Tea...Cozy up and Drink to Your Health!
It's finally feeling like fall (and even winter!) in most parts of the country! ..and the favorite time of year to start, end and even keep your day going with a warm, soothing beverage! Tea is one of the most common drinks enjoyed around the world, second only to water. Not only does it taste delicious, it has many benefits for living a healthy lifestyle. Iced tea and black tea are the most common among Americans, however, the world offers four true teas: white, green, oolong and black tea. “True teas” come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal tea and rooibus tea, are technically not “true teas,” even though they are enjoyed just as much. Drinking even a cup of tea gives many healthy benefits, but also requires about 8 tea servings a day in order to truly see full, tea-healing results. You may think, “Wow, that’s a lot of tea! I can’t drink 8 cups of tea a day I will be up all night!” One cup of coffee has about 135mg of caffeine, while a true tea has anywhere from 5mg per cup in white tea to the highest of 45 mg per cup in black tea. Herbal and rooibus are caffeine free and still have numerous, healthy benefits. Here’s a closer look at the teas and the benefits you may experience:
White Tea:
Benefits: detoxifying the body, losing weight, improving cardiovascular health and preventing heart disease
White tea is the purest form of tea making it very delicate. Brew around 150° for 1-2 minutes.
Green Tea:
Benefits: improves heart health, reduce cancer risk, aids weight loss, lowers cholesterol, improves bone density and oral health, helps with fat oxidation in the body and has anti-aging properties
Green tea has been slightly oxidized during production. Japanese green tea has been steamed and Chinese green tea has been pan seared. Brew around 170° for 1-2 minutes.
Oolong Tea:
Benefits: supports weight loss, relieves eczema, strengthens heart health, reduces blood pressure, stabilizes blood sugar levels & diabetes, relieves physical and mental stress.
Oolong teas are slightly more oxidized than green but not as much as black tea. They can be fermented anywhere from 8% to 85%. Brew around 185° for 2-3 minutes.
Get more tea benefits!
