Learning the Basics of a Tea Break Part I Articles | Medicine

By: Guy Starbuck

While many of us can’t get enough coffee, cappuccino, or mocha lattes the real beverage of choice should be tea. It has more nutritional value then any coffee ever had! So why are we so stuck on coffee? Caffeine of course it is very addictive and all the while it maybe harming more then it is helping!

The Chinese have cherished the benefits of tea for many centuries and some even before Christ! That is along time. So why do we try so hard to grab that cup of coffee when tea may sit in the shop right next to it? So with all this talk about benefits I know you are in a rush to hear them!

The Health Benefits of Tea:

“Tea” comes from Camellia Sinensis which is the Latin term for what we know as tea. The Evergreen tea bush is native to topical and sub-topical areas of Asia. There are six different types of tea:

• White tea
• Yellow tea
• Oolong tea
• Red Tea
• Black tea
• Green tea

Each tea is defined by the amount of time it is taken through the process. Tea is fermented and fired. White tea has the least amount of processing time while black tea is the most processed (i.e. Black tea).

Tea has several benefits including strengthening teeth and lowering risks of some cancers and people don’t drink it why…you say? So why is tea so powerful and how does this process work.

I will give you three reasons:

The First is:

Polyphenols- these are the 400 chemical compound which are all natural that tea contents. They act as protection for the tea bush and it young leaves.

They also protect the plant from UV lights that can damage the leaves and kill the plant. This also helps the plant’s seeds reproduce or germinate.

However for us it is the Flavonoid that are important. They are natural antioxidants that cleanse our bodies. These Flavonoid protect use from contracting things like:

• Skin cancer
• Oral cancer
• Colon Cancer
• And stomach cancers

When drinking only one cup of Black Tea daily you can reduce the chance of getting lung cancer by 50%! So why are you not drinking yet?

Flavonoid also help with things like:

• LDL Cholesterol
• Protect against heart attack
• Protect against stroke
• And enhance blood vessel performance

People are now realizing the benefits of tea and are including it more in diets around the world.

Next is Fluoride:

We all know that fluoride protects us against tooth decay but did you know that it is plentiful in tea leaves? Sure is between .5ppm-6ppm in one cup! Research is uncovering that fluoride may also protect our bones.

The last is Water which we all know is beneficial to us all considering 80-90% of our bodies are made up of water. We are recommended to receive at least 2.5-3.5 liters a day!

Water

Tea is a good contribution to your daily hydration and though tea has been categorized as not as healthy for us as it truly is you can blame it on the caffeine. However it takes 250mg-300mg of caffeine over a little amount of time to be harmful. On the flip side you would have to drink 5-6 cups at once to be detriment to your hydration.

All though many prefer coffee to tea any day, tea is far healthier for us and there is a lot of research available for you to decide on your own. So next time you go on your break make it a tea day instead of all that coffee!