USDA plans to keep feeding "pink slime" to your kids

From: NaturalNews

After garnering nationwide attention for being secretly added to processed hamburgers and beef products, including those served in school lunchrooms, "lean finely textured beef," aka "pink slime," is reportedly on its way out from the menu offerings of McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Burger King. But according to Mother Jones, theU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to keep ordering this imitation, ammonia-laced product for use in its National School Lunch Program (NSLP), a taxpayer-funded government food program that serves low-income students.

Pink slime gained much notoriety after being featured in the acclaimed 2008 documentaryFood Inc.. Robert Kenner, the film's director, revealed an inside look intoBeef Products International (BPI), a South Sioux City, Neb.-based processing plant that produces most of the nation's supply of pink slime. The product, which is composed of bovine connective tissue and random beef scraps doused in ammonia and formed into a paste, is commonly used as a beef filler because it is low-cost and supposedly less risky compared to conventional ground beef.

You can watch a disturbing clip from Food Inc.featuring footage from the BPI plant and commentary by BPI founder Eldon Roth at the following link:
http://youtu.be/RHQHPNoyO7c

FDA, USDA say ammonia-laced 'pink slime' is safe for children

Though BPI claims that pink slime is safer than conventional ground beef because of the ammonia treatment, tests conducted by NSLP between 2005 and 2009 have revealed that the meat-like matter routinely tests positive for salmonella at four times the rate of conventional beef. Ammonia is also a highly-corrosive poison that is known to cause respiratory illness and lung damage, liver problems, and cancer. TheChemical Encyclopediasays ammonia is "highly toxic" if swallowed (http://healthychild.org/issues/chemical-pop/ammonia/).

And yet both theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) and the USDA insist that pink slime is safe, even though there is absolutely no evidence to prove this. And now the USDA's NSLP is reportedly ordering seven million pounds of pink slime to serve to students, a shocking move that even the nation's most notoriously unhealthy fast-food chains are unwilling to make.

Reports indicate that top USDA officials have routinely ignored all data showing that pink slime is a "high risk product," and have instead continued to endorse the product as safe for human consumption. And the worst part about the situation is that, just like with genetically-modified (GM) products, pink slime is secretly added into raw ground beef without being properly labeled.

"They've taken a processed product (ammonia), without labeling it, and added it to raw ground beef," said microbiologist Gerald Zirnstein recently toThe Daily. "Science is the truth, and pink slime at this point in time is a fraudulent lie" (http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/03/05/pink-slime-still-menu).

12 well actually 13 Organic or Pesticide-Free Foods Worth Buying (maybe)

From: Squawk Fox

Organic and pesticide-free foods are not cheap. They can cost double the price of conventionally grown foods and can make you wonder if paying the price for fewer pesticides or better farming practices is worth it.

It’s hard to ignore the increased availability of organic food on the grocery shelves these days. Just walk into your local produce store to see that foods boasting the “organic” label are quickly taking over the shelves with bright marketing campaigns, pretty green logos, and fat price margins. So it’s fair to wonder if you get what you pay for considering the added premium for pesticide-free and organically grown foods.

The answer isn’t simple. Sorry.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that even after you vigorously wash certain fruits and vegetables, they still contain much higher levels of pesticide residue than others because they absorb and retain these chemicals. I’d love to know if using special produce cleansing soaps helps to remove these chemicals, but I’m no scientist and I doubt that an environmentally-friendly organic liquid soap can remove all pesticide residue.

So in some cases, if you’ve got some extra dollars in your pocket, it could make sense to opt for certain organic foods because their conventionally grown counterparts tend to be laden with pesticides, even after washing. Here are 12 fruits or vegetables worth buying to decrease your exposure to pesticides:

13 Organic Foods Worth Buying

• Apples
• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Potatoes
• Raspberries
• Spinach
• Strawberries 
• Corn (taken off not worth buying because it could be GMO)

If you’re looking to save on your grocery bill, then consider passing on the organic versions of these 12 fruits and vegetables since they tend not to absorb or retain as many pesticide residues as other produce.

