At Bigelow Tea, we stand proudly behind all that is green: green energy, the practice of Reuse-Reduce-Recycle, our 100% commitment to Sustainabili-TEA and, of course our amazing green tea!  Over the years, we’ve extolled the virtues of this wonderful antioxidant-filled elixir … but since November is National Diabetes Month we wanted to share via many studies exactly how regular consumption of green tea may be beneficial to diabetics (and to those who are at risk of becoming diabetic).

The American Diabetes Association defines diabetes as “a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin.”  The statistics are daunting: as of January 2011, nearly 26 million American adults and children suffer from diabetes (18.8 million diagnosed, 7 million undiagnosed).  This means that over 8 percent of the entire American population has diabetes in one form or another. Additionally, there are approximately 70 million Americans who are at risk.

As Americans, we need to become more proactive with our health. This may mean some lifestyle changes such as healthier eating habits, exercise, weight management, and stress reduction. And don’t forget a daily indulgence of that delicious libation, green tea! Studies have shown that the catechins(specifically epigallocatechin gallate/EGCG) found in green tea, help to significantly lower blood glucose levels by enhancing the body’s insulin function and inhibiting the absorption of glucose in the intestines.

And brimming with natural, aromatic scent and subtle flavors, green tea is an amazing tonic. One thing is for certain: you will never be bored with our Bigelow Green Teas.  We have a treasure trove of flavors to choose from, you may even want to try them all! Enjoy … and, stay healthy!

Image (top) via ihenshin.com

Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey have made gluten-free diets seem chic and healthy, but health experts caution against making such a fundamental change without medical consultation. Since November is Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month, health watchers here at Bigelow Tea would like to share some tips for making an informed choice about going gluten-free.

To be sure, the approximately one percent of the population diagnosed with celiac disease must follow a gluten-free diet to avoid such symptoms as gastrointestinal problems, fatigue and severe headaches. But many people who test negative for celiac are convinced that they, too, react adversely to gluten – found in wheat products, barley, rye and triticale. Doctors who once dismissed these claims now recognize that patients may have “gluten sensitivity,” though there are still unanswered questions about how this occurs.

Doctors still emphasize the importance of being tested for celiac before giving up gluten. The test for celiac is highly sensitive, but a person needs to be eating gluten for the test to detect antibodies for celiac disease.

For those who are symptom-free and would just like to lose weight or “cleanse” as Oprah did on a gluten-free diet in 2008, Dr. Stefano Guandalini, director of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, says beware of fads. “People think that gluten-free diets are more healthy,” he told WebMD. “This is, of course, not the case.” You may actually be depriving your body of important nutrients if foregoing gluten isn’t medically necessary.

If you do determine that going gluten-free is the right choice, one thing you won’t have to give up is Bigelow Tea!  With very few exceptions, most of our teas are naturally gluten-free. Just look for “gluten free” or “not gluten free” with the ingredients list on the box!

Image by Lori_NY via Flickr.com  

Whether you’re having a little midday gathering of friends and family, or you simply want a new twist on some great school lunch options for the kids, Bigelow Tea has you covered! We’ve cooked up some unique (and nourishing) sandwich suggestions that are delightfully tasty and easy to make. Here are a couple of these great recipes options. And of course to compliment these yummy treats, have a cup or two of your favorite Bigelow Tea! Enjoy!

Ham and Pear Sandwiches

Ingredients:

6 to 12 slices French bread or sourdough baguette
2 tablespoons honey mustard
½ pound thinly sliced baked ham
1 large ripe pear, thinly sliced
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Yield:   Makes 6 servings

Instructions:

Spread bread with mustard.
Top with ham, pear and crumbled blue cheese.
Close sandwiches with remaining bread or serve open face.

Rosemary Egg Salad Croissants

Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
½ cup grated radish (about 6 radishes)
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
6 mini croissants or other small rolls
Leaf lettuce

Yield:   Makes 6 servings

Instructions:

Combine chopped eggs, radish, mayonnaise and rosemary.
Season with salt and pepper. Split croissants.
Line bottom of croissants with lettuce.
Spread with filling.
Close sandwiches.

