Posts tagged ‘tea’
Cherries Help Cure Insomnia
Can’t sleep? You’re not alone—one third of Americans develop insomnia at some point in their lives. You’ve probably heard a lot of the usual sleep advice: exercise during the day, no electronic use before bed, create a bedtime routine, etc. But what if those don’t work? Thankfully, science has found some new cures that might surprise you.
Foot Bath
Warm baths at night tend to help people sleep easier. Oddly, it doesn’t have to be your entire body! In one study, scientists found that warm baths helped cure insomnia. Interestingly, they found that it didn’t need to be your whole body—just dipping your feet in worked well enough. There was no difference between these foot baths and actual baths. So, if you have no time or desire to take a full bath, try soaking your feet in warm water before bed. (more…)
Some People are Genetically Predisposed to Dislike Broccoli
By Chad Upton | Editor
Broccoli and brussels sprouts are popular vegetables for kids to feed the dog under the table.
My brother and I had a really smart dog growing up, which must be why he didn’t like broccoli either. Although, he always liked to do what we did, so I don’t know if he actually disliked it or if he just liked to make the same face when he ate broccoli too. You know the face, when you squeeze your eyes shut and use your tongue to scrap any residual taste off the roof of your mouth.
Getting kids to eat their vegetables can be a tough task, but there are plenty of adults who don’t like vegetables either. So why do some people like vegetables such as broccoli and other people passionately dislike them?
There are many reasons why people dislike vegetables. My brother and I always said it was the texture, not the taste. But, it was the taste and it’s scientifically proven.
There is an organic compound called phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) that tastes very bitter. Well, it’s very bitter to some people, it’s tasteless to others. About 70% of people have genetic traits that make them sensitive to the bitter taste of PTC, the rest of the population does not taste it.
While PTC itself is not found in food, there are a number of similar compounds which are. Many vegetables from the cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower, horseradish, wasabi, mustard, brussels sprouts) contain these compounds.
Additionally, people who do not smoke and do not drink coffee or tea, taste PTC more than those who do consume coffee, tea and cigarettes. One big group of the population who doesn’t consume coffee, tea and cigarettes is children.
So, when you see kids who passionately dislike some vegetables, they may actually taste something that you do not.
Broken Secrets
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Photo: Jules: Stonesoup (cc)
Sources: Indiana Public Media, Science Daily, Wikipedia (Broccoli, Brassica, Brassicaceae, Cruciferous, Kale, Phenylthiocarbamide)
Tea Contains Less Caffeine Than Coffee
By Chad Upton
This is one of those things that a lot of people know and a lot people get wrong.
Most coffee has 60-100 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Here’s a list of the most popular coffees and their caffeine content:
| Coffee (16oz) | Caffeine (mg) |
| Starbucks | 330 |
| Caffè Americano (Espresso) | 225 |
| Tim Hortons | 160 |
| McDonald’s | 145 |
| Store Brand (Drip) | 145 |
| Dunkin Donuts | 143 |
| Store Brand (Brewed) | 108 |
| Decaf | 2-5 |
As you can see, Starbucks coffee is the strongest with 330 mg of caffeine in a 16oz serving. It is followed by Starbucks Caffè Americano, which has three shots of espresso in it and more than 100 mg less caffeine in the same size serving. Most of the other brands have about 110-160 mg in a 16oz serving..
So, how does that compare to tea? Let’s have a look:
| Tea (16oz) | Caffeine (mg) |
| Starbucks Tazo Chai | 94 |
| Black | 90 |
| Green | 40 |
| White | 30 |
| Starbucks Tazo Red | 0 |
As we can see, Tea generally has much less caffeine than coffee.
Of course, there are always exceptions. There are some coffees that have less caffeine than most teas, particularly decaf coffee. That might be an unfair comparison since decaf is a man-made product. Although, it might not be that way forever. Caffeine free coffee beans have been discovered, although they’re too bitter for most people’s taste buds.
There are also some black teas that have up to 140 mg of caffeine per 16 oz, which is more than the same size coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts (or Dunkin’ Coffee as they call it in Spain).
Dunkin Donuts - Barcelona, Spain
There are many other caffeinated beverages that are popular, how do those stack up?
| Product | Serving (oz) | Caffeine (mg) |
| Jolt Energy | 24 | 280 |
| Red Bull | 8 | 80 |
| Mountain Dew | 12 | 55 |
| Mountain Dew Code Red | 12 | 54 |
| Diet Coke | 12 | 45 |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 12 | 35 |
| Sprite | 12 | 0 |
| 7-Up | 12 | 0 |
Caffeine is found in many other foods, such as chocolate. It is also found in guarana beans, which are very similar to coffee beans according to Brett’s Energy Drinks. So, be careful of those guarana filled energy drinks, caffeine is a hell of a drug.
Thanks to Kristen for suggesting this one and Ian for adding front lines insight.
Broken Secrets
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Sources: Mayo Clinic, Brett’s Energy Drinks, Energy Fiend,
Broken Secrets 