Do you drink hot/warm tea?

[Cayman Islands]

I am day 5 of raw and feeling very, very cold. I am thinking it's likely part of detox but I am craving something warm, thinking about veggie soup a lot but wondering if I would be better off having some green tea instead so that I can stay more "raw".

Do other raw fooders drink tea for the most part?

Thanks.

Michele

[AllergyGirl]

I drink herbal tea occasionally, although not often. When I'm cold, I make a raw soup and then warm it either in the dehydrator for a couple of hours, or put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid, and place it in a bowl of hot tap water. I periodically shake the soup and change the water if needed until it's a bit warm, and I find that comforting and warming, even though it's not hot as per your SAD soup standards.

Also, you can use the spices that are considered to be hot/warm. Cumin is smokey rather than hot, chili powder is hot, cinnamon can be warming, and I'm sure there are others I'm not thinking of right off the top of my head. But use what appeals to you, and it may help you to feel warmer.

[Stella Green]

I agree with AG. I always put spices in my salad dressing! Ginger is my favorite warming spice, especially when making raw Pad Thai. And I've been sprinkling cinnamon on my grapefruits.

Also, I love herbal tea, especially nettle, which has calcium in it. Even if it's not exactly raw, I will definitely be enjoying tea when it starts snowing...

[Tenuviel]

apple ginger juice/shots are awesome! also kohlrabi (i think) is spicy.. good for juicing too :). In the winter I like to drink rooibos tea.. no caffeine there

[sport]

I have been raw for more than 5 years but continued to drink tea up till very recently. It helped me.

[January Noir]

Thanks for this post. I am 9 weeks raw and I have a cup of green tea a fewctimes a week to replace my coffee. I just purchase some AVEDA brand tea and it tastes great. I'm hot all the time so I don't really have an issue being cold. At least not yet!

[RawHeaven]

I drink warm herbal tea occasionally.

Ginger root is a wonderfully warming food. Cayenne has the same effect.

[Inca_faerie]

During the winter when it get's into the -20's to -30's you better believe I'm drinking hot tea!:D Drinking a nice warm cup of tea definitely helps me stay raw when I'm feeling chilly since I mostly only get cravings when I feel cold. A big cup of vanilla chai tea with coconut milk is soothing like nothing else! Sometimes you just need something that warms you up from the inside.

[MelanieBear]

Oh, yes!

I am an herbalist, and though I believe that food is the first intervention we must take for our health, I firmly believe that this journey is all about being 100% healthy, not 100% raw (as I believe Natalia Rose is quoted saying. Not that I am a devotee of hers, but I just want to give credit where it is due.) Herbal teas, and even black and green tea on occasion, are safe and health-enhancing when used properly.

I love lavender/chamomile in the evenings, mint to wake up, rooibos chai for a treat....the list just goes on and on. I also make herbal infusions with mineral rich herbs like nettles, oatstraw and horsetail, and broths with purifying herbs like burdock and dandelion root that I then stir some miso into to make a soup. These things perhaps are not "raw", but the miso is living/cultured (I use chickpea miso b/c I have an intolerance to soy) and the herbs are heated in water in order to extract their healing properties into the water itself so that my body can absorb and assimilate them. Plus, it's a nice way to get some warm, comforting liquid in.

Also, ginger decoction (simmer raw ginger in water for 20 minutes) with fresh squeezed lemon and honey is just lovely. Add some garlic if you feel a cold coming on.

[RawHealthyBeauty]

I do every once in a great while. :) When I do, I love to have Chamomile Tea with honey. I was even thinking of just soaking a tea bag overnight in water to add to any recipes that calls for water! Interesting, huh? It might turn tasting out good and too to get the benefits of herbs!! ;)

[AllergyGirl]

Whoa-raw, that's a great idea - that would probably be great as the water portion of the morning green smoothie!

[RawHealthyBeauty]

AllergyGirl~for a smoothie, it sure sounds good. Okay, now I'm really thinking......:)

[AllergyGirl]

I've had a heck of a time trying to find mint around here - I'm thinking herbal peppermint steeped overnight and added to smoothies sounds amazing. :D

And this got me thinking this morning and encouraged me to add ground cinnamon to my green smoothie. It's gooooooooooood. :D

OH! And I've tried to like green tea, but I just don't... but I bet steeped and added to a smoothie would mask that cloying sweetness that I don't like about it, and still provide whatever goodness green tea has. Hmmm... things to ponder. :)

[Cottonball McFluffy]

I do every once in a great while. :) When I do, I love to have Chamomile Tea with honey. I was even thinking of just soaking a tea bag overnight in water to add to any recipes that calls for water! Interesting, huh? It might turn tasting out good and too to get the benefits of herbs!! ;)
I just made chocolate sauce in green tea with mint. Turned out excellent.
Haven't tried adding tea in smoothies yet, but there's a herbal tea box in my shelf that's toffee flavoured and I'm thinking that might go well in a wintery smoothie. :)