Could drinking tea really help you lose weight?

Wu-Long is a Chinese slimming tea new to the market. With a slogan of 'Melts away fat like magic' it grabs the attention of anyone trying to get rid of those stubborn inches around the waistline. By replacing your regular high calorie beverages each day with Wu-Long tea, 37 scientific studies published within the last several months show the nutrients in it may help 'melt way body fat; clarify skin, help fight signs of aging and strengthen your mind and immune system. The tea works on the basis of dissolving fat.The leaves contain poly phenol, this activates the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving triglyceride. Triglyceride is a type of fat contained in the body and an accumulation causes weight gain.
The cultivation of Wu-Long tea requires skill and outstanding craftsmanship. The leaves are harvested and then nourished by the sun. Then they are dried indoors to promote fermentation. The most crucial step in the production of Wu-Long tea is hen to stop fermentation. It takes great skill to determine when this time is, which is when the leaves are 30% red and 70% green. After this they are rubbed repeatedly to generate ideal flavour, aroma and texture. Then they are dried using charcoal and graded by a tea master. The easiest way to find Wu-Long tea is over the Internet. There are several websites of which it is hard to determine which are genuine, each are as convincing as the net but i preferred http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif. This gives the reader information about the tea and also numerous success stories of weight loss. The website is well designed and hard to resist. Jumping of the screen is what can only be described as pure propaganda- success stories,celerity followers such a Oprah Winfrey and being promoted in numerous best selling magazines. It offers special promotions when u buy online which include buy 6, get 6 free, encouraging you to buy in bulk because there is a limited supply of the product. A free tea infuser gift and a money back guarantee in writing is also part of the package. All this propaganda unfortunately lured me in and before i knew it i was entering my credit card details and checking the post daily. For £22 lets hope its my fat melting away and not just my bank balance.

The beauty of botox...

These days nipping out of the office to get a botox injection is getting as common as meeting the girls for lunch. Its chemical name is Botulimun toxin and it is one of the most poisonous naturally occuring sustances in the world. However, used in small doses it is used to treat painful muscle spasms and is one of the most popular cosmetic treatments in the world. It was discovered in 1944 and developed as a cosmetic treatment in 2002. It is used to soften the appearance of lines on the face. This is done by a quick 10-minute, non medical process involving a few tiny injections. Results show within a few days but it is for a limited duration. It varies from person to person and some results can last as short as 6 weeks or as long as 8 months. It is approved to perform on people aged 18-65. Side effects are rare if the procedure is carried out properly, however the most common are paralysis of the wrong muscle group, bruising and allregic reactions. In some cases though a loss of expression can occur where we see people looking a bit startled! Prices vary from about £200 upwards. Celebrities go crazy over botox with women like Sharon Osbourne, Cindy Crawford and Kylie Minogue admitting to getting injections regularly. Botox is something I would consider when I am older. It is a relatively new procedure so I think it will be interesting in the next couple of years to see if there is actually any long term effects discovered and it is something that I would do a lot of research into before going ahead with the procedure. I think a few wrinkles gives the face character but if my face was going to look like a cracked pavement at 55 then book me in now!

Edamame Beans

The edamame bean is the latest superfood to attract the attention of the media. Edamame means ‘beans on branches’ and are infact just a type of green soyabean picked before they ripen. They look like a cross between a broad bean and a pea. In recent times they have been given a fashionable makeover with stars like Cheryl Cole, Victoria Beckham and Gwenyth Paltrow snacking on them during the day in order to maintain their tiny waists.
The beans orginated in China as a major source of protein since about 200 BC. The beans are highly nutritious and a great replacement for meat as they contain not only protein but fibre, omega 3 and iron. The attraction is that they are apparently packed with life-saving and health boosting qualities. Research shows that a regular intake of soya products have reduced the risk of several types of cancer. Research is currently being carried out on the edamame bean as a possible preventitive against heart disease, the menopause and cancer, aswell as lowering cholesterol.
They are best cooked in boiling water, popped out of the pods and then sprikled with salt. Since becoming a ‘trend’ they are now a very successful dish in both japenese and chinese restaurants. Most major supermarkets stock them; sold in frozen bags either shelled or in their pods. They are relatively cheap retailing at around £3/£4 a bag. I would definitely buy them and include them as part of my weekly diet and asking a couple of my housemates; they would also try them out.

Acai: Super-Berry

My first feature focuses on the Acai berry that has recently attracted a lot of media attention.
The Acai berry hails from Acai palm trees that grow in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. The berry is about the size of a blueberry and is dark purple in colour. The berry consists of mostly seed, covered by a small amount of pulp.
Its most common form of intake is as a drink. The berries are soaked in water to soften the thin outer shell and then strained to produce a dense purple liquid that can be added to preferred ingredients.




