calories you consume in a day due to beverages such as sodas or lattes. By replacing these with ZERO calorie wu yi (oolong) tea, you may be able to cut 500 calories a day. This is equivalent to one pound of weigh per week to help you look fabulous by summer!
Wu Yi Cleanse is another product made by the Wu Yi Tea Company that cleanses your system and makes it easier for you to lose weight by ridding the body of weight gain toxins. There is also green tea in this product.
Are acai berries really the highest source of antioxidants?
March 10, 2009 by Jeremy Liddle
Filed under Acai Berry
The Acai berry is more than the average fruit. One reason behind this is the very high content of antioxidants. It has been consistently stated that diets high in fruit and vegetables and other plant foods are associated with better health and lower mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and there is plenty of research to support this. So why is that?
This association is partly given to the high content of antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, which protect the body against chronic disease by decreasing free radical oxidative damage. The body is under constant attack by free radicals, which are a common by-product of normal metabolism.
Think of free radicals as people with too much energy and no where to put it. So they are very active and attack everything in their path. In the body, this means damage to cells and genetic material. In the long term, this could translate to permanent damage and disease.
Throughout each day people are further exposed to free radicals through pollution, stress, exercise, chemicals and toxins. Antioxidants, which are consumed in the diet, act like scavengers which seek and relax them. Once they have been relaxed, like those young children, they dont cause any more damage.
So what do acai berries have to offer in the way of antioxidants?
The Acai berry is high in anthocyanins, compounds that provide colour and are natural antioxidants. These are also found in red wine, however acai pulp has 10-30 times the amount. Pre Dried acai contains 70-210 times more! The darker the pigment of the fruit, generally the more antioxidants it contains.
One way to help achieve a high antioxidant diet is to make sure your plate is very colourful. Ensure that plenty of fruits and vegetables are eaten at main meals, and Acai smoothies or other fruits and vegetables are snacked on instead of lollies or chocolate.
Acai has a characteristic royal purple pigment that not only makes the fruit appealing to eat, but studies have shown that berry anthocyanins are beneficial in reducing age-associated oxidative stress (or the free radical damage). If berries can combat premature aging with 25 - 40 times less antioxidants than acai, then just imagine what Pure Dried acai can do!
The US food industry is now labeling the antioxidants in food with ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). Data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests a serving of fresh fruit and vegetables has between 890 and 2,500 ORAC units. Just one 5g serving of Pure Dried Acai will provide around 2,670 ORAC units!
What is Oolong? Can It Make Your Skin More Youthful?
February 28, 2009 by Caitlin Ryan
Filed under Weight Loss
Asian women tend to have beautiful, flawless skin for many years. Aging seems to be on hold in many Asian regions. How do they achieve this? Would you not love to know about their many secrets such as oolong tea?
Asian women tend to live cleaner lives. They consume better diets and are generally exposed to less environmental toxins. These are few of the reasons behind their gorgeous, youthful skin.
Veggies, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins should all be on the menu for more youthful skin, but when it comes to environmental toxins such as car exhaust that we cannot escape, we need more. Asian women have drunk oolong tea for centuries and it is capable of slowing the aging process and producing more youthful skin.
Tea differs in its preparation, but it all comes from the same plant called camellia Sinensis. Some tea goes through a fermentation process and others do not which is what alters the flavor and color of tea.
Fermenting is the oxidation process that turns the leaves a darker shade. Whether tealeaves are fermented or not and for what length of time lends to the different flavors, aromas and coloring of the tea. Black tea is fermented the most whereas green tea is not fermented at all. Oolong tea is in between and has an interesting background.
Legend tells that oolong tea was created purely by accident. A man named Wu Liang was harvesting tea leaves and was interrupted by a passing deer. Wanting the deer for his family, he abandoned his freshly picked tea leaves to hunt the deer.
The harvested leaves sat in the sun for a few days before Wu Liang returned to find them partially oxidized (fermented). He could not waste the tealeaves, so he prepared them anyway and found them to have a wonderful flavor. The tea was called oolong and is now very popular.
The most beneficial teas to fight premature aging and restore a more youthful appearance are oolong, green and white teas. Oolong tea has the nicest flavor; so many people enjoy it over other tea varietals. Tea contains phytochemicals (antioxidants) that are highly beneficial to your overall health because they can fight aging and repair damage.
At the heart of aging lie free radicals. We are exposed to free radicals on a daily basis through UV rays and all of the chemicals and pollutants previously mentioned. Free radical molecules damage our skin (and all tissue) at the cellular level.
Aging makes it more difficult to fight free radical damage, and they are allowed to destroy cellular membranes and alter genetic material. We also cannot regenerate cells at the same rate as we did when we were younger.
Not only does this process affect our overall health, but it also damages our skin. We wind up with wrinkles and sagging skin. Our skin becomes more fragile.
The antioxidants in oolong tea can fight free radicals by stopping the oxidation process that takes place when free radicals steal the electron from healthy molecules in our bodies. Antioxidants are also imperative for repairing the damage already incurred and regenerating cells. Drinking oolong tea on a daily basis can improve you skin health. Healthy skin is beautiful skin!
Oolong tea is available in many forms, but wu yi is one of the best tasting at a moderate price.