“Superfoods” are the heroes of the grocery store: nutrient-dense and minimally processed foods that have earned their stripes as potent defenders of our health. And the health watchers at Bigelow Tea have noticed that while lists of top superfoods can be somewhat subjective, tea always seems to make the cut!

Tea may seem like an unexpected addition to this category, which includes a wide range of fruits, veggies and other whole foods; after all we think of tea as a beverage, not a food. But when you consider what makes a food “super” – including being rich in antioxidants – both green and black teas are highly qualified! Although there’s no standard definition for these foods, the term has gained a lot of traction in recent years, promoting such previously unsung foods like blueberries, salmon and pomegranate, which are packed with natural vitamins and minerals.

While doctors and nutritionists advise against overhyping any single food or supplement as a “cure-all,” many recommend eating a wide range of superfoods to help maintain weight, prevent disease and prolong our health and lives. Nutritionally minded folks appreciate tea for its many reported health benefits, like the polyphenols, the powerful antioxidants that scavenge free radicals that can damage cells. Free radicals have been linked to heart disease and general aging of the body. Green tea gets extra attention for its high levels of ECGC, another powerful antioxidant that Bigelow Tea has mentioned often on our blog.

So when making your next grocery list, try adding a new leafy green or fruit to give your diet a boost, and of course make sure you have plenty of Bigelow Tea on hand! We can’t think of anything more “super” than starting the day with Constant Comment or unwinding in the evening with a soothing cup of Green Tea With Pomegranate!

Photo by 451Owaza, via Flickr.com

T might just be our favorite letter of the alphabet at Bigelow Tea… and today we’re going to talk aboutT cells. Why? Because research is showing that green tea may increase the body’s number of T cells! T cells are a type of white blood cell that helps a body’s immune system. Medicine.net defines them as “soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.” So the more of these guys, the better!

We’ve reported before that an amino acid found in tea, L-theanine, is said to boost the capacity of gamma delta T cells, the body’s first line of defense against infection. Now new research suggests that “a compound in green tea has a powerful ability to increase the number of ‘regulatory T cells’ that play a key role in immune function.”  The study, published in Immunology Letters, says that this increase in regulatory T cells “may be one of the underlying mechanisms for the health benefits of green tea, which has attracted wide interest for its ability to help control inflammation, improve immune function and prevent cancer.”

For those of us who love green tea, finding out about added health benefits really is icing on the cake! Now, as we sip our Jasmine Green or Green Tea Chai we feel optimistic that our army of T cells is nice and strong … and ready to keep us healthy!

Image by leojmelsrub via Flickr.com

September 24^th is Family Health and Fitness Day, and Bigelow Tea suggests that as a family you get outside and have fun as a family during the day and have dinner with your kids that night! We’ve all heard about the benefits of family dinners, which include everything from enhanced health and communication, to improved grades in school! So what better way to celebrate family wellness and health than by cooking something nutritious and eating it together?

Because Family Health and Fitness Day falls on a Saturday, there’s plenty of time for a day of active fun along with your culminating meal. The goal of the day is “to promote family involvement in physical activity, one of the goals of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health.” To that end, consider a bike ride or a walk as a family…or maybe you can visit a zoo, park or playground where walking, playing and family time come together. Whatever activity you choose, remember to make “fitness” fun. Instilling in young children a love of physical activity might just get them started on a lifetime of physical fitness.

And when it’s time for dinner, how about foregoing the fast food and French fries for something more wholesome? Bigelow Tea has a wealth of recipe ideas, including fresh veggies like acorn squash. And for a treat try Bigelow Tea’s fantastic Orange Spice Carrot Cupcakes!  Serve it all with some herbal tea selections, and you’ve got a nutritious, delicious family dinner!

There are many ways to celebrate Family Health and Fitness Day. Bigelow Tea hopes you find the time to enjoy your family, and to get active too! 

Image by Lee J Haywood, via Flickr.com

More than ever, grandparents are vital, active members of their families. No longer just Sunday dinner guests, today’s grandparents are helping teach their grandchildren sports, taking them on outings and even helping around the house! That’s why Bigelow Tea is proud to recognize Grandparents Day on Sunday September 11th!

