Springtime Power Boost
, by Web Admin, 7 min reading time
, by Web Admin, 7 min reading time
Springtime Super-Charge Toning our digestion is a great way to brighten energy and mood and ease into seasonal changes. It all happens at once: Digestion starts in the mouth. Thoroughly chewing foods sends a message to the brain to release digestive enzymes in the stomach.
Springtime Super-Charge
Toning our digestion is a great way to brighten energy and mood and ease into seasonal changes. It all happens at once: Digestion starts in the mouth. Thoroughly chewing foods sends a message to the brain to release digestive enzymes in the stomach. Pancreatic enzymes break down sugars, fats, and starches and makes hormones.. The liver makes blood and cholesterol and releases bile to smooth digestion and elimination. When all goes smoothly, foods that are broken down, assimilated, absorbed nourish blood and all parts of the body.
Foods that Boost Energy and Metabolism
Metabolism is the chemical and digestive process that makes energy and the materials that cells need to grow, reproduce, and stay healthy. You may pump all the iron, do all the reps and squats that you can manage at the gym, sweat in a sauna or get a massage, but if metabolism is slow you can still feel clogged, bloated, sleep and fat. We need the spark of strong digestion to feel our best, breathe deeply, think clearly and stay strong. Here are ways to tone metabolism and greet Spring with a smile.
Strong Metabolism and Weight Loss
The old saying that calories in- and work-out makes for weight loss does not work. Fewer calories do not necessarily nourish the body and tone digestion. Irritating foods like simple refined sugars and even too many fruits, raise blood sugar and insulin spikes leading to imbalance. To support digestion and healthy blood chemistry bitter is better. Bitter greens, healthy fats and digestive teas.
Teas
Teas contains health-boosting compounds called catechins that may work in tandem with caffeine to boost metabolic rate. In particular, both oolongs and Matcha green increase fat oxidation and help burn extra calories. In addition, oolong and green teas help the body to use stored fat for energy more effectively, increasing fat-burning ability by up to 17%. We actually absorb less dietary fat in the gut when we regularly drink Chinese teas.
Wing Hop Fung features many fine quality teas from well established tea estates in China and Japan.
A Tea for a Goddess
A great favorite among oolong teas is Tie Guan Yin which possesses a rich, robust flavor, large juicy leaves, and can be brewed gong fu style well over ten times. The Goddess of Mercy, or Guanyin (aka Kuan Yin) is the bodhisattva of Compassion in the Buddhist world. Wing Hop Fung’s oolong teas are baked at 120°C for about 10 hours to increase the flavorful mellowness and blissful aroma. The tea leaves are fully fermented and traditionally blended.
The tea’s origin is veiled in legend. Many centuries ago, during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) in the Beiyun region of Phoenix Mountain (Fenghuanshang) in Fujian Province, a poor farmer cared for a run-down Guanyin temple. One day the bodhisattva, a gorgeous woman wearing a long white robe, appeared to him in his dream. She told him to look into a cave behind the temple and he would find a treasure worth sharing. When he awoke he found a tiny tea tree that he planted and carefully tended. The tea tree grew tall yielding an especially delicious tea. He called the tea Tie Guan Yin and shared it with his community, continuing to live a prosperous life and every day caring for the temple and the Goddess who inhabits it. We are fortunate to enjoy such a delicious healthy tea.
Proteins
Protein rich foods help to enhance metabolism and may improve weight loss because they require energy to digest them, known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Research shows that protein-rich foods, by burning calories, increases the metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared with 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. Protein-rich diets also help the body to maintain muscle mass as we age. However, heavy, fattened, over- processed meats can cause serious health problems. There are better alternatives for long term consumption.
Treasures from the sea offer an opportunity to build energy and maintain beauty. Naturally dried seafood products have concentrated nutrition, fiber and taste that pops with flavor. They can be added to soups, congee or soaked and stir fried. Try Wing Hop Fung dried shrimps, oysters, abalone and fish maw which contain protein, essential vitamins, minerals and natural highly absorbable collagen. Sea cucumbers sourced from China, Japan, Australia and South Africa are used throughout Asia in celebration recipes and daily for collagen.
There is no limit to the good things that can be said about mushrooms: They are Nature’s wonder food! On earth long before us, they will outlast our climate problems, wars, toxic chemical spills and pollution. Mushrooms have been shown capable to detoxify trees and humans from radiation poisons, while they enhance our immunity and provide quality nutrition. The polyphenols in mushrooms support gut health better than other foods. The “Immortality Mushroom” reishi well deserves its name. Wing Hop Fung sells varieties of red and black reishi in various forms including pills, slices and whole mushrooms. Many other mushrooms are sold at Wing Hop Fung, including dried shiitake, hen of the woods, sweet, savory blazei, cordyceps--known to boost athletic performance--and lion’s mane to name a few. Recently lion’s mane has been researched as an important food source for helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Spices
Ginger and pungent digestive spices have particularly beneficial metabolism-boosting properties. For instance, research shows that dissolving 2 grams of ginger powder in hot water and drinking it with a meal may help burn up to 43 more calories than drinking hot water alone.
It also may decrease hunger and enhance feelings of satiety. Wing Hop Fung has ginger powder and ginger teas: https://winghopfung.com/search?q=ginger
Cinnamon warms the body and supports healthy blood sugar by enhancing insulin sensitivity in preventing diabetes. It helps free circulation and lifts our mood with a spicy sweet taste. https://winghopfung.com/products/rou-gui-si-cinnamon-slice-16oz?_pos=2&_sid=87664e8d7&_ss=r#
Ginsengs
Ginseng is the ultimate go-to energy source known throughout the world. It is considered a staple in traditional Chinese medicine used to promote vitality, endurance, vigor and longevity. Ginsengs are categorized into several different types, including Korean, Chinese and American, all of which belong to the same Panax genus of ginseng plants.
Many studies have verified that this powerful root could aid weight loss, general health and increase nitric oxide to enhance circulation and heart health. A study found that taking Korean ginseng twice daily for eight weeks resulted in quantifiable reductions in body weight, belly fat, as well as changes in gut microbiota composition. Another study showed that ginseng combated obesity by altering fat formation and delaying intestinal fat absorption.
Red ginsengs from China and Korea are warming, energizing and may raise blood pressure for people who are susceptible. Panax Ginsengs are loved by people who want to remain strong and sexually active and athletes and performers to support breathing, circulation and endurance. White American Panax quinquefolium ginseng is cooling, moistening and refreshing which is especially helpful for people who have chronic thirst, dry mouth, dry skin or who smoke or have diabetes. Wing Hop Fung has many forms of ginseng, including powder and roots, for cooking and teas even an instant American ginseng tea. https://winghopfung.com/search?q=ginseng
Springtime can be a joyous time of rebirth and rejuvenation when we nourish our body and develop a deeper vitality.
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