Image by raleighwoman via Flickr

Researchers have long known that the foods you eat during your premenstrual cycle can influence PMS, but with recent studies they now have a better idea of what foods will alleviate the symptoms of PMS, and here are the top eight best foods to even out those mood swings.

Studies have revealed taking double the amount of calcium found in the typical American diet, can relieve menstrual pain, water retention and mood swings, especially when taken with magnesium. It’s common for women to crave carbohydrates during the premenstrual phase of their monthly cycle. A study done at MIT and a British study both show that consuming carbohydrates every few hours during this phase of the menstrual cycle makes a significant difference in combating PMS mood swings, as well as other symptoms.

The Top 8 Foods For Alleviating PMS Mood Swings:

1. Greens: such as kale, bok choy and collard greens are very high in calcium. They can be used in a stir-fry, steamed, or finely chopped and added to salads, or freshly squeezed juice.
2. Sesame seeds: are very high in both calcium and magnesium. They can be lightly toasted and sprinkled over salads, stir-fries, and steamed vegetables. Ground sesame paste, known as tahini is delicious in salad dressings, hummus, and as a spread or dip. Adding a couple tablespoons of tahini to smoothies gives them a rich, creamy texture.
3. Milk and dairy products: it’s not surprising that dairy products top the list of food sources of calcium. Whole milk, fruit yogurt and cheese are all good sources of calcium. With Edam cheese having the most calcium per weight, followed closely by Cheddar cheese.
4. Steamed tofu: is high in calcium and omega 3 fatty acids. It’s delicious added to soup or broth, or eaten on it’s own with a dash of shoyu (soy sauce).
5. Sardines in oil: are high in calcium and magnesium, and extremely high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. The healthiest sardines are the ones packed in their own oil, which helps your body to absorb the calcium, but they can be hard to find. The second best choice is those packed in olive oil. Avoid sardines packed in vegetable oil, it’s highly processed and high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. You may also be able to find sardines packed in tomato sauce, which is also preferable to vegetable oil. Sardines make a great food to travel with, or to keep at the office because they come in convenient tins that are easy to store.
6. Dried figs: are high in calcium and magnesium, as well as fiber. They are great as a snack to stave off sugar cravings. Or serve them on fruit and cheese platters, along with bread and crackers as a complete PMS-busting appetizer.
7. Swiss muesli: can be bought ready-made, but it’s also quick and easy to make your own, adding your favorite ingredients in the amounts you like. Serve with yogurt or milk. You can make it up the night before, add the yogurt or milk and leave it to sit overnight to soften the oats, nuts and dried fruit if you prefer a creamier, softer texture. In wintertime, or any time you want something warmer, add a couple handfuls of muesli to a wide-mouth thermos. Then add enough boiling water to cover. You may want to add extra hot water if you want a porridge-like consistency. Leave overnight, the muesli will still be warm in the morning just add milk or yogurt to taste.
8. Carbohydrates: studies have found that eating carbohydrates every 3 hours during the premenstrual cycle can significantly improve mood. Carbohydrates include the starchy carbs such as bread, pasta, potatoes, oats, rice. One study on the effects of carbohydrates on PMS symptoms included sweet carbs in addition to the starchy carbohydrates. It found that all the carbohydrates, including desserts, candy and chocolate, helped women to recover from PMS symptoms within an hour of consuming the carbohydrates.

If you are vegan, a good way to get many of these foods in your diet quickly and easily is to drink a green smoothie every day. I like to have mine first thing in the morning. Use one of the smoothie recipes on this site and add greens, dried figs for sweetness (soak them first, you can soak overnight and put the water and figs into the smoothie) and ground raw sesame seeds (a coffee grinder works well to grind the seeds) will make your smoothie thicker and creamier. Swiss muesli can be made with nut milk instead of dairy milk, especially sesame seed milk.

So during the premenstrual phase of your next monthly cycle, try catering to your carbohydrate and sweet cravings, eat ample amounts of the high-calcium foods and see if it doesn’t help with your mood swings and make life a little easier for you and everyone around you.

