Benefits of Drinking Tea – Discover The Many Health Benefits of Tea

Benefits of Drinking Tea – From Black to White and Don’t forget Green

Tea has been regarded as a key to good health, wisdom and happiness for thousands of years in the East – why it took so long for the West to catch up to this knowledge I’ll never know, but the benefits of drinking tea are undeniable.

Drinking tea has been shown to help with cancer, heart disease, weight loss, diabetes, lowering cholesterol and bringing mental clarity and alertness. An added benefit also is that tea has antimicrobial qualities.

What Are Antimicrobial Qualities You Ask?

Well, quite simply having the capability of destroying or inhibiting the growth of disease-causing microorganisms (bacteria, virus, etc.).

Unlike with Coffee (and yes there are some health benefits to coffee as well – we aren’t dissing coffee here!), but unlike coffee, there is no downside to tea (as coined by American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RA, LD.)

“I think it’s a great alternative to coffee drinking. First, tea has less caffeine. It’s pretty well established that the compounds in tea – their flavonoids – are good for the heart and may reduce cancer.”

What Are The Benefits of Drinking Tea Daily and What Kinds Are Best?

Any tea is good tea, however nutritionists prefer brewed teas over bottled so you avoid the extra calories and sweeteners. The main teas to be steeping in your cup for maximum health benefits include green, black and white tea however, oolong and pu-erh are wonderful as well. These teas are all derived from the Camellia sinensis plant (a shrub found in China and India that contains unique antioxidants called flavonoids.)

And an important note – the main four: green, black, white and oolong are the only things considered real tea. Anything else, such as herbal tea, is an infusion of a different plant (other than Camellia Sinensis) and isn’t technically considered tea.

The Health Benefits of Drinking Tea Include:

– fighting free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease and clogged arteries
– heightened mental alertness (thanks to caffeine and theanine)

Green Tea Benefits: (when made with steamed tea leaves)
– high concentratation of EGCG
– antioxidants may interfere with the growth of bladder, breast, lung, stomach, pancreatic and colorectal cancers
– prevents clogging of arteries
– helps burn fat
– counteracts oxidative stress on your brain
– reduces the risk of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
– reduces your risk of stroke
– improves cholesterol levels
– improves bone mineral density and strength

Black Tea Benefits: (when made with fermented tea leaves)
– highest caffeine content and may protect lungs from damage caused by cigarette smoke
– may also reduce the risk of stroke

White Tea Benefits: (uncured and unfermented)
– most potent anticancer properties when compared to more processed teas

Oolong Tea Benefits:
– possibly lowers bad cholesterol levels
– Wuyi also heavily marketed as a weight loss supplement (not backed by science…yet)

Pu-erh Tea Benefits: (made from fermented and aged leaves)
– In an animal study, those given pu-erh had less weight gain and reduced LDL cholesterol.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Drinking Tea:

1. The antioxidants in tea help protect your body from aging and effects of pollution.

2. Tea contains less caffeine than coffee. Coffee tends to have two to three times the caffeine than tea. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains about 135 mg of caffeine; whereas tea only has between 30-40 mg per cup.

3. Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke – blood clots formed from cholesterol and blood platelets can cause heart attack and stroke. Tea can help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free.

4. Want Stronger Bones? Studies have shown that tea drinkers who drank tea for 10 or more years had stronger bones than non-drinkers.

5. Great for your teeth! Tea contains flouride and tannins that help keep plaque at bay.

6. Raises your immune system so you can fight off infection and stay healthy!

7. Protects against cancer. Polyphenols, the antioxidants in tea are cancer fighters!!

8. Helps keep you hydrated. Although in the past tea used to be on the list of beverages that didn’t contribute to your daily fluid needs because of the caffeine – more recent studies show that caffeine is only an issue if you drink more than 5 or 6 cups of a caffeinated beverage at one time.

9. Calorie free! Tea doesn’t have any calories unless you add sweetener or milk. So drink up! And lose weight 🙂

10. Increases metabolism. If you have a slow metabolic rate or are having difficulty losing weight, green tea has been shown to increase metabolism.

So as you can see, the list of the benefits of drinking tea is long. The health benefits of tea are undeniable and from personal experience, having been a long time tea drinker, I can tell you that I always feel better when it is included in my diet. I’m not a big coffee drinker, never was because the caffeine either made me jittery or sleepy, weird I know.

For me, knowing that I’m doing my body good while drinking a nice hot cup of tea just makes me smile 🙂 It’s a great part of my day.

Are you a tea drinker yet? If so, what’s your favorite kind? If not, are you going to start? Please leave your comments below!

Thanks 🙂

Kat
Owner, NurturingYourBody.com