The Green Tea Alternative: Yerba Mate

If you're like me, your day hasn't really begun until you've had a hot cup of tea or coffee. I don't know if what I drink has so much to do with waking me up as it does with bringing a little comfort and calm to my morning ritual. Sometimes I'll have espresso, chai tea, black tea, green tea, or even dandelion "coffee". My new favorite addition to my pantry has been yerba mate.

Yerba mate (pronounced yur-ba mah-tay) is a common tea drink found in South America made from a variety of the holly tree. The aroma is earthy and the flavor is similar to green tea but has an added richness and a bold, almost smoky flavor.

Similarly to green tea, yerba mate both energizes and calms. It contains caffeine and has been shown to stimulate your heart, waking you up and making you more alert. It also contains compounds which relax smooth muscle tissue, making it a great alternative to coffee which makes some people feel anxious and jittery. Regular drinking of mate, like green tea, can boost your metabolism, making it easier for your body to burn and use fat stores. It also amazingly contains theobromine, the compound in cacao that attracts chocolate addicts. You can get a bit of your chocolate fix without eating a candy bar!

On top of just being a pleasant beverage that wakes you up, yerba mate also acts similarly to herbal tisanes in that it contains vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It contains A, C, E, B1, B2, Niacin (B3), B5, B Complex, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Selenium, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Zinc. The minerals and antioxidants help your body to repair itself, helping you look younger longer and helping to stave off cancer.

There are lots of delicious, healthy and accessible alternatives to foods you regularly eat. I hope you try mate and love it! Look for it in the tea section of your grocery store. Until next time, keep it clean!

The Incredible Edible... Dandelion!

Dandelions are a familiar weed in American backyards, known as a fluffy firework of seeds to kids and a bane to many gardeners. These sunny little plants are also a hardy, healthy, easy to grow food.

Every part of the dandelion is edible. Traditionally, dandelions have been used as an herbal remedy, mainly for digestion. The roots of dandelions can be dried or roasted. When boiled and steeped for a few minutes, the resulting tea has a rich, deep flavor reminiscent of coffee. Dandelion tea relieves heartburn and is considered an assistant to liver cleansing by herbists. I like to drink it after an especially heavy meal or the morning after having a few beers. The thick long leaves at the base of the plant are excellent in salads. Leafy greens are an excellent source of iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium and are alkalizing to the body. Dandelion leaves are also a mild diuretic, helping to prevent water retention and flush the body of waste materials more quickly. Dandelion flowers open up in sunlight, and their happy visage and fragrant nectar make a salad look happy and add an interesting floral flavor. With lots of potassium and more Vitamin A than carrots, they're also a welcome burst of additional nutrition.

Dandelions grow quickly and easily almost anywhere and in any soil. Since they are considered a weed, it is best to plant your own in containers rather than just picking them straight from your yard in order to avoid possible pesticides. Press seeds about an inch apart and 1/4 inch deep into moist soil and place in an area where your flowers can get full sun. In the right conditions, dandelions can grow up to 12 inches tall! Dandelions will take about 3 months to grow, but you can pull leaves off your dandelions for salads as much as you wish once they're grown. Dandelion roots, however, can take a couple of seasons to be ready to harvest. Dandelion tea can be purchased at many natural food stores if you don't want to wait to enjoy the roots.


Purchasing salad can get expensive. Since they grow so fast, dandelions are a cheap, healthy and easy way to stay healthy. Stay tuned for more tips on healthy living, and keep it clean!