Honeybees at work making honey

Here in New Zealand we have a secret, it’s called Manuka honey and it can heal our bodies both externally and internally, but thats not all, some honey when tested in the lab has been found to contain a second unique healing factor which enhances the uniqueness of this wonderful natural healing nectar.

Manuka honey is a ‘mono-floral’ honey, meaning it’s made predominately from one flower, in this case it’s made from the delicate small flowers of the Manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium) or Tea tree as some call it . Native to the shores of New Zealand, its a pretty low growing tree which has an abundance of tiny white or pink flowers in summer, and it’s wood is highly prized for its aroma and is used in wood fired pizza ovens or in the smoking of many food items, but it’s the nectar we are interested in today.

Two Types of Manuka honey

According to New Zealand scientists, there are two types of Manuka honey; one is an ‘ordinary’ Manuka honey which contains a natural hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property, this is not unique to Manuka honey, it’s found in most honeys.

The second type is the special ‘active’ Manuka honey which contains a natural non-hydrogen peroxide antibacterial property, the scientists call this UMF, translated as the Unique Manuka Factor. The difference in the two honeys cannot be determined by taste, texture or color, to determine if the honey is active requires clinical testing and then the activeness’ is rated.

Different strengths of ‘Active’ UMF

There are different ‘degrees’ of UMF activity and this is rated on a numbered scale:
0-4 UMF is not detected and therefore jut ‘honey’
4-10 UMF is present in a ‘maintenance’ level only, so good for when all healing os completed and just tops up the bodies levels
10-15 UMF is present in ‘healing’ amounts
15+ UMF is present in super healing amounts and can be used to fight active bacterial infections or correct health issues, like stomach ulcers etc.

What makes ‘Active’ Manuka honey special?

UMF, is a special property which inhibits the growth of certain ‘resistant’ bacteria’s, the most common being helicobacter pylori which is responsible for stomach ulcers, staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus pyogenes both bacteria’s cause nasty throat infections.

The UMF property in active manuka honey has been found to fight these otherwise resistant bacteria’s with excellent results, the reason being it is resistant to heat and is slower to be broken down by the internal working of our bodies, therefore able to put up a stronger fight.

Specific Uses for Active Manuka honey

A spoonful of active manuka honey daily is a good overall health tonic, but sometimes it can be used on specific problems and reduces the need for a ‘chemical’ ‘pharmaceutical’ antibiotic.

Stomach Ulcers:
Research has shown that active manuka honey inhibits the growth and kills off the helicobacter pylori bacteria which are commonly responsible for stomach ulcers. The ‘normal’ honey with hydrogen peroxide properties was not effective in this case.

Wounds, burns and many skin irritation complaints:
Because of it’s increased anti bacterial qualities, active Manuka honey can be used directly on the surface of the skin to treat many skin conditions like acne or eczema which are often created by skin flora bacteria.

It is also extremely effective in the treatment of a variety of open wounds, like burns, boils. It’s used extensively in the Health profession for treating infected leg ulcers, often infected with resistant bacteria’s like staphylococcus aureus or pseudomonas aeruginosa which have not been controlled with ‘pharmaceutical’ antibiotics.

I personally cannot think of a nicer way to heal my body, internally or externally than the natural aromatic active Manuka honey.

Suzi Franks, a former ER Nurse with over 15 years experience is now a healer of The Earth. I have now dedicated my life to tending my piece of paradise and returning the chemical torn landscape back to its former glory with lovingly applied organic principles and tender loving care. I am on a quest to help share my knowledge of organic vegetable growing, so you and others may feel the goodness of Mother Nature and eat her bountiful gifts.

Click here to read more articles by Suzi Franks

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Simply Raw and Raw For Life

You may have noticed that many of my recipes are raw food recipes. If you’re really serious about eating healthy, I believe this is the way to go. I notice the tremendous difference in my own body when I’m eating healthy raw and living foods compared to when I’m eating healthy cooked food.

Back in the 1980s I went raw. I was hired as a chef in a vegetarian restaurant that also featured raw food. It was my first introduction to raw and living food, and it was great being able to try everything. But because I was also making cooked food, and I’m good with creating new recipes, but I have to try it as I go along I was also eating cooked food.

