Fruity Tea

I love walking down the coffee aisle in the grocery store or inhaling the aroma of a freshly brewed java in a coffee shop. But the minute that stuff touches my lips I want to hurl. It wasn't until my mid-twenties that a colleague introduced me to tea. And I'm sure my hubby was thankful because every time we went out for breakfast I ordered a hot cocoa; I looked like a teen those first years of our relationship, and people used to give him the evil eye (poor guy). Anywho...I was in love with tea the moment I had it! My faves include licorice, ginger, vanilla almond, and chai. These last few months as I've been dedicating a lot more mindfulness to my diet, I've begun to switch from black tea to green, and am now in the process of switching to white. Why the switch? Well it's a fairly common knowledge that green tea is very good for your metabolism, and if anyone's metabolism needs a boost it's mine (thanks, thyroid). Not to mention all of the anti-oxidants it contains. But I've recently discovered that teas contain flouride, and that's bad news for my thyroid. Sigh. So, what's a tea-loving, coffee-hating woman to do? After some quick research I discovered that of all the teas white has the least amount of flouride, but also packs some additional health benefits that include anti-bacterial & anti-viral (yay!). In the process of being more mindful of the stuff that goes into my body, I am beginning to eliminate fake sugars as well. Can I tell you how it really changes the flavor of the tea? Not to mention you can tell if you've got a good tea or not! But, I do like flavored teas, and seeing as how it is summertime and I'm more likely to throw a Splenda into an iced tea than hot, I knew I had to do something different. I'm a fan of fresh mint leaves and freshly grated ginger, even some lemon or orange slices. It's pretty common for me to brew up a pitcher of iced and do just that. But just a moment ago I decided to throw some fresh pineapple into my tea. Umm....yum! With it being the season of fruit I can not wait to throw in some cherries or even berries to add a bit of sweet flavor to my tea! Just an aside about white tea...it is difficult to find. It is not something you'd find in a grocery store (except for health groceries). Which makes it incredibly difficult to find where I am. Fortunately, my mom recommended a shop near her one that offers loses white tea, and another friend let me know that there is a Teavana in the nearby mall (which I'll have to check out). But I've also found this shop in London, that I'm dying to try!