spiced rooibos chai tea

Making hot tea in my French Press

I have a new love! It's Davidson's Organic Spiced Rooibos Chai Tea 

If you like super spicy cinnamon tea, this one's for you. It is so spicy that it actually smells like potpourri when it's brewing!
I happened to find it on Amazon after a friend told me about their subscription program. If you go to the "subscribe and save" area of their grocery store, you can subscribe to different bulk grocery items and save 15% off the original price and get free shipping! No commitments if you decide to cancel the subscription. I have my subscription to this particular time set to deliver every 6 months but I have a feeling I'll be changing that to sooner due to it's popularity at our house.  I bought the 1 lb bag of the loose leaf tea and only paid $10.90 for it.  
Let's get back to the flavor though. It's quite intense with its tiny bits of pure organic cinnamon. Do you know the health benefits of cinnamon?

• Aids in weight loss
• Supports normal blood glucose levels
• Helps to nourish the circulatory and endocrine system
• Potent antimicrobial spice
• Helps to ease arthritic pain
• Builds your immune system
• Alleviates congestion 
• It has an anti clotting effect on the blood, thus eliminating the need for anti-clotting medications 
• In a study published by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Maryland, cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells
• One study found that smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory
• It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium

I found this health information about Rooibos (pronounced roy-boss) tea at Organic Facts:

"Health benefits of red rooibos tea include cure for nagging headaches, insomnia, asthma, eczema, bone strength, hypertension, allergy, aging and others. The tea is absolutely free from caffeine content and is also low in tannin. You can enjoy the relishing beverage all day long with no possible side effects. Drinking rooibos tea can further ease severe stomach cramps; bring relief to asthmatic and other similar conditions. It also boosts the immune system of human body.

Health benefits of red rooibos tea are abundant. This form of tea is popular due to its great taste, color and health benefits. Rooibos tea or red tea is a herbal medicinal beverage that is acquired from the Aspalathus linearis bushy plant that is found in South Africa. According to South African Rooibos Council, rooibos is not a true tea, but a herb. The fermented tea is red in color. Its medicinal attributes introduce a number of health benefits of red rooibos tea. The US Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC has affirmed that red rooibos tea is capable of reducing cancer, heart disease, aging and other setbacks.

Nutritional Value: Red rooibos tea has no oxalic acid and therefore, it can also be consumed by those people who have kidney stones. Rooibos tea is rich in many mineral contents such as iron, calcium, potassium, copper, fluoride, manganese, zinc, magnesium and alpha hydroxy.

Rooibos contains polyphenols that has anti-inflammatory, anti-viral and anti-mutagenic qualities

• No Caffeine: Rooibos tea is totally caffeine-free, therefore it is recommended by doctors for insomniacs. A cup of rooibos beverage just before going to bed can help you sleep better.

• Good for Bones: Red tea is rich in calcium, manganese and fluoride minerals that assist in good bone structure and stronger teeth.

• Infant Relief: It can be useful for little infants who suffer from colic or stomach pains. You may add some sweetened milk to the tea for added taste.

• Good for Skin: The alpha hydroxyl acid and zinc contents in red tea are best for skin. You can also try applying some red tea powder directly to the skin to relieve acne, pimples, sunburns or related skin conditions.

• Kidney Stones: Even people with stone problem can drink as much red rooibos tea as they want as there is no oxalic acid in the beverage.

• Hypertension: Rooibos tea is said to bring relief to stress, nervous tensions and hypertension conditions.

• Anti-spasmodic Agents: The tea is rich in anti-spasmodic agents, which eases severe stomach cramps and abdominal pains.

• Allergies: In many parts of South Africa, red tea is used as an effective curative to treat allergies like eczema, hay fever and allergic bronchitis.

• Slows Aging: The anti-oxidants present in rooibos tea slows down human aging process and also boost the immunity levels of human body.

Great Beverage: Red rooibos tea is an excellent thirst quencher and does wonders for active people such as sportsmen, hyper active children and constant travelers. Most people love to drink rooibos tea in its natural form without any sweeteners.

Rare Nutrients: Rooibos tea is said to contain rare nutrient contents such as Quercetin and Bioflavanoid that assists in good blood circulation and obstructs hemorrhaging."

You see, there are numerous health benefits to a morning cup of Spiced Rooibos Chai Tea! I brew mine in my French Press since I avoid coffee (for the most part) now. But, I've found there's no need for coffee after I add a little stevia and coconut milk to it the mixture. It tastes so aromatic...great for the senses. Why not give it a try?

This post is part of Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist

fermented cod liver oil: how do you take yours?

Green Pasture's Cinnamon Tingle Butter Oil/FCLO Blend Gel

Fermented Cod Liver Oil (FCLO) isn't the most tastiest supplement out there. As a matter of fact, if tasting not-so-good was a sign of how incredibly good it is for you, FCLO would fit the bill! I found a fun read on Google Books called 

Dictionary of Domestic Medicine and Household Surgery by Spencer Thomson.

It was written in 1852.  The link I provided is the part on Cod Liver Oil. Very interesting! 

If you want some very comprehensive information on the importance of adding FCLO to 

your diet, please read what the Weston A Price Foundation has written on the subject.

I've tried many "flavors" of FCLO...Liquorice Lips, Cinnamon Tingle, Mediterranean, Chocolate Cream gel, Plain, and Arctic Mint. To put it bluntly, they all basically taste like their flavor mixed with fish. And I'm not a fan of "fishy" tasting food. 

Recently, I obtained some Cinnamon Tingle flavored Butter Oil/FCLO blend gel and I'd have to say, this is the best one yet. There is no fishy taste but it is thick like butter which makes it a little more difficult to get down if you have weird texture issues with food. I've found the best way to get this one down is to take it with my morning cup of tea. My technique is simple...make the tea and let it cool a bit (I do this so I can drink it rather quickly after inserting the FCLO into my mouth).  Then, I take a baby spoon and get out the amount I need...I'm lactating so I'm supposed to take 2 teaspoons daily. I aim for at least a teaspoon + because FCLO isn't cheap. I take the spoon in my right hand and place to the tea in my left hand...insert spoon into my mouth quickly and let it sit on my tongue. Then I take a big sip of warm tea and let it melt the gel a bit and swallow. 

All done.  

Back when I took the liquid FCLO, I had a different technique. I would get a medicine syringe and syringe it into the back of my throat and chase it quickly with either warm tea or a kefir smoothie. There was "ickiness" for only about 3 seconds. Out of the liquid FCLO flavors, I tolerated enjoyed the Mediterranean flavor best. 

We have seven children and some will take it and some won't. I gave it to our 18 month-old recently and she spit it out - immediately. Our 3 year old can taste/smell it in anything I try to hide it in - and refuses it. Our 5 year old is the "pleaser" and will do most anything I tell her is "healthy". Her big question to me is always "Mommy, is this healthy?"...she's so cute. Anyway, she takes the FCLO with a syringe and chases it down with a cup of fresh raw milk. Our 7 year old won't even look at the bottle (picky eater anyway), our 9 year old will take it if she thinks she's getting sick or has been around someone who is sick...she too chases it with raw milk. Our 12 year old will only take it under the same circumstances as our 9 year old. Our 14 year old won't look at the bottle either! 

Soon, I plan to start rubbing the FCLO into our 18 month-old and 3 year old's feet to get it into them. 

What is your favorite FCLO flavor? Do you give it to your kids? How do you get it down? 

This entry has been posted as part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday