Caffeine: Can It Help You Run Faster?

Loads of banned drugs on the list

A nice cup of coffee

Although there are thousands of drugs on an athlete’s ban list most can be grouped into five categories

The five main categories of drugs that are banned are:

Drugs

1. Anabolic steroids-these are muscle builders, and can also help athlete’s recover faster after training
2. Peptide hormones - these are naturally found in the body but produce similar effects to the anabolic steroids
3. Analgesic painkillers - such as morphine
4. Stimulants - drugs like amphetamines and cocaine because they can raise heart rate and therefore improve performance;
5. Diuretics - chemicals that help the body to lose fluids, helpful in losing weight.

Be careful and read the label

Creatine

However there are legal drugs athletes can take including the controversial new generation of fitness supplements, many are used as a legal alternative to anabolic steroids.
These include

1. Creatine
2. Glutamine
3. Tryptophan or 5HT
4. And Protein powders

Two cups of strong coffee

latte.

However in a trial by an athlete he found that by drinking Coffee just before a race he performed better, he tried this over a period of time and found that if he abstained from coffee a week before a race and then had two cups of strong coffee just before a race his performance increased considerably, it was the caffeine.
Caffeine is a legal performance enhancer
Caffeine is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Caffeine is a potent and quick-acting drug and works in different degrees in different people depending on height build etc. It has an almost instant effect on your mind and body which will continue to influence your state for 6-8 hours afterwards.
Caffeine can be found in many products including tea, coffee, cola drinks, chocolate, and cocoa and some “energy drinks”
Espresso Coffee contains around 80 – 90 mg
Where a cup of Instant decaffeinated coffee contains about 3 mg, the same cup of regular instant coffee contains around 70-100 mg it all depends on the size of the cup, an average cup is 170 ml. A cup of espresso coffee contains about 80-90 mg whilst a cup of tea contains around 50 mg of caffeine and a can of coke between 35 and 45 mg. Some Cola's have more caffeine than other so it all depends on the brand.

And the winner is:-

Female sprinters

But the winner is the high energy drink depending on the brand it can contain as much as 400 mg or even more. Recent research into the effects of coffee has found it contains additional stimulating effects including an unknown chemical agent which stimulates the production of cortisone and adrenaline, two stimulating hormones

The Unique Manuka factor

Honey bee

Honey has for a long time been know as a health food, most honey contains a naturally occurring agent but this can be easily destroyed when the honey is exposed to heat and light, so eating honey straight from the hive is best, another brilliant use it if you eat honey from your own region containing local pollen can help reduce the symptoms of hay fever

Manuka honey is different from other honey in that it contains an extra, naturally occurring active ingredient that doesn’t lose its goodness or its health giving properties this special quality is known as UMF Unique Manuka Factor and the higher the number the better the health benefits it gives, 10 or higher is reckoned to be the number to aim for.

The Anti-viral and anti-bacterial actions can be very useful with colds and sore throats. So make sure you have a jar of it along with your other medicines Manuka Honey is one of the monofloral types of honey; this is a type of honey from the nectar of mainly one plant species

No Guarantee it is from the Appalachian sourwood

Manuka flowers

There is no guarantee that the honey you eat is totally from one plant but some are purer than others because of the environment the bees are kept in. Orange blossom honey, Appalachian sourwood honey, and Manuka honey are unique because there may be little else in bloom at the time

Bee-keepers often plan where to keep their bees so as to reduce the risk of bees using other plants even removing blooms of other trees to reduce the choice for the bees The Manuka tree that the bees collect and pollinate from is indigenous to New Zealand and south-east Australia in an area where little or no other trees or plants are found.

A Waterless environment and glucose oxidase

Beekeeper

But what does it do, exactly? What makes it distinct from other honey? Well apart from its very distinctive taste, In New Zealand, it has long been used in treating wounds, now, the NHS in Britain is doing the same, the high sugar content creates a waterless environment, it also contains an enzyme called glucose oxidase this acts as a natural preservative and an antimicrobial barrier, so along with its Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial properties bacteria’s on the wound are unable to survive

The native Maoris of New Zealand have been using Manuka as a medicinal plant making a drink from its leaves to reduce fevers and colds, they would also crush the leaves and use the oil extracted from it as an antiseptic, long before we cottoned to it

White Tea the King of teas

Tea ceremony

While all verities of tea are very healthy 
for you, white tea is the best but unfortunately the most expensive; it comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. And is the least processed of all the teas it has a higher antioxidant level than green, black or yellow tea?

According to some studies white tea can thin the blood thereby lowering high blood pressure and in turn, help to maintain a more healthy heart, white tea also contains Catechins, which is another group of antioxidants, these have been found to reduce cholesterol, and white tea is brimming with these antioxidants

Apart from the health giving antioxidants
white tea also has small amounts of fluoride which we all know, helps to keep teeth and gums healthy, although green tea contains a higher level of fluoride.