Later, after I left that job and was working to set up a deli in a large health food shop, I ended up going raw without even realizing it at first. I was living in Florida at the time. I had a champion juicer, which I loved and I made fresh fruit and vegetable juice and fruit ice creams daily. At work I’d have a huge heaping plate of raw salads from the deli, usually with a big piece of marinated tempeh. Of course, Florida has just great fruit, and young coconuts were easy to find and inexpensive. So most of what I ate in a day was raw. And an amazing thing happened. My body never did really well in really hot (or cold) climates, and in Florida I’d get exhausted easily in the heat, I would avoid going outside for long in the middle of day because it was just too much for me. All my life I had always felt like I didn’t have enough energy. But a couple of weeks after falling into this mostly raw diet I started running on my lunch break. I’d come back dripping with sweat, but feeling great and full of energy. It was the hotest time of day and it didn’t even phase me! I’d spend the rest of my break eating my huge salad. I found I didn’t need as much sleep, yet my mind was clear and I felt really rested. I realized I never smelled bad, even when I was sweating profusely, and I didn’t have bad breath, even first thing in the morning. I had more energy than I could use, for the first time in my life. When it finally hit me that I was eating a mostly raw food diet, I realized that was responsible for all the positive changes I noticed and why I felt so great all the time.

Sunday, April 25th is Reversing Diabetes Action Day. Health experts will come together to spread accurate and effective information on how to reverse diabetes. In honor of this day the team behind the film “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days” is giving away their film for an amazing 50% OFF the regular price. You can get it here.

If you haven’t yet seen this film, I can tell you it’s totally inspirational. We are told that diabetes is incurable. One of my favorite parts of the film is when Dr Gabriel Cousens is talking to the participants shortly after they arrive, and he says, “for me, diabetes is really easy to cure.” How often have we heard that? But it’s true, as he goes on to prove it – both type 2 and type 1 diabetes. I was amazed at how quickly the participants were able to come off their insulin.

The film also features the actor Woody Harrelson, peak performance coach Tony Robbins, Rev. Michael Beckwith from “The Secret,” Morgan Spurlock from “Super Size Me,” Dr. Gabriel Cousens and David Wolfe, Dr Fred Bisci who’s a pioneer in the field of health and nutrition and an absolute hero of mine, and more. This is definitely a film worth watching. Even if you don’t have diabetes (I don’t, and I’m so glad I saw this film).

You can also get the companion 2-DVD set to “Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30
Days” for 50% OFF which is totally worth getting. In fact, even if you don’t have diabetes and aren’t interested in watching Simply Raw, this 2-DVD set called “Raw For Life”. The “Raw For Life” DVDs have lots more information about how to raw, and the benefits, as well as guest spots with many raw food chefs showing how to make some of their favorite recipes. This is the set that I’ll watch again and again. It’s a great resource if you are interested in eating a raw food diet.

Whether you’re in perfect health or suffering with diabetes or any other health issue I highly recommend you watch both “Simply Raw” and “Raw For Life”.  It’s a powerful, emotional and educational film that is a must see for anyone who cares about their health. You can watch the trailer and read about what the Simply Raw team is doing here.

Diabetes is a pandemic situation with over 246 million people suffering worldwide.  If you or anyone you know is dealing with diabetes make sure that they watch this film.  It just may save their life…

The 50% OFF is a ridiculously low price for the film. Plus they’ve added so many great bonus products to it that it’s just a must-have if you’re really interested in healthy eating. Check it out:

“Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days” and “Raw For Life” 50% OFF  only from April 25th (Sunday) to April 30th (Friday).

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Food Matters: The Must-See Movie that may save your life

Sometimes I feel that it would be infinitely easier to pretend that our world’s healthcare problems do not exist. It would be bliss to trust that our food industry operates with the public’s best interests at heart and that the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry are committed to human health. I suspect however that you already realize that this is currently a fairy tale dream. Or perhaps you’re like many others and understandably feel confronted by criticism of these paradigms. Whatever the case may be, James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch have learnt the hard way.

In 2003, James’ father experienced a severe health crisis. After decades of working in stressful conditions and consuming a typical western diet, Roy Colquhoun’s body completely shut down. Bedridden for months with depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety and severe flu-like symptoms, Roy sought the best medical care available. Psychiatrists and medical specialists recommended a myriad of drugs that did nothing to alleviate Roy’s physical ailments and, Roy asserts, actually worsened his mental condition.“My life was a psychotic daze and spiraling downward out of control,” Roy recalls. “Ultimately, this lead to my psychiatrist admitting me to a specialist psychiatric hospital for a period of thirty days. This hospitalization did not help and all that was achieved was a change in the ingredients of my cocktail of prescription medication… Feelings of hopelessness started to predominate my life. Suicide was becoming a frightening and very real option.”

As a professional businessman with obstinate faith in conventional practices, Roy was initially very unreceptive when James and Laurentine encouraged him to read about the natural health methods they were learning about. Roy explains his attitude at the time was, “If the best of the medical profession could not help me, how could my son and daughter-in-law with their nutrition and vitamin-based approach help?”

James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch producers of Food Matters

James and Laurentine understood that it would take powerful measures to shock Roy into kicking his dangerous pharmaceutical drug habit. After realizing that he wasn’t reading the books that they sent him, the duo set off around the world interviewing experienced doctors, researchers, naturopaths and journalists. Their reasoning was that if Roy wouldn’t read the books then maybe he would listen to these experts on DVD.

“They arrived on my doorstep and I was told they were not leaving until I recovered,” Roy remembers. Seeing the filmed footage of all these experts clearly had its desired effect. “After five years on heavy doses of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, anxiety medication and sleeping tablets, I started taking therapeutic doses of vitamins and minerals and within a week had withdrawn from all prescription medication.” Also, with some not-so-gentle persuasion according to Roy, “I was ordered onto a ten day detox, eating only raw food and no alcohol and continuing on a special cleansing diet thereafter.”

The results? Nothing short of spectacular. Roy suffered none of the serious drug withdrawal side-effects cautioned by the medical profession. Today, he is disease-free, drug-free, twenty kilograms lighter, running twice a week and enjoying a happy retirement. Roy’s return to health was incredibly inspiring evidence of the power of nutritional therapy. “What we learned throughout this journey was so astounding that we wanted to share it with others, and so Food Matters the documentary was born,” James explains with his characteristic passion.

The beauty of Food Matters is that its message has ubiquitous relevance – not only to those who are as sick as James’s father was but also to those looking to prevent illness in their lives but who seem to have become bewildered by the often contradicting health information available to them. With raw honesty, Food Matters cuts through this confusion to reveal how a poor diet coupled with a pill-popping dependency serves the longevity of big business – but not you. In the words of featured nutritional therapy expert Dr. Andrew Saul, “Good health makes a lot of sense, but it doesn’t make a lot of dollars”.

“We’re not suggesting that pharmaceutical drugs don’t have their place, we’re suggesting that our overburdened healthcare practitioners perhaps do not have the time to educate people about nutrition and healthy living,” James points out. “Food Matters was created to help fill that void”.

Food Matters available on DVD

Experts such as Charlotte Gerson explain that the human body is self-curative when it functions in good health. She is adamant that “a normal healthy body can not and will not develop cancer or any other illness for that matter”. Conversely, when our innate healing systems become damaged by an un-natural diet and a toxic environment, disease manifests. Whilst drugs have their place in medical emergencies, chronic use merely masks the symptoms of disease and impedes profound healing.

The journey to good health can sometimes feel too overwhelming to start. Part of the magic of Food Matters is that it is an entertaining and solution-oriented springboard for taking your first step toward feeling good. Food Matters does not involve hours of lecturing scientists or extremist New Age diet ideas. It’s just eighty minutes of powerful common-sense, practical solutions to our current health crisis.

It is very seductive to pretend that our current healthcare problems do not exist. What I’m beginning to realize is that I may never be able to change the way people eat but I can do my very best today to make choices that serve my body and our planet. Food Matters delivers the message that only you are capable of transcending the madness of our current ‘sickcare industry’ and reclaiming the vibrant health that is rightfully yours.

Visit the official Food Matters website to watch the trailer to the movie and discover for yourself why this film managed to gain such strong momentum worldwide and sparked a revolution in natural healthcare solutions.

written by Kali Gray

Cooking Lentils

Lentils are a healthy and versatile food. They are also inexpensive, making them a great staple for anyone interested in healthy, frugal living. They are probably the fastest cooking of all the legume family, and they don’t require soaking making their preparation faster still. They are nutritious too. Rich in antioxidants, selenium, and B vitamins, all of  which boost the immune system. Like the other pulses, they contain anti-carcinogenic phytochemicals. They are also packed with protein, high in iron and folate and very high in fiber, which is good for your digestive and heart health.

Lentils come in a variety of types, usually described by the color. Red lentils are by far the fastest cooking and are often used in Indian cuisine. However the green and brown varieties of lentils are more nutritious than than red variety.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils
2 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 teas sea salt (to taste)

Instructions:

Rinse the lentils under running water and pick through them to remove any bits of soil or rocks. Add lentils and water to a saucepan (with a lid) and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and cover to let the lentils simmer, but leave the lid ajar a bit so that they don’t boil over. Check on them occasionally to make sure the water has not boiled down below the level of the lentils and add more as needed. When the lentils are tender and can easily be mashed with a fork, they are done. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes for them to cook (older lentils take longer to cook, so it’s best to just test them to decide when they are ready), or 20 minutes if using the split red lentils. Add salt in about the last 15 minutes of cooking time, so when you think the lentils are starting to get soft. Cooking often neutralizes the taste of the salt, so if you add it at the start you end up having to add more salt to get the same flavor.

When they are finished cooking, take the saucepan off the heat and cover tightly with the lid. Leave to sit for 5-10 minutes. The lentils will absorb more of the water making them juicier and more tender. It’s not essential to do this, but I really like the way they turn out when I do.

Makes about 4 cups cooked lentils.

Variations:

• Add some diced potatoes or sweet potatoes, they will cook in the same time it takes the lentils to cook. You’ll probably need to add more water to compensate for what the potatoes will absorb, but you can add it as needed while it’s cooking.
• Add spices in addition to the salt. Curry powder, ground cumin, garlic, cayenne or chili powder, and cilantro all go really nicely with lentils.

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It’s called a Walking Gratitude Meditation, but you don’t have to be walking, just moving in some way.
Read the full article: Regain Inner Peace When You’re Busy: Walking Gratitude Meditation

Ingredients:
1-2 teaspoons raw, unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
1 glass water

Instructions:

Apple Cider Vinegar Drinks

Mix 1-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. Take 3 times daily, before or during meals.

It’s not hard to make your own apple cider vinegar from either cores and peels or whole apples, check out the homemade cider vinegar recipe to see how easy it is.

If you’re using store-bought ACV be sure to get one that’s organic, unfiltered, and unpasteurized in order to get the most benefit from it. Bragg’s make a really good quality cider vinegar. It’s the next best thing to your own homemade cider vinegar . It’s called Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar Raw, Organic, Unfiltered, with the ‘mother’. You can order it online in 16 fl oz size and 32 fl oz size. If it’s your first order with them use the discount code WEZ300 to get a bit of a discount off their already great prices.

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Dried Quinoa

Quinoa is an ancient food that has been cultivated in the Andes mountains for at least 5,000 years. While it has been well-known in South America, it was virtually unheard of in North America until the 1980s. Considered sacred by the Incans, now it’s hailed as a ‘super food’, and has been classified as a ‘super crop’ by the United Nations because of it’s high protein content.

Pronounced KEEN-wah, quinoa is often thought of as a grain, and in fact it is often used in the same manner as many grains, but technically it’s a pseudocereal, a seed. The quinoa plant also produces nutritious edible greens as well as seeds, but the greens are not as commonly available as the seed. The seed can be cooked and used like you would rice, barley or couscous. It also comes as a flour, for baking, and can be sprouted.

Benefits of Quinoa

The amazing thing about quinoa is that it’s very high in protein and contains all 9 essential amino acids. Besides being 15-18% protein, quinoa is also high in calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins E and B, and contains a good amount of all-important fiber too.

