Green tea alternatives: these three brews rival green tea's powerful health benefits - diet & nutrition

Natural Health, April, 2002

GREEN TEA IS KNOWN AS A POWERFUL DISEASE FIGHTER due to its high antioxidant content. But if you don't like its taste (some people find it bitter), try one of these three antioxidant-rich teas. As with green tea, you need to drink 3 to 4 cups a day to get the most antioxidant power, says James Duke, Ph.D., a retired USDA botanist in Fulton, Md. To help you choose, we taste-tested them.

Tea             Flavor             Where to Buy

MATE            Full-bodied,       Guayaki
(MAH-TAY)       woodsy flavor;     (888-482-9254;
from South      coffee-lovers      www.guayaki.com);
America;        favored the        Strand Tea
caffeinated     roasted form       Company
                (unroasted is      (888-718-6358;
                also available)    www.strandtea.com)

ROOIBOS         Mild, slightly     Adagio Teas
(ROY-BUS),      fruity flavor;     (www.adagio.com);
OR RED          not too bitter     Strand Tea
TEA                                Company
from South                         (see above)
Africa;
caffeine-free

WHITE TEA       Strong,            Adagio Teas
from China;     somewhat bitter    (see above);
caffeinated     flavor; taste is   Special Teas
                similar to black   (888-365-6983;
                tea                www.specialteas
                                   .com)