11 Organic Foods Not Worth Buying

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Corn (moved to "worth buying")
• Kiwi
• Mangoes
• Onions
• Papaya
• Peas
• Pineapples

You also need to know the difference in what you are buying, buying "Natural" DOES NOT mean much, if anything, it could still be laden with "natural sugars" and it could come from a GMO product. Read more about this at Natural News.


Knowing when to splurge on organic food and when to save on conventionally grown produce is an excellent (and simple) shopping tactic for staying on budget at the grocery store (shopping with the Printable Grocery Shopping List helps too!) Generally, in some cases, paying double for certain organic foods may be worth the added cost if you’re looking to limit your exposure to pesticides. In my case I always try my best to buy what’s local, in season, and pesticide-free.

Sugar by Suicide - Reasons to Avoid Sugar - 126 of Them!

Suicide by Sugar

Suicide by Sugar is a book by Dr. Nancy Appleton. The book describes the dangers of sugar in detail and cites 200+ medical studies. The book also includes a list of reasons why sugar ruins health, which is similar to this list on the author’s blog: Whenever the book talks about sugar, it is also referring to these other sweeteners: 


(Note: so a sugar by any other name is still SUGAR), agave syrup, agave nectar, barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, cane syrup, confections sugar, crystalline fructose, date sugar, evaporated sugarcane, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, glucose, granulated sugar, high fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, liquid cane sugar, liquid cane syrup, maltose, maple syrup, molasses, powdered sugar, raw sugar, rice syrup, sugarcane syrup, table sugar, turbinado sugar, unrefined sugar, white sugar

 

Some of the negative health effects of sugar mentioned in the book include:• Sugar is addictive. Rats who quit sugar cold turkey experience withdrawal symptoms.• In one study, 94 percent of rats preferred sugar over cocaine.• Sugar suppresses the immune system by depleting levels of phagocytes, which in turn reduces the body’s ability to fight infection and disease.• A policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics cited research that showed for each additional serving of soda consumed by a child, the body mass index and risk of obesity both increase.• Cooking with sugar food with sugar leads to the formation of advanced glycation end products, which are linked to many age-related diseases.• Fructose significantly raises triglyceride levels in the bloodstream.• Fructose can aggravate symptoms of IBS and diarrhea.• Fructose and sucrose contribute to the oxidative damage that leads to wrinkles.• Fructose intake leads to an increased excretion of several important minerals that are needed for health• Fructose consumption leads to the release of the hormone ghrelin, which induces hunger and leads people to overeat.• Sugar leads to the development of metabolic syndrome and heart disease. One study showed that participants who consumed one or more sodas per day were 48 percent more likely to already have metabolic syndrome.• High sugar intake leads to type 2 diabetes, which is also associated with dementia and depression• Women with high glycemic load diets or high fructose intake were over 50 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.• Tumors may use sugar to fuel their growth.• Sugar can facilitate the emergence of seizures.

Refined sugar is the number one cause of health problems in the world. The following list is taken from the Article126 Reasons Sugar Is Ruining Your Health by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. If you have a thing for sugar, you might want to copy this list and put it on your refrigerator or underneath your sugar bowl.

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the minerals in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection.
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high-density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostrate and rectum.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive track.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity.
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's Disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar can cause Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause ischemic heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. Sugar can cause migraine headaches.
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low-density proteins (LDL).
58. Sugar can cause free radical in the blood stream.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar can cause loss of tissue elasticity and function.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches.
72. Sugar can over-stress the pancreas.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades.
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. The ingestion of sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81 Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. There is a greater risk for Crohn's disease with people who have a high intake of sugar.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. High sucrose diet significantly increases serum insulin.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. High sugar diets tend to be lower in antioxidant micronutrients.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold-increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents with high sugar diets.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Diets high in sugar can increase fasting blood glucose.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar suppresses lymphocytes.
104. Decrease in sugar can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of glucose promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111. Adolescents consuming high sugar diets are at increased risk for delivering small-for-gestational-age infants.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung carcinogenesis.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar is an addictive substance.
116. Intensive Care Units: Sugar limit saves lives
117. Sugar feeds cancer.
118. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
119. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
120. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
121. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood.
122. Sugar can cause free radicals in the blood stream.
123. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer's disease.
124. Sugar feeds cancer cells.
125. Sugar given to premature babies often produces high blood sugar, causing them to lose precious sugar, water and salts through the urine, putting them at risk for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
126. Sugar given to premature babies can also affect the amount of carbon dioxide premature infants produce, exacerbating problems for those with lung disorders.

