10 Incredible Health Benefits of Tea You Should Be Aware Of
Are you a tea lover? Do you drink tea daily to feel fresh? If you nodded in agreement, you will be glad to know that tea offers a plethora of health benefits that most of us are unaware of. After water, tea ranks as the most devoured beverage globally. This most-loved refreshing beverage is believed to have its origin in northeast India and some more Asian countries. The production and processing of tea make the living of millions of families in several developing nations. The United Nations observes International Tea Day on the 21st of May every year to celebrate the economic significance of tea, cultural heritage, and health benefits of tea. It focuses on making tea production sustainable from field to cup promising its benefits for the masses, environment, rural development, and culture for generations. This year, International Tea Day 2023 will be celebrated on the 21st of May throughout the world. The theme of this global awareness day this year is “Sip, Share, and Celebrate: