Raise a Glass to Detoxification this Holiday Season

It’s only fitting to celebrate Brassica’s 20th anniversary with a toast from the company that devotes its time to sharing broccoli’s superpower with the world. Raise a glass with us…

Wishing you more detoxification
than all my words can tell,
not just for the holidays,
but for all the year as well
-unknown

We are honored that RM Seafood’s Chef Rick Moonen (@rmseafood) and his mixologists created a cocktail and mocktail that feature Brassica® Tea. You can detox this holiday season whether you enjoy your detox on the rocks or as a total tea-totaler!

Need to refill your Brassica® Tea and Coffee before your family and friends arrive? Enjoy free shipping on all orders over $15. Enter coupon code 20Years at checkout and shipping is on us.

Cheers!

Recipes

Detoxification (Detox) on the Rocks

Detox on the Rocks Drink for Detoxification Photo

1.0 oz Brassica® Black Tea/Pear Syrup
1.5 oz Bulleit™ Pine-infused
0.5 oz Tuaca™
0.5 oz Orange Liqueur
0.75 oz Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Orange Juice
Shake and strain
Top with Brassica® Green Tea
Serve on the rocks

The Better Tea-TotalerThe Better Tea-Totaler Drink for Detoxification

Brassica® Green Tea
1.0 oz Lemon/Green Syrup
0.25 oz Lemon Juice
Shake and serve
Add blueberries and mint as a garnish (optional)

Destination Detox – How to Detox While On the Go

An Interview with Ashley Koff, RD and author of The Road Trip to Better Health.

August is the month for last minute weekend getaways or for summer’s much anticipated week-long vacation. Families squeeze in a quick trip before the first day of school for many kids throughout the U.S. It may be easy to think you can splurge on salt, sugar and processed foods while you’re on the go, but your body shouldn’t be sacrificed just because you’re away from home. Just like any other day, you need to optimize your body’s systems, including its detox system.

The TrueBroc® team sat down with its scientific advisory board member, Ashley Koff RD, to learn how to detox while on the go.

TB: Everyone is talking about detoxification – how is it different from cleansing or a quick detox product you see at the store?
AK:
Our bodies have a lot to handle these days – stress, environmental pollutants, toxins, hormones – thankfully, the body comes equipped with a detoxification system that, given the right resources, can typically handle this workload.

A cleanse doesn’t have an actual definition. For some it’s reducing sugar or skipping alcohol, for others it’s only organic green juices and alkaline water for days or week(s) at a time. The idea of cleansing can involve removing or reducing offenders and perhaps adding certain foods or nutrients to help clean the body. Short and long-term effects depend on whether the cleanse matches a person’s body and the body’s needs.

Quick detox products run the gamut from unsafe to unhelpful most of the time, with a few exceptions. Quality detox products include nutrients that support the body’s detoxification system. That said, anything that says “quick detox” misses the fact that we should be detoxing daily to give our body the resources the detoxification system needs to do its job.

TB: If my body is detoxing every day, how can I best support it?
AK:
Look for broccoli or broccoli sprouts to get a quality dose of glucoraphanin. That said, the amount you get of this long-lasting antioxidant that supports detoxification will vary based on the batch of broccoli and how you prepare it. So eat your broccoli but if you seek consistent detoxification support add a supplemental dose of glucoraphanin like TrueBroc.

Prioritize Better Digestion. No detoxification efforts can be fully effective if your digestive system isn’t working better, not perfect, more often. Assess your digestion, then do the Digestive Tune It Up (as needed).

TB: How can I help support my detox system if I’m traveling or on the go constantly?
AK:
There are three easy steps that I share with my patients and practice myself.

  • Get in enough water throughout the day. What’s the right amount for you? Take the Better Water Evaluation.
  • Optimize digestion (see the tips I share in the Digestive Tune Up).
  • Order broccoli and pack Brassica® Tea or Coffee, which provides a standardized dose of TrueBroc and is easy to enjoy wherever you go – just add hot water (which helps with tip #1).

TB: Should I detox differently if I’m traveling to different climates – e.g. cold, tropical, humid/rainy, etc.? 
AK: While the detoxification system doesn’t have different needs, the environment will impact your body’s resource needs.

Cold climate: Warm up with broccoli roasted in olive oil, a bowl of soup and a hot cup of tea.

Tropical climate: enjoy the local flavors, adding pineapple, lemon, grapefruit and other citrus, as well as enjoying coconut water, which can make your perfect tropical Arnold Palmer (replace the lemonade with coconut water in your iced Brassica Tea).

TB: What’s in your travel bag?
AK:
I bring along my own arsenal to help aid my detox system…including Natural Calm magnesium, Sulforaclear® (supplement with TrueBroc) or Brassica Tea, and my Beauty Counter cleansing balm.

