Tea Can Help You Focusby Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 05 Apr 2008 06:50 PM When you hit that afternoon slump, don't head for the coffeemaker. Try a cup of tea, instead! Recent research is pointing to black, green, and oolong tea as a great way to sharpen your focus. Part of that mental boost comes from the caffeine in the tea -- the same caffeine you could get from a cup of coffee or an ice cold soda. The other part of the mental boost is something you can only get from a cup of tea -- an amino acid called theanine. When paired with caffeine, theanine can boost neural activity, helping you concentrate. According to studies from the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Orangeburg, NY, you'll get the best mental boost from 100 milligrams of theanine and sixty milligrams of caffeine. That is approximately three cups of tea. Space that throughout the day and you'll find your brain staying sharp and alert from morning until night. A cup of tea works quickly, too. It takes about twenty minutes to get the theanine moving through your system and increasing brain activity. Start your day with a cup of tea (or sip it from a travel mug while you're on your way in to work); have a second cup mid-morning and a third after lunch. The caffeine and theanine will keep your brain going all day long. As an added benefit, you'll get the healthy antioxidants that come from tea. Not a fan of tea? Try them all before you decide. Black, green, and oolong tea are all chock full of theanine. Try these teas with added flavor, too -- I just finished a box of black tea with mango and it was delicious. Don't want a hot drink? Don't rule out iced tea or even using tea as a base for a smoothie. I take a cup of green tea with a little honey, then blend in blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries for a super-healthy, sweet, delicious smoothie. (Sometimes I add a packet of hot cocoa mix if I'm craving chocolate.) Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments rb101182 (25) 13 Apr 2008 07:55 PMthat's funny, I just read a similar article on the prevention magazine site! http://buzz.prevention.com/need-to-focus-drink-tea/  Aimee Amodio (11995) 16 Apr 2008 10:59 AMTea is a pretty hot topic all over the place these days! Here are some more great Families.com blogs about tea: http://tags.families.com/tea Community Tags black tea, green tea, tea Discuss this article
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