Making Changes, Even in Tea

My taste in tea has changed since my earlier post describing my history with tea.  Having become aware of the harmful elements in food, I have been working on eating a diet containing very little processed food, very little sugar, and as few additives as possible. For that reason, I have been avoiding such things as high fructose corn syrup and artificial food dyes (i.e., yellow 5, yellow 6, and red 40). Food dyes in this country are derived from petroleum and, unfortunately, are not regulated by the government.

Similarly, my wife and I have installed a water filter in the kitchen to reduce our exposure to atrazine, a pesticide used in the production of corn, and which is used widely in this part of the country. The EPA has declared that 3 ppb is the maximum allowable level of atrazine in the water, which is what has been detected in our local water, according to the annual publication of water quality.

We have even opted to use vinegar as a cleaning agent in the kitchen and bathrooms, and have gotten away from using fabric softeners when washing our clothes. I started using castille bar soap when I wanted to reduce my use of plastic and have been working on eliminating my exposure to as many fragrances as possible.

After these efforts to avoid as many harmful substances as possible, it was disconcerting to discover that some teabags contain epichlorohydrin, a pesticide. Some manufacturers also use a small percentage of plastic in their tea bags. In an effort to avoid these things, I have been scrutinizing which kinds of teas that I drink. My online research has revealed some answers although I am continuing to check my facts and to verify which teas are the safest. Most recently, I have been drinking Numi Breakfast Blend and Allegro Himalayan Green. Sometimes I switch green teas and use Numi Gunpowder Green, but the flavor isn’t the same as Allegro Himalayan Green, which I find to be very agreeable. Gunpowder Green also seems to contain much more caffeine.

Numi tea is expensive, with a box of 18 teabags running from $4.50 at Amazon and, sometimes, at Natural Grocers, to $5.99, or more, at Whole Foods.  I buy my boxes of Numi either through Amazon or at Natural Grocers. As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol on a regular basis, I can justify the extra expense in buying the best tea that is available. My wife and I also limit our consumption of caffeine to two cups of tea a day, so the cost is spread out over several weeks.

Ultimately, I aim to achieve as good a quality of life as possible. If I can remain out of the hospital by making these changes in my life, while also exercising by swimming forty laps three times a week, then these changes are extremely beneficial.

Autumn in Eastern Kansas

The pictures appearing below reveal the transformation of the trees where I live in eastern Kansas. A few trees began to show color by October 23. It snowed briefly on Halloween. A week later the trees were at peak color. The first hard freeze on November 10 caused many of the remaining trees with color to lose their leaves all in one day. Only a few stragglers remained. The changes in the trees occurred over a period of about three weeks.