The berry has become popular because of its substantial health benefits. Hailed the ‘super-berry’, it is one of the most nutritious foods of the Amazon. Each berry contains unusually high levels of vitamins, healthy omega fats, amino acids, minerals, anthocyanins, antioxidants, fibre, plant sterols and protein. In comparison to some other fruits it has ten times the antioxidant level of grapes and twice that of blueberries. Regular intake of the berry has proven to reduce the risk or prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s to name a few. Such are the properties of the berries that they are used in Brazilian herbal medicine to treat diarrhea, skin ulcers and fever. Acai berries are also proven to boost brain activity, make the skin healthy and supple, and provide natural energy.
Despite the benefits for health, the berries are very hard to get hold of. They are available at juice and smoothie bars but to actually buy them is quite difficult. I checked with five major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose and none of them stocked the berries. This puts them in a specialist range and appeals to a certain market because the easiest way that I found to purchase them was over the internet. An alternative is to grow them at home but in the UK this could be slightly difficult as they only grow in tropical rainforest conditions! The average price for one kilogram is about £4 but this changes depending on the form of the berries; whole berries, pulp, juice or powder.
The Acai berry has taken Hollywood by storm and has celebrities such as Owen Wilson, Oprah Winfrey and Kelly Slater as devout followers who swear by the berry however it has yet to do the same in the UK. I think this is due to its difficulty to access and also its availability to such a target upper class market. The fact that it is expensive and that the easiest way to buy it is over the internet means that it is not likely that many people will introduce it as a regular part of their diet.

Beauty Trends

Over the past couple of years there has been a constant media saturation of new beauty treatments and ‘essential’ diet requirements. There trends correspond to the ongoing weight obsession that has taken over the media today. Reinforced by celebrities these trends catch on quickly and are designed to target the young female looking to improve her body image. Nowadays it seems that women and young girls will spend huge money to try the latest ‘fad’ in an attempt to look better. In my blogs I will pick out ten current trends and products and examine them to see if they are just a faze, or whether they will be here to stay and become a regular part of our lives.

Oops, Britney's done it again.

In 1998 fresh faced and at the tender age of seventeen, Britney Spears appeared before us wearing a schoolgirl uniform and singing her number one debut single 'Baby one more time'. An instant success she was pop royalty with a huge following of both kids and adults.
Spears was a role model to every young girl. A sweet, southern Christian who advocated no sex before marriage beliefs she was, 'The American dream'. In 2002 she was named 'Most powerful celebrity' by Forbes magazine, had won a Grammy award and by 2003 was the only solo artist with three consecutive number one albums. Not only was her career on top form, as was her personal life enjoying a four year relationship with teen heart-throb Justin Timberlake.
Unfortunately their relationship ended in 2002 in a very high profile split which painted her in a bad picture after suspicions of her being unfaithful arose. More bad news was to follow when in 2004 Spears shocked the world by marrying childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander while she was in Las Vegas. The marriage was annulled fifty-five hours later. The world had begun to see a new side of Britney; however this was a shadow of what was to come.

Barely fresh from the scandal of her marriage, Spears started a relationship with one of her back up dancers. Three months into the relationship they announced their engagement. Eyebrows were raised as to how successful this latest relationship with bad boy Kevin Federline would be, however they married in September 2004 and shortly after Spears announced a career break to start a family. She gave birth to her first son in September 2005.
By this stage cracks in both Spears' professional and personal life had appeared. Rarely was she out of the tabloids accusing her of being a bad mother, white trash, letting her career slip away and that her marriage was already on the rocks. Pictures also surfaced of Spears looking scruffy and unkept, a world away from the pop princess of just a year before.
Just months after giving birth to her first son, Spears announced she was pregnant again. She gave birth to another baby boy in September 2006. Speculations on her marriage proved to be right when in November she filed for Divorce against Federline.
Things went from bad to worse; 2007 has proved to be quite the year for Britney Spears as fans around the world are silenced and shocked by her every move. Constantly in tabloids, it shows Spears looking a mess and displaying erratic behaviour. In February the world stood and watched as she reached an all time low, shaving her hair off. This resulted in several stints in rehab to try and gather her life together and prove she could take care of her kids. Last month she made an attempted 'comeback' performing her new single 'gimme more' at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Critics tore her apart for looking 'disorientated' and 'confused' on stage, which was plain for anyone to see. Long gone are the days of the pop princess who was performing in front of thousands during her multi-million dollar shows.
Most recently Spears could be facing a year in jail after being officially charged with misdemeanour hit and run and driving without a licence. She has also temporarily lost physical custody of her children to Federline.
Who knows what is in store for the future but I think that everyone hopes that one day she will regain her title and pull her life together.