Chinese tea drinkers have known about the health benefits since the early days of the Ming dynasty but now it is available freely in most of the supermarkets and health stores around the world it can be bought both loose or in tea bags.

Just like the regular green,
black and yellow verities white tea is also found in many verities, the best are considered to be.

• Silver Needle 
• White Peony 
• Tribute Eyebrow

The Chinese silver Needle 
tea buds are fleshy, bright colored covered with fluffy white hairs, they are picked only between March 15 and April 10 and have only two processes, these are withering and drying, which explains why it is so expensive

As with green tea, it is important not to make white tea with boiling water as this will impair the flavour, the best way is to use pure water boiled and then left for one minute

I have found that is the easiest way 
of getting the temperature about right, although if you want to be more technical no hotter than 80°C (180°F) and then steeped for two to three minutes, if the water is too hot or the tea is brewed for too long it will take on a bitter taste, which is why the Chinese make an art of tea making, it is simply worth taking one's time over it.

White tea should have a pale yellow/light red colour with a slightly sweet taste, unlike green tea which can be a little bitter at times.


White tea is not just grown in China 
but can be found in Sri Lanka and India some are even grown in small quantities in Africa.

So how much white tea should you drink to get all these marvellous benefits? From various studies between five to ten cups a day should do it but in fact, within reason, there is no limit to how much you can drink but remember tea contains Caffeine and too much of that is not so good.

Ginger

The root to the road to health

Ginger root

Ginger is a rhizome, the juicy root is great for sweet or savoury dishes, dried and ground it’s much fiercer it can be and is used for drinks, making ginger biscuits and gingerbread.

Chinese Medicine has recommended ginger almost as an art form, for over two thousand years for the treatment of vomiting, diarrhoea, and rheumatism; it’s used a lot in Ayurvedic and Tibetan systems of medicine, The Hindu epic Mahabharata written around the 4th century BC describes a meal where meat is stewed with ginger and other spices.

Seasick? ginger can sort that out.

Two varieties of ginger as sold in India

Ginger is well known as a treatment for appetite loss, indigestion and studies are nearing completion in its uses for motion sickness

The American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City conducted a classic study on motion sickness and found that Ginger was instrumental in helping to combat motion sickness.

Ginger contains.

1. Calcium (Good for your bones)
2. Carbohydrate (There are good and bad Carbs, ginger contains only good carbs or Complex carbs.
Complex carbs are the ones that give your body the best fuel. They are usually found in foods high in fiber, which break down more slowly, giving you a steady blood sugar level through the day and making you feel less hungry and irritable when mid-afternoon rolls around.)

3. Dietary Fibre (treats or prevents constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis.
helps decrease blood cholesterol levels

4. Iron (Your blood loves Iron)
5. Magnesium ( protects against heart disease and heart attacks, high blood pressure and stroke, type II diabetes, shall I go on?)
6. Manganese (Not to be confused with Magnesium, Manganese boosts your sex hormones, it does a lot more as well but who cares)
7. Potassium (muscles and nerves)
(growth and repair)

8. Selenium ( it's an antioxidant, helps the immune system and thyroid hormone metabolism,AND fertility in men, in other words," it puts lead in your pencil")
9. Sodium (electrical nerve impulses and transport nutrients to cells.NOTE Not the same as salt, salt is only 40 percent sodium the other 60 percent of salt is chloride, )
10. Vitamin C, E and B6 (All vitamins are good for you)

Ginger in the morning, ginger in the evening, ginger at supper time,

Soya bean, chilli and ginger stir fry

Take a 1/3 teaspoon of fresh of powdered ginger when you feel a migraine coming on, can help stop pain before it starts

Ginger can be used as a spice, fresh or dried and ground to a powder, it's brilliant in stir fries and a whole host of other receipts.

Why not try making your own Ginger and butternut ice-cream? All you need is some double cream chopped, fresh ginger, egg yolks, caster sugar, some cooked butternut squash, and some lemon juice.

It's great in salads and no English gent would be seen dead without his jar of ginger marmalade for his toast in the morning.

Ginger and Sheep?

A pound of Ginger?

Ginger comes from the same family as cardamom and turmeric, its history goes back over 5000 years, its origins are thought to be Indian and or Chinese, Sailors would carry it as potted plants rapidly spreading into many other countries, it was used extensively by the Romans, but seemed to have died out when the Roman empire did the same.

Ginger along with black pepper was one on the most common spices during the 13th and 14th centuries, in England ginger was very sought after and became so expensive that a pound of ginger cost about the same as sheep.