High sugar diets are linked to violence in prisoners. 

Are Certain Foods Making Your Spring Allergies Worse?

www.SixWise.com

Do you suffer from hay fever or other seasonal allergies yet find that when you eat certain fresh fruits and vegetables, you get a strange, tingly, itchy sensation in your mouth?

For some people with pollen allergies, taking a bite of an apple or other fresh fruits and veggies can cause an allergic reaction that makes their mouth tingle and itch.

If so, you could have food-pollen allergy syndrome, also known as oral allergy syndrome.

Evidence suggests that in some people with seasonal allergies, their immune system mistakes a plant protein in certain fruits and vegetables for pollen, resulting in sometimes strange symptoms like:

• Itching in your mouth, lips and back of throat
• Tingling in your mouth
• An itchy tongue
• Throat and lips that feel swollen

"They're not identical proteins, but they're similar enough to confuse the immune system to have these reactions," Dr. Robert Wood, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, told CNN.

Allergy specialists call this a “cross-reaction,” and say that about 25 percent of people with a pollen allergy may suffer from food-pollen syndrome. However, many who experience are completely unaware that their itchy mouth upon eating an apple or cantaloupe has to do with their seasonal allergies.

Food-Pollen Syndrome is NOT a Food Allergy

In the case of a food allergy, you are allergic to a protein in a food, such as peanuts, and the corresponding immune system reaction impacts your whole body.

With food-pollen syndrome, however, your allergy is to pollen. It’s only when you eat a food with a similar protein structure to pollen that you have a reaction, and the reaction is short-term and confined to your mouth and throat because the offending plant proteins cannot survive the acids and enzymes in your digestive system. Only in rare cases will food-pollen syndrome lead to anaphylaxis, with can cause blocked airways and high blood pressure, and may be life-threatening.

There are two ways to determine if your allergy symptoms are due to food-pollen syndrome:

1. The symptoms are confined to your mouth, lips and throat, and they go away in 10-30 minutes
2. You only have the problem when you eat raw fruits and vegetables, as opposed to cooked versions (cooking appears to destroy or inactivate the allergic proteins)

Which Foods are Cross-Reactive to Which Allergies?

According to the Mayo Clinic, if you’re allergic to birch pollen, you may also have a reaction to:

• Apples
• Carrots
• Celery
• Hazelnuts
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raw Potatoes

If you’re allergic to ragweed pollen, you may react to:

• Bananas
• Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew and watermelon)
• Tomatoes

If you’re allergic to grasses, you may react to:

• Kiwis
• Tomatoes

If you’re allergic to mugwort pollen, you may react to:

• Apples
• Carrots
• Celery
• Kiwis
• Peanuts
• Certain spices (caraway seeds, parsley, coriander, anise seeds, fennel seeds)

How to Cope With Food-Pollen Syndrome

Remember, not everyone with a seasonal allergy experiences food-pollen syndrome, but if you do cooking fruits and vegetables can help you avoid a reaction. If your symptoms are confined to your mouth and you don’t want to give up on raw produce, either for the taste or the health benefits, you don’t have to.

"Patients will typically decide on their own, without any discussion with a doctor, whether they enjoy the apple [or other offending food] enough to put up with an itchy mouth, or whether they hate the itchy mouth enough to avoid the apple," Dr. Wood said on CNN.com.

There are other tricks, too, that can help to reduce your food-pollen syndrome symptoms:

• Try removing the peel from the fruit or vegetable
• Opt for freshly picked varieties (storing foods increases the amount of allergen)
• Try a different variety of the food
• Rinse your mouth with water after you eat the offending food

You may also notice that you only react to raw fruits and vegetables during the season your pollen allergy is most active. In fact, typically as your pollen allergy improves, so will food-pollen syndrome. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to keep seasonal allergies from interfering with your health, and we’ve listed some of the top ones below.