The annual day to salute “Grandma” and “Grandpa” began in 1979, when, congress, by joint resolution “…authorized and requested the President to designate the first Sunday of September following Labor Day of each year as National Grandparents Day.” An excellent idea!

At Bigelow Tea we know first-hand that grandparents hold a special place in the hearts of their grandchildren, as we celebrate Cindi Bigelow’s grandmother, Ruth Campbell Bigelow. She thought tea drinkers would like a less astringent and more flavorful tea, and in the family kitchen created the Constant Comment blend. Bigelow Tea was on its way!

We hear regularly from our dedicated Bigelow Tea customers who remember sharing tea with their grandparents. One story, from Heidi Prom, made our hearts swell:

We would skate our hearts out for my grandpa, and when we were done we got to race back to my grandma’s car and get warm. We couldn’t wait! My grandma would be waiting in there, snug and warm and tell us how proud she was of us. Then she would get out her red plaid thermos and pour us a cup of “her” tea. It was so sweet and so warm and went through us like a warm, wonderful blanket. Except this was a warm blanket of love from her, like her outstretched arms to keep us from shivering.

The tea? Well, it was Constant Comment!

This September, we encourage all tea lovers out there to brew a pot of tea and share it with a loving grandparent. Nothing is better than spending time together making memories and sipping a cup of hot tea.

Image by Joe Shlabotnik via Flickr.com

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and Bigelow Tea continues to learn and share more about this potentially deadly disease which is of particular concern to men over 40. We’ve all heard the statistics; the Prostate Cancer Foundation tells us that it’s the most common non-skin cancer in America, and it’s the second leading cause of cancer death in American men (second to lung cancer). The American Cancer Society estimates that about 240,890 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year and that about 33,720 men will die of prostate cancer in 2011.

These are distressing statistics, but scientists are also discovering good news about early prevention and treatment of this disease. Much of the scientific research has revolved around elements found in tea that may provide a positive effect on prostate cancer. For instance,  studies have shown that antioxidants that naturally occur in green tea (and also found in blueberries and pomegranates,  some of the ingredients in tea blends we’ve created at Bigelow Tea!) are reported to help neutralize the free radicals that are linked to the development of cancer.

These potent antioxidants provide medicinal powers that boast an array of health-promoting properties. Antioxidants can destroy certain bacteria and viruses, enhance our immune system, and combat several cancers – including prostate cancer, providing substantial free radical scavenging activity. They may even protect cells from DNA damage.

The steady stream of good news and potential benefits is hard to ignore. So this September Bigelow Tea takes a positive outlook, encouraging all our tea drinking fans to step up their awareness in combating this disease. And also a friendly reminder too: men, see you doctor for that check-up!

Image by Like_the_Grand_ Canyon, via Flickr.com

As you may have surmised by now, green tea is one of our favorite tea varieties here at Bigelow Tea. Not only does green tea contain healthy antioxidants and an average of only 25-50 mg caffeine per serving, but at Bigelow Tea it comes in so many delightfully delicious flavors like Mango and Constant Comment! That’s why we couldn’t stop smiling when we read recently that the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported: “drinking green can lower serum levels of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.”

The researchers found that green tea consumption was associated with “significant[ly] lower mean (average) concentrations of total and LDL cholesterol, respectively, compared with controls.” A total of 1136 individuals were included in the study, and follow-up periods ranged from 3 weeks to 3 months. The study also stated: “These results suggest that green tea may be incorporated into a targeted dietary program as part of public health policy to improve [cardiovascular] health.”

Many of us struggle with high cholesterol, and it’s exciting to see studies finding that the elements in green tea could have an impact on this serious health concern—and on cardiovascular health in general. We hope you’ll make green tea a part of your healthy lifestyle too. So, what are you waiting for? Brew up a cup of your favorite flavor and enjoy it with a low-fat breakfast before your morning walk. Your body will thank you!

Image by sigusr0 via Flickr.com