The Enmarket Encourage Health Educational Series, in partnership with Healthy Savannah, will stream its next LIVE broadcast on Thursday, July 1, exploring “Tea: A Lifestyle of Longevity."

This fourth broadcast of the 2020-21 series will live-stream at 1:00 p.m. on Healthy Savannah’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/healthysav/) and also will be streamed on Enmarket’s Facebook page. The program will be rebroadcast at a later date on the City of Savannah’s Government Channel and on SavannahNow.com/podcasts.

The program will feature Wayne Ashford, founder of Indianapolis’ premier tea bar Tea’s Me Cafe and owner of Savannah’s Ashford Tea Company, located at 406 Oglethorpe Ave, who will speak on “Tea: A Lifestyle of Longevity.” This topic highlights the potential health benefits of drinking tea, from preventing a host of chronic conditions to a possible impact on the aging process.

Ashford has guided and educated tea novices and enthusiasts alike on “Living Life to the Tea!” and was recently featured in Cuisine Noir magazine.

“The fact is, the healing powers of this ancient beverage continue to interest doctors and scientists more and more,” said Ashford. “Research suggests drinking tea may help prevent everything from cavities to Parkinson’s. And some studies even indicate it may lead to longevity.”

With many people now placing a greater emphasis on a healthy immune system and overall health in the face of the ongoing pandemic, Ashford offers simple ways to incorporate tea into our daily lives. He will also share his own personal story about how his mother survived breast cancer without the use of common treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. He contends that her recovery was due, in part, to drinking green tea.

“Findings show that you only need to drink 16 ounces of tea daily to optimize health benefits,” said Ashford. “It is one of the simplest things you can incorporate into your lifestyle to eat cleaner and live healthier. I believe tea improves the quality of life.”

Now in its seventh year, the Enmarket Encourage Health Series pivoted from its traditional lunch-time lecture format to an online broadcast in 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus. The new format offers the opportunity for a wider audience to tap into and interact with experts as they provide important information on nutrition, physical fitness and wellbeing.

Each program of the 2020-21 series is hosted by Frandasia Williams, a wellness guide, writer and certified yoga teacher. Williams received her MFA in performing arts from Savannah College of Art and Design and is the owner of Guided Surender Wellness Studio.

While all of the broadcasts are free and available to the public, organizers are requesting that audience members virtually RSVP at www.healthysavannah.org/encouragehealthlive. Those who register will receive a friendly reminder when each show date draws near, along with special offers that encourage health.

The 7th Annual Enmarket Encourage Health Education Series is presented in partnership with Healthy Savannah; media sponsors, the Savannah Morning News and Savannah Magazine; and community partners, City of Savannah and Gulfstream. By going digital, the series is striving to safely engage with people wherever they are.