Pregnant? Ginger can help smooth the way

ginger powder

Tea made with Ginger and Lemon is refreshing, good for colds and sore throats help digestion, used as an aid for blood circulation.

And for the pregnant lady suffering from nausea and vomiting, Ginger is a safe remedy
drinking a cup of homemade ginger tea with a little-added lemon will be a godsend.

Ginger around the world

spice around the world

• In Burma], ginger is used to prevent the flu.
• In China, ginger is used for the common cold.
• In Congo, ginger is crushed and mixed with mango tree sap to make tangawisi juice, which is considered a panacea.
• In India, ginger is used to relieve a headache,the common cold.and for treating nausea.
• In Indonesia, ginger ("jahe" in Indonesian) is used to reduce fatigue, reducing "winds" in the blood, prevent and cure rheumatism and control poor dietary habits.
• In the Philippines, it is considered good for a sore throat.
• In the United States, ginger is used to prevent motion and morning sickness.
• In Peru, ginger is sliced in hot water as an infusion for stomach aches as "infusión de Kión"

So you see Ginger is a "Must have" food for good health

HEMP

Hemp
A plant that has so many uses

Hemp is a soft, durable fibre that is cultivated from plants of the Cannabis genus, It is one of the earliest domesticated plants known, thought to have originated in north-east China and south-eastern Siberia.

The earliest indirect evidence of hemp use is from decorated Chinese Neolithic pottery with cord impressions on it; the ancient Egyptians even used hemp (cannabis) in suppositories for relieving the pain of haemorrhoids.

It is estimated 50,000 products are made from hemp (No, I'm not going to list them all here but here are some)

Dress made from Hemp

Paper
Textiles
Biodegradable plastics
Health food
Fuel
Cordage (That’s rope to you and me)
Everlasting clothing
Nutritional products
Casual shorts
T-shirts
Skirts
Beachwear
Shirts
Pants
Dresses
Shoes
Handbags
Furnishings
Animal bedding
Animal Litter

Concrete block made with hemp in France

Concrete-like blocks made with hemp and lime, have been used as an insulating material for construction in China.

OK I'll stop now but I guess you get the drift; Hemp is quite a unique product.

It's used for medical purposes is also well known and argued about, evidence dating back to 2,737 BC have shown the Hemp is invaluable in the treatment of certain medical conditions, it has been found to help with chemotherapy treatments and for AIDS patients, it's effective for treating glaucoma, as well as gastrointestinal illness, Hemp oil has been shown to relieve the symptoms of eczema.

Marinol a Synthetic cannabinoid is available as the prescription drug in the United States and Canada, and Cesamet, another Synthetic cannabinoid is available in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and also in the United States.



Although the recreational use in most parts of the world is illegal, its use as a medicine is legal in a number of countries, including Canada, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Italy, Finland, and Portugal and In the United States

A male hemp/Cannabis plant

Hemp is one of the faster-growing biomasses (a renewable energy source) known, it can produce up to 25 tonnes of dry matter per hectare (About 10,000 square metres) per year, it’s very environmentally friendly (Well apart from the chemical fertilizers used in some industrial agriculture) it requires few pesticides and no herbicides. China is the world leading producer of hemp

The fruit of the hemp is a seed, apart from being used in bird seed mix it is sometimes used as fishing bait when made into oil it has been used in paints and moisturizing creams, but now we get to the interesting part.

Hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life but unlike soya beans Hemp seeds can be eaten raw, and like soya beans can be made into milk, Hemp tea is very healthy drink, grind the seeds into a meal and it can be used in baking some other Products include cereals, frozen waffles, and hemp tofu.

Hemp is a good source of dietary fibre, calcium, and iron and contains antioxidants and chlorophyll. Whole hempseeds are also a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese.

Also unlike the Soya bean, there are no known allergies to hemp foods, hemp contains no gluten, The fresh leaves can also be eaten in salads, the seeds contains a large dietary supplement of omega-3, higher even than walnuts.

Hemp rope.

Click the Links to read more

  Caffeine: Can It Help You Run Faster?
Healthy Foods: The power of the Humble Apple

Healthy Foods: Power of Corn
Healthy Foods: Cumin
Healthy Foods: The Many Uses of Linseed & Flaxseed

Healthy Foods The soya bean
Healthy Foods Mustard
Healthy foods Walnuts
Healthy Foods Avocados
Healthy Foods: Spinach
Healthy Foods Onions
Healthy Foods : Kohlrabi
Healthy Foods : Stinging Nettles

How to cook Tofu
How to cook Vegetarian Spaghetti
How to cook crispy seaweed

Kiss me, honey, honey, kiss me
Vegetarianism a way of life or a way to live
From Bacchus to Berkshire 
The Art of English and Welsh Wines
Chives: the little herb with a big heart
Liquorice: The root with the power of healing