Recipe: Brassica Tea Poached Pear – National Hot Tea Month

There is no better way to celebrate National Hot Tea Month than with a new tea recipe, but this one is not for your traditional tea cup. Our friend and registered dietitian – Amy Fischer @thegreenfisch – is back with a new recipe that features Brassica® Tea with a poached pear.

Whether you make this as a sweet or savory dish, you will be adding the health benefits of broccoli. Yes, broccoli! Each Brassica Tea bag includes 15 milligrams of the phytonutrient glucoraphanin that is found at the highest levels in broccoli. Studied for decades, the glucoraphanin helps to optimize the body’s own detoxification system. This powerful nutrient tags toxins for elimination while aiding in the actual elimination process.

Brassica® Tea Poached Pear
Servings: 6

IngredientsIngredients
5 Brassica Tea bags

6 cups filtered water

¾ cup honey

1- 1 inch piece ginger

½ tsp. vanilla bean powder or 1 vanilla bean

3 Bosc pears

Mascarpone cheese, greek yogurt, coconut yogurt, ice cream, etc.

Granola

Parchment Paper

Directions

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add tea bags to boiling water, remove saucepan from heat and let tea bags steep for approximately 8-10 minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from teas bags in saucepan and discard.Peeling Pears

Add honey, ginger, vanilla bean powder to the tea, stirring until honey has melted. Bring tea to a simmer and cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Peel pears using a carrot peeler and leave stems intact. With a melon baller or small spoon scoop out seeds from bottom of each pear. Add pears to saucepan and simmer for approximately 15 minutes until pears are tender. Remove pears from liquid and let cool.

Boiling pearsContinue to simmer the liquid in pan until it is reduced by about half and thickens. Discard ginger pieces and let tea cool. Cut pears in half and spoon the reduced liquid over the pear. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone cheese, greek or coconut yogurt or a scoop of ice cream and granola.

Recipe: Iced Coconut Brassica Tea with Glucoraphanin

The weather is warming up. As you shift from starting your day with a warm cup of tea to an iced treat in the afternoon, we encourage you to try our new Iced Coconut Brassica Tea recipe. One Brassica Tea bag contains 15 mg of the mighty phytonutrient from broccoli – glucoraphanin. Enjoy this tea knowing that you’re helping to boost your body’s natural detoxification systems. Recipe and photos courtesy of Amy Fischer, RD (@thegreenfisch). Tranquil beach scene not included with recipe.

Iced Coconut Brassica® Tea

Iced Coconut Brassica Tea with glucoraphanin recipe ingredientsIngredients

1 Brassica Tea bag

¾ filtered water

¾ cup coconut water

½ tsp. honey

3 sprigs of mint

Directions

Boil water; remove from heat and steep Brassica Tea bag in water for approximately 5 minutes. Add honey and mint sprig to tea and let cool. Squeeze excess from tea bag and discard with mint sprigs. Add coconut water and ice and serve. Serving size: 1

Recipe: Brassica Tea Poached Salmon

Do you love drinking a cup of Brassica Tea in the morning?  If you enjoy it in the morning, then you’ll be excited to hear that you can enjoy it in your dinner entrée too. Registered dietitian, Amy Fischer, created this Brassica Tea poached salmon recipe. Each tea bag includes 15 mg of glucoraphanin from broccoli to help boost your body’s natural detoxification pathways. Visit our tea store to purchase Brassica Tea with TrueBroc® in a variety of flavors – even decaf. Follow us @truebroc and Amy Fischer @thegreenfisch.

Ingredients for Brassica Tea Poached SalmonBrassica Tea Poached Salmon

Ingredients:

4 Brassica Tea bags

2 cups filtered water

4 cloves garlic

1 2-inch piece ginger root sliced

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp. mirin

2 tbsp. gluten-free tamari

1 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. coconut oil

4 (4-6 ounce) skinless salmon fillets

Optional: Gomasio or sesame seeds and lemon

Directions: Add water to a large pot and bring to boil, add 4 Brassica Tea bags, turn down heat to lowest setting and let tea bags steep for approximately 5 minutes, squeeze teas in water and then discard. Add garlic, ginger, mirin, tamari and 1 tsp. honey.

In a separate large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add salmon and sear on each side for about 3 minutes. Transfer salmon to the large pot with Brassica Tea to poach in liquid. Let sit for a couple of minutes or until salmon flakes easily.  Remove and serve with roasted broccoli and top with gomasio and lemon.  Serves 4.

