NPR's Weekend Edition had a feature story on the Greek island of Icaria, where nonagenarians (people age 90+) abound.
They discussed the secrets to the islanders' longevity, and one thing of note was the high volume of herbal tea they drink everyday. The tea was high in anti-oxidants, which helps combat cancer. The tea was also a diuretic, helping the Icarians flush out their system.
I need to read up more on this, but basically, I think, it means they have a healty intake of non-drug diuretics in their tea, helping them pee out more of the bad stuff floatin' 'round in their bodies.
I have morning coffee and switch to tea for caffeine after that, and only have 1 tea bag spread out into two cups of tea. (With the occasional, terrible indulgence in a Coke, but that's once a month, I'd say.) After 2 PM, I try to avoid caffeine altogether and I have herbal tea.
The photo above is of my new Mondrian-esque teapot (to match my coat) with oranges and browns.
More on Blue Zones, areas of the world where people have higher life expentancy rates than the rest of the world, in the next post!
See all the posts on longevity, Blue Zones and Icaria here.