Click here for the rest of the article and 10 Simple Ways to Fight Seasonal Allergies

Is your child have a food allergy, did you know that Food allergies among children have risen 18 percent from 1997 to 2007, causing more than a few raised eyebrows among researchers and health officials. The first federal study of the issue found that one in 26 children now have food allergies, compared to one in 29 in 1997. Click Here to read more.

Foods rich in antioxidants proven to reduce stroke risk levels in women

"I knew there was a reason that women crave chocolate, its because it is SOOOOOOO
good for us!!"


From: NaturalNews
Health related to heart disease continues to be at the forefront of women's issues, and some studies reveal that prevention is a measure that is not necessarily guided by the pharmaceutical industry, but rather by what can be found in the fridge.

An expansive Swedish survey that was coordinated among women at Karolinska Institute led to a conclusion that diets that are comprised with foods rich in antioxidants result in lower risk levels of stroke. Women who have been diagnosed with heart disease and are known to have higher risks associated with stroke were also included in these findings. The medical journal produced by the American Heart Association, Stroke, published findings that concentrated on elderly and middle-aged women's diets. Those women that did not suffer from heart disease experienced a 17% risk reduction, while those with some form of heart disease reduced their risk of stroke by 57% when they adopted a diet loaded in antioxidants.

HOPE study supports the Swedish findings

The HOPE study (Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation) is another study that was conducted in recent years that supported the findings of the Swedish study. The HOPE study specifically followed 10,000 patients at risk for stroke in excess of four years and these patientsalso experienced lower risks through increased intakes of vitamin E.

Foods that are rich in antioxidants

In the human body, free radicals damage cells. Foods that are rich in antioxidants seem to neutralize free radicals in order to better preserve cells. In addition, foods that are rich in antioxidants also result in blood clot reduction and lower blood pressure. The array of foods that are rich in antioxidants include blueberries, artichokes and Russet potatoes, as well as dark beans. As a matter of fact, all black foods are typically rich in antioxidants simply because of their pigment levels. Black beans and black rice are great examples of abundantsources of antioxidants. Another study conducted at Louisiana State University evenfound that black rice contains more antioxidants than the fruit that is commonly perceived to be the richest source of antioxidants: blueberries.

It is easy to find such studies being conducted in the world of health and medicine and most commonly, they attempt to identify relationships between certain food items and some or other health issue. After perusing numerous studies, it becomes common sense that a generally healthy diet will result in positive health, and similarly, a bad diet filled with fatty foods and high cholesterol will affect health negatively. A university-led study is not necessary to arrive at that conclusion. Although it is very easy to prove that foods rich in antioxidants are certainly going to result in lower risks of stroke and heart disease, it is also equally important to consider that a diet that ishealthy overallwill result in better health.

Sources for this article include:

http://articles.nydailynews.com

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamine/

http://www.hearthealthywomen.org/am-i-at-risk/featured/diet.html

Publix helps fund Salad Bars for Schools

Publix Super Markets Inc who was recently ranked No. 1 for corporate citizenship reputation earlier this month and was named among the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune magazine is working with two organizations to bring salad bars to 39 schools in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, Supermarket News reports.

The Lakeland-based grocery chain joined forces with United Fresh Foundation and Produce for Kids to fund the salad bars, an effort expected to benefit more than 20,000 students. Since 2002, Produce for Kids, an Orlando based company has raised more than $3.7 million to benefit children’s non-profit organizations and educate families about healthy eating with fresh produce.The project is part of the Nationwide project "Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools" initiative.

The collaboration has resulted in the largest produce contribution to date, “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools,” will provide our children access to healthy fruits and vegetables every day at school. The contribution will benefit more than 20,000 students and to date over 824 Salad Bars have been granted. 
United Fresh President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Stenzel noted that childhood obesity is a nationwide problem, but that it occurs at a higher than average rate in the Southeast. Fruit and vegetable consumption among children is the Southeast is also lower than the national average.
“We are proud to have Produce for Kids and Publix Super Markets join us in helping schools in the Southeast,” Stenzel said in a press release. “These 39 salad bars will increase students’ fruit and vegetable consumption and provide healthier options at lunch.”