Brassica Tea Poached Salmon Recipe

Recipe: Brassica Tea Rice Pudding

We’re sharing a delicious rice pudding recipe that incorporates our Brassica Tea with TrueBroc® glucoraphanin. The recipe and photos were created by Amy Fischer, RD. Be sure to follow her @thegreenfisch for other recipes and inspiring photos.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 cup brewed Brassica Tea
1 cup filtered waterTea Rice Pudding
1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
½ cup arborio rice
2 egg yolks
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 Tbsp. raw honey (or maple to make it a vegan dish)
1.2 tsp. vanilla bean powder
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
Optional toppings: ginger, raisins, greek yogurt, coconut yogurt

Directions:
Brew 1 cup tea using 2 Brassica Tea bags.
Combine 1 cup brewed tea, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup Arborio rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer, stirring frequently, cover and cook for ~25 min.

Tea Rice Pudding 3
Uncover and continue simmering and stirring frequently, stir in coconut milk and continue to simmer approximately 10min. until the rice is tender.
In a separate bowl beat egg yolks with honey, coconut sugar, cinnamon & vanilla. Slowly add some of the rice mixture to the egg yolks and with a whisk combine. Add mixture back into the rice and stir until combine well and egg mixed in. Remove from heat. The mixture will still be loose but will thicken as it stands and when chilled. Serve warm or chilled. Add toppings before serving.

Tea Rice Pudding 5

 

Spinach, Apple and Radish Salad with Brassica Green Tea Honey Vinaigrette

With apple season coming to a close, we’ve put together a delicious tangy spinach salad with apples, radishes and a green tea vinaigrette made from Brassica decaf green tea with TrueBroc® brand glucoraphanin. Not only do the radishes give this salad a zing, but they’re also packed with myrosinase and help to jump start the conversion of the glucoraphanin to sulforaphane. You’ll love this tasty antioxidant powerhouse.

Ingredients

– 3 cups baby spinach leaves
– 2 green apples, diced
– 2 radishes, thinly sliced Spinach-and-Apple-Salad-3
– 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
– 2 tbsp feta, crumbled (optional)

Dressing:
– 1/4 cup Brassica decaf green tea with TrueBroc®
– 2 tbsp red onion, diced
– 1 tbsp honey
– 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
– 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
– 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
– 2 tbsp fresh chopped chives
– salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Brassica Green Tea Honey Vinaigrette

1. Brew 1 cup Brassica decaf green tea as instructed on the package
2. In a large mixing bowl, add minced red onion
3. Combine additional ingredients one by one; honey, mustard, cider vinegar, olive oil
4. Add 1/4 cup brewed Brassica decaf green tea, mix well with whisk or fork
5. Add chives, salt and pepper to taste
6. Mix well
7. Let sit for 3 to 4 hours so flavors can infuse.

Toss baby spinach, diced green apples, radishes, and pomegranate seeds together. Top with with feta and Brassica green tea honey vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Healthy Back-to-School Snacks – Bite-Sized Portions

Our friend at YES! Nutrition – registered dietitian Tori Holthaus – shares 4 after school snacks that offer nutrition in bite-sized portions. She incorporates Brassica Decaf Green Tea – which is fortified with TrueBroc® from broccoli – in her “mini decaf green tea lemonade ice bites,” so when your little scholar doesn’t want to eat his or her broccoli, you can rest assured they’re still getting the powerful antioxidant protection from TrueBroc® glucoraphanin.

The Healing Power of Tea – Book features Brassica Tea!

Author Caroline Dow has a book out about Tea.  Here is an excerpt from her blog post about Brassica Tea.  Click here to read the entire blog post.

Brassica: The Planet’s Healthiest Tea

When researching my new book, THE HEALING POWER OF TEA,  I was surprised to find that not many people have heard of Brassica Tea and its health benefits. I wonder whether this is so because I live in Colorado and my state was chosen as the first test market for this tea.

Another possibility is that Brassica contains a component found in broccoli. Yes, that much maligned cruciferous vegetable, with what former President George W. Bush described as “a strong flavor.”Brassica oleracea italica is the Latin name for broccoli, but very little of the flavor, if any, makes it into Brassica tea.

More than a decade ago, scientists from JohnsHopkinsUniversity isolated the antioxidant in broccoli that battles free radicals and keeps them from destroying cells in the body, which can open the door to cancer and other chronic conditions. They called their find sulforaphane or SGS for short. Researchers were able to extract SGS from broccoli and add it to tea. Although any kind of tea can be infused with SGS, it seems to harmonize best with the vegetal flavors of various green teas.

Just one cup of Brassica tea will deliver to your body the equivalent of three ounces of fresh broccoli. You  bypass the distinctive broccoli taste and get an added nutritional boost courtesy of green tea’s catechins. This is why some enthusiasts believe that Brassica tea may be the healthiest tea on the planet.