Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water and many people like to drink tea because it gives them a sense of calm and focus; however, most people do not realize how many health benefits this drink provides, such as weight loss, improved heart health, dental care, and more.
Here are some ways you can incorporate this healthy drink into your life:
The Health Benefits of Drinking Tea
- Tea Protects Your Heart Against Saturated Fats
Trans fats are some of the worst ingredients for heart health. They raise your cholesterol level, which increases the risk of heart disease. - High Quality Tea Contains a Great Source of Antioxidants
This helps lower your LDL cholesterol because antioxidants fight off free radicals. Those are the bad guys (cells) that cause damage to your body and is a great fighter against many diseases. - A Great Source of L-Carnitine
This ingredient helps convert fats into energy. This means that your body can absorb more of the good fats. - Can Keep You Calmer
Mint teas, chamomile teas, lavender teas, and rose teas are just some of the teas that can give you a calming effect, especially if you are stressed. - Tea Helps with Weight Management
Teas have catechins that may boost metabolism and when your metabolism is higher, you use more energy; in other words, it helps your body break down fats more quickly. Additionally, caffeine in tea also increases your energy use, causing your body to burn more calories. Caffeine also helps to keep you more alert. One caveat though is people who have heart conditions should consult with a medical professional prior to consuming caffeine.One Size Does Not Fit All
Did you know that each teabag has different amounts of caffeine in it? You can even drink different types of tea to discover how it affects your body. Here are some teas you can consider:
- Green Tea:
When you drink green tea, you are getting lots of nutrients in addition to caffeine. It’s a great source of antioxidants that can help you fight against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. - Black Tea: Black tea is a very high antioxidant and can help with liver disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and more. It also helps relieve pain, reduces the effects of acne, and has anti-inflammatory properties that can help with digestive issues.
- White Tea: If you are looking for a less intense caffeinated tea, white tea is a great option.
How To Make Tea
Do not let a cloudy tea glass scare you. There are several different ways to make tea that will make it a little clearer. The first way to make tea is by soaking the tea leaves in water, ideally boiling them for three minutes.
The best thing to do is steep the tea leaves in a pot with enough water to cover the leaves, bring it to a boil, and then let it sit for two minutes. If the tea still isn’t clear, place the tea leaves in a strainer and rinse the leaves through several times. To make a light tea, add a teaspoon of honey to the water. If the leaves are still a little cloudy, place them in a strainer and rinse them through a couple of times. Having black tea does not mean you have to do without sugar. To make a tea with just enough sugar, add a teaspoon of honey to the water.
Best Types of Tea for Your Health
For many of the health benefits listed above, you can drink an assortment of teas, which can come in a variety of flavors and strengths. Generally, the darker the tea, the stronger and more antioxidant-rich it is. There are many health benefits that come from drinking loose-leaf teas. The darker the tea leaves, the more caffeine it contains.
Generally, green and oolong teas have less caffeine, while black and yellow teas have a lot of caffeine. It’s important to make sure that you always use high-quality loose-leaf tea. This is because it is the best way to get the most health benefits. Look for loose-leaf tea made from High-Quality Teas, which have been carefully brewed and steeped to extract the most caffeine out of the tea leaves.
What Exactly is Tea?
What Is Tea? Tea is an herbaceous perennial plant that originated in Asia. Tea’s botanical name is Camellia sinensis. It can be brewed from black, green, oolong, and white teas. The botanical name for green tea is C.sinensis var. assamica.
Tea tree oil is the name for a derivative of tea tree. Tea tree oil has been used for a long time as a topical and oral spray to treat a variety of conditions. It’s used to heal skin infections, wounds, itching, eczema, acne, and sunburns. It’s also used to repel insects and pests. It is also used as an antiseptic in people with skin infections. Tea & Cola I am sure you can guess this right away – the combination of tea and cola tastes awful.
What is the Best Time to Drink Tea?
Tea has caffeine, but it’s much less than coffee or soda. While drinking tea does not have the same negative effects as caffeine, it can be harmful if you drink it too close to bedtime, as it has been shown to keep you awake longer. How much tea should I drink? If you want to lose weight, drink around five cups of tea a day.
If you are looking to lose weight and promote a healthy diet, you should drink around three cups of tea a day. Drinking tea can lower your cholesterol and insulin levels. What other benefits does tea offer? Tea is high in antioxidants, which can help lower the risk of heart disease and cancer. It is also a natural substance to make bile, which aids in digestion. Tea contains sugar, but it can be sweetened with honey, maple syrup, or fruit.
Can I Drink Tea While Pregnant?
Many pregnant women drink green tea, as it helps to lower the chances of birth defects and other complications. However, a small amount of research shows that drinking tea while pregnant could put your child at a higher risk for death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). However, most of these studies were done on rats, so it is not yet clear if drinking tea during pregnancy is actually harmful to your baby. For more information, click here. Can I drink green tea when breastfeeding? Most green tea companies will produce tea with caffeine that has been decaffeinated. That means you can drink green tea while breastfeeding, but it is not recommended.
Can I Drink Tea if I Have Type 2 Diabetes?
According to The American Diabetes Association, tea is one of the best non-medicinal diabetes treatments. However, it is still important to talk to your doctor before adding it to your daily diabetes regimen. For more information, please visit the American Diabetes Association website. Can I drink tea if I have type 1 diabetes? A non-tea drink like juice can be very harmful to your body when consumed every day. Therefore, it is recommended that people with diabetes slowly reduce their juice consumption and increase the amount of water they drink. For more information, please visit the American Diabetes Association website. Can I drink tea if I have type 2 diabetes? Tea has an almost equal mix of carbohydrates and protein as other foods.
Which is Healthier, Green or Black Tea?
Both green and black tea contain polyphenols, which are phytonutrients, but only green tea contains catechins.
2. Catechins provide antioxidant properties that help fight harmful free radicals in the body.
3. Catechins have neuroprotective benefits, which help protect the brain from damage.
4. Catechins support the metabolism of glucose, which helps control blood sugar levels.
5. Catechins can help slow the aging of the skin and promote glowing skin.
6. Catechins help reduce the body’s production of uric acid, which causes gout.
Bottom Line
Most all teas carry a large array of health benefits, but it is up to you to decide which teas are best for you or maybe try different ones and not stick to just one kind of tea.
Continuing on our binge of healthy items at the bagel store, we have so spoken about eating healthy foods and what healthy foods are available at the bagel store, but we have not touched specifically on healthy bagels! That’s right. Healthy bagels! 
Whole grain bagels contain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than regular bagels. Bagels that are billed as wholemeal are made from 100 percent wholemeal flour, but you can also eat standard bagels made from processed flour. However, do not assume that they always contain whole grains.
Studies show that e
