My Cup of Tea & Two Reviews

Hello Friends! I hope you all are having a wonderful day! 

I want to take you on a adventure...I want your imaginations to run wild. I'd say close your eyes, but that would make reading this a bit challenging. ;-) So...the adventure will be to imagine you are me. Sounds funny, huh? Picture for a moment you are in the middle of a fun, but hectic morning-a high energy day to say the least. Life is busy, lots of noise, lots of laughter, maybe a few screams as one child pulls their sibling's hair ;-(. Can one really refer to a day with kids as anything but 'high energy'? 

I wouldn't change anything for the world. I am beyond blessed...much more than I deserve. God has blessed me and I am forever grateful! There are some days, mid-day..after feeding the kids lunch, reading them their afternoon stories, and getting them situated for their quiet/nap times that I simply crash..Wow, and it's only 1:00 in the afternoon?? Whoa! So, it's those moments when I need to unwind and momentarily put my feet up (if it be for only 5 minutes).

Enter onto the scene- a nice cup of tea. 

I have never been into drinking coffee.it's just never been my 'cup of tea'. ;-) I've somewhat just recently discovered green tea. I love it now. It is a delicious tea with loads of healthy antioxidants. It also has just enough "pick me up energy" aka caffeine to make me happy.

On the topic of caffeine- being what I know about caffeine and how caffeine isn't really all that healthy for me in the first place, I keep my consumption of it low. I try to drink no more than a cup a day. Really that is all I want. I believe that a cup should easily give me a healthy dose of antioxidants as well as be a treat for when I need a 'mama break'.

So, what about tannins in teas? I've read somewhere (sorry source is fleeting my brain right now) where that there are some who drink several (maybe up to ten) cups a day of green tea. The reason this is so shocking for me is that many suffer from anemia., me being one of them. ;-( I rarely read about tannins and teas on other healthy living blogs (though, that's not to say it isn't there..I may not be coming across it). Tannins make it difficult for the body to absorb iron. So, that's another reason I keep my consumption of it low..after having had two babies my menstrual flow can be heavy (aka anemia city)...sorry, was that too much info? hahaha! I make sure to drink my daily cup at least a couple hours before or after a meal, and I also try not to drink it daily during while I'm on my period. Anyone else deal with a similar issue? Oh how I wish even good things didn't come with side effects! ;-(

Maybe the ones drinking lots of green tea knows something I do not (quite possibly). I'd love to know their secret! Although, I honestly prefer to drink good ole' water throughout the day, with just a cup of tea for a healthy boost...I'm still curious what the secret is. ;-)

So, lately I've been experimenting (after a friend's recommendation) that I give yerba mate tea a try. It has fewer tannins than green tea, which is a plus for me. So, combine that suggestion with the gracious sample box I received to review from Mate Factor, I embarked on a a new tea experience. 

The flavor is outstanding! It is also quite energizing, but in a different way than what I experience with green tea. The energy and focus lasts much longer and with no jittery feelings (though, I never get jittery with green tea). I also love how it is very high in antioxidants..4 to 6 times higher than green tea. Good to know!

Oh, one thing I've recently learned is that studies are showing a correlation between drinking teas hot and various types of throat and mouth cancers..so, I'm careful to let mine cool a bit. I prefer to keep my taste buds free of burns anyhow, so this works out great! ;-) Call me weird, but I like being able to taste my food. Good for you to know? ;-) 

So, lately I've been enjoying the yerba mate with some NuNaturals NuStevia White Stevia Powder. I received the pictured box from the fabulous folks at NuNaturals to review and it has proven to be a wonderfully sweet partner with my yerba mate tea! Score! A match made in heaven! This is wonderful stevia powder and the the little packets aren't just cute, the stevia inside is delish...never bitter, which is a huge plus! Also, you don't have to worry about spikes in blood sugar. They also sent me a fabulous packet of recipes that I have been working on...pictures to come. I am also experimenting with recipes using stevia. Yep, those to come soon, too!

So, this afternoon's tea time proved to be a wonderfully relaxing, yet energizing one thanks to my two new friends...Mate Factor yerba mate tea and NuNaturals NuStevia Stevia. Just what a mother needs to unwind...okay, I will stop the commercial tones. I like them. Enough said.

So, what's your favorite kind of tea? Any info you want to share on tannins and anemia? Do you like your tea with stevia?

Disclosure: The companies mentioned above sent me products to sample and review on my blog. I received no monetary compensation for the review. All opinions expressed within this review are solely my own.