Because of it’s high protein and complete amino acid makeup, quinoa should be considered a staple in any vegan’s or vegetarian’s diet, but you don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it. It’s so high in protein that only half a cup will fulfill a child’s protein requirements.. It’s extremely versatile, being used in both sweet and savory dishes, puffed, rolled, and ground into a flour. The real clincher though, is that it tastes great too.

Quinoa is high in saponins, which have been found to have anti-cancer properties. Saponins block the development of cancer and boost the immune system. Saponins, also found in chickpeas and responsible for the layer of foam that appears on the top of the water during boiling, produce a bitter taste. The taste discourages birds and insects from from eating the seed – it’s the plant’s natural defense. Despite their anti-cancer benefits, saponins can be mildly toxic in large quantities. Even though most quinoa sold commercially has been processed to remove most of the saponins, it’s a good idea to rinse well before cooking.

How do you cook quinoa?

Cooked Quinoa

Quinoa is easy to cook, and it takes only 15 minutes. You need 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dried quinoa.

Put the quinoa in a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly under running water. Put 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water and a dash of sea salt into a saucepan. Bring to a boil on high heat then turn down to simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes. If there is excess water in the bottom of the saucepan, remove lid and continue to cook for another minute or so until it evaporates.

How To Use Quinoa

The cooked quinoa can now be used in savory dishes as you would use use rice or couscous. Added to bread dough or pancake batter it boosts the protein content and adds a nice texture. Or you could add dried fruit, honey, milk and cinnamon for a sweet breakfast porridge.

No matter how you use it you’ll find quinoa as delicious as it is nutritious.

Where To Buy Quinoa

You can Buy Organic Quinoa here for reasonable prices.

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Rooibos (Caffeine Free)

Rooibos Tea also known as Red Bush Tea is not a true tea but a herb which is indigenous to South Africa. Due to its widely publicized health benefits, including it’s anti-aging effects, it has grown into a billion dollar export industry since the mid twentieth century.

Rooibos tea has no caffeine and only half the tannin of ordinary tea. Apart from being refreshing to drink, in place of ordinary tea and coffee, it has the advantage of containing minerals and powerful antioxidants. Having no oxalic acid it also does not irritate the kidneys.

The Japanese scientists, who did studies in the 1960s, discovered Rooibos contains a powerful antioxidant similar to SOD which is thought to retard aging and quercetin which is believed to have potent anti-inflammatory properties. Besides that Rooibos is also found to contain aspalathin which counteracts the atherosclerotic processes that result in heart disease. Due to this the Japanese promote it as an Anti-Aging Tea and import large quantities of the tea.

Research was done elsewhere where the French found that hair lotion containing Rooibos promoted faster hair growth with improvement in the hair condition and caused no allergic reactions. In South Africa research found that the polyphenol content in Rooibos is similar to green tea. Polyphenols help protect the body from damage by free radicals.

Rooibos has been found to be helpful with general health problems. It relieves digestive problems, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and constipation. Having a calming effect it helps with irritability, insomnia and depression.

Both pre natal and breast feeding Mothers supplement their intake of manganese, calcium and fluoride drinking Rooibos and therefore promote strong teeth and healthy bones in their babies. Rooibos, when applied at every nappy change, relieves nappy rash and when drunk by the baby relieves colic.

Preparation of Rooibos is the same as ordinary tea. First warm the tea pot with boiling water and then place one teaspoon of tea or tea bag per cup required in the pot. Pour over boiling water and let infuse for a few minutes. The longer it is left before drinking the more antioxidants the tea will contain. Can be served plain, with hot or cold milk or lemon. It can be lightly sweetened with honey or sugar or just left without any sweetening. Rooibos also makes a wonderful ice tea.

In South Africa Rooibos Tea is often used in day to day cooking as not only does it add important minerals and antioxidants to the diet and help digestion, it also enhances the flavors of the cooking. Just replace the water in a recipe with the tea.

Related products you might be interested in:

• Rooibos (Caffeine Free)
• Rooibos Chai (Caffeine Free)