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Nutrition Questions & Answers American Institute for Cancer Research Jury Still Out On Which Type Of Tea Is Better for You By Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN American Institute for Cancer Research Q: Experts talk about green tea and black tea, but my grocery store carries pekoe or orange pekoe tea. Does this tea promote health? A: Except for herbal teas, all tea comes from the same plant. Steaming tea leaves shortly after harvest retains their green color and mild flavor. This green tea is popular in China and Japan. Exposing the tea leaves to air promotes a natural fermentation process that turns them deep red-brown and produces black tea with its special rich flavor. Black tea is the most popular form in the U.S., Europe and India. Oolong tea, often served in Chinese restaurants, is the other major type of regular tea. It is halfway between green and black tea in processing and flavor. Pekoe and orange pekoe tea are actually black teas. Their names refer to variations in the grade and size of tea leaves. All these types of tea contain antioxidant phytochemicals called fla-vonoids, although green tea tends to contain more. Research continues on the potential heart- health and anti-can-cer benefits that they all provide. Q: Is it true that red grapefruit is more nutritious than white? A: All grapefruits are excellent sources of vitamin C and several health-promoting phytochemicals. Red and pink types, however, are especially good sources of betacarotene, a po-tent antioxidant and a source of vitamin A. Red and pink grapefruits are also one of the few significant sources of lycopene besides tomatoes. Lycopene is a carotenoid - a "cousin" to beta-carotene - that is an even stronger antioxidant. It’s under study for its po-tential ability to lower the risk of prostate and other cancers. The darker the color of the grapefruit’s flesh, the higher the lycopene content. Some reports suggest that the extra dark Texas red grape-fruits have the highest concentration of all these nutrients. One-half of these grapefruits can supply a whole day’s vitamin A (from beta-carotene) and at least three-fourths of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. Q: Sometimes my child barely touches his meal. Should I force him to eat a balanced meal? A: No. Even if children don’t eat much, as long as they are growing, sleeping and playing well, they’re pro-bably eating as much as they need. Pay attention to your child’s conversation and moods. Not eating because of emo-tional problems or dieting to lose weight, which can lead to eating disorders, now occurs even in grade-school-age children. Depression or obsession with weight loss should be addressed. It is normal, however, for children’s appetites to vary quite a bit from day to day. Children are usually good at sensing their hunger and eating accordingly. This is an excellent lifelong habit. En-courage them to respond to their own inner signals. Experts do not support the old-fashioned "clean plate club" attitude. If you are concerned about wasting food, it’s better to serve smaller portions and explain that they are welcome to more if they want it. To make this approach work, your children must know that if they don’t eat at a meal, they will have to wait until the next regular snack time - not half an hour after the meal is ended. A policy of no snacks for a half-hour or hour before each meal also boosts the chance that they will satisfy their hunger with a proper meal.
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