Publix Director of Media and Community Relations Maria Brous said the goal of the collaboration is to get children to develop a love for these healthful foods. “Foods that are colorful and fresh are tempting to the eyes and tastebuds. When children are exposed to fruits and vegetables from a salad bar, they are more likely to eat and enjoy them,” Brous said.

Did You Know?

824 salad bars have already been granted to schools across the country!

Boku unveils Matcha Green Tea with extraordinary nutritional profile; 500% more antioxidants than goji berries

From TruthDocs.com

(NaturalNews) The good news about the health benefits of green tea just keeps getting better, it seems. In just the last two years, we've published dozens of stories about green tea and its surprisingly wide range of health benefits (see below). And today, one of the most respected superfood companies in the health products industry has announced the launch of its own Boku Super Matcha Green Tea.

Full disclosure: This is an independent review. We have no financial ties to this product and receive no compensation from its purchase.

Boku Super Matcha Green Tea is a "whole leaf" premium green tea that's also 100%USDA organicand grown only in Japan. It is completely non-GMO (of course), grown entirely without pesticides, and is routinely tested to ensure no contamination with fluoride, radiation or heavy metals of any kind.

Read more about the history of Boku Green Tea here 

I was sent a sample of this product to try, and although I normally don't drink much tea, I found this blend to be extremely rich, full-bodied and even emotionally expanding / uplifting. It's no wonder this is a "ceremonial" blend, as the active phytochemicals in green tea are well known to positively impact mood and brain function (see below).

One word of caution: There is caffeine in all green tea. At first, I made the mistake of drinking this sample on an empty stomach and I received an unwanted caffeine surge (I don't normally drink any caffeine, so I'm very sensitive to it). I have since learned to blend it into my chocolate avocado smoothies where the caffeine is slowly released over roughly 6 hours.

Through March 15th, you can try Boku Super Matcha Green Tea at20% off, plus you'll get free shipping (continental USA only) when you also try another Boku food items such as their Super Food Bars, Boku Super Protein or Boku Super Food. There's no coupon code needed. Take advantage of this at BokuGreenTea.com

How is "Matcha" green tea different from common brewed green tea?

The different is like night and day. Here are some of the highlights:

• Gram for gram, Matcha Green Tea hasover 500% more antioxidants than goji berries. It is one of the highest ORAC-value superfoods known on the planet. It is also 1000% higher in antioxidants than pomegranates and blueberries.

• Matcha Green Tea has roughly 10 times the nutritional potency of brewed green tea. So that store-bought "green tea" beverage you previously tried is probably a mere shadow of what ceremonial green tea delivers in terms of nutrition.

• Matcha Green Tea is well known to boost mood, enhance concentration and improve cognitive function. This is part of the reason it has been used ceremonially throughout the Far East.

• Matcha Green Tea is very high in natural antioxidants that help prevent free radical cell damage. Match Green Tea is made using the "whole leaf" of the plant, so it's higher in chlorophyll, minerals and phytonutrients than teas made without using the whole leaf.

• Matcha Green Tea is a healthy replacement for coffee. Yes, it has caffeine in it, so it should always be used mindfully, but it has far higher nutritional potency than coffee while still delivering the mental focus people have come to expect from coffee.

• Matcha Green Tea is slowly stone-ground at very low temperatures. This helps leave its rich phytonutrients intact.

Take advantage of their 20% off discount through March 15th -- something they have offered exclusively to NaturalNews readers during the new launch of their product line. Their Matcha Green Tea is in stock and ready to ship atwww.BokuGreenTea.com

What does the scientific literature say about the health benefits of green tea?

Here at NaturalNews, we've published dozens of articles about the health benefits of green tea. The scientific literature just keeps pouring out.

Below, I've gathered a list of some of the most recent headlines on green tea for you to research on your own. As you browse these headlines, keep in mind the following:

• None of this research was conducted on Boku Matcha Green Tea. In fact, nearly all the green tea research I've seen was conducted usinglow-grade green teathat hardly even compares to the nutritional potency of Boku's green tea. So the results cited in the research below cannot be assumed to automatically apply to Boku's green tea.

• The following list is in no way intended to mean that Boku Matcha Green Tea is a cure for any disease or health condition mentioned below. Boku's green tea is a natural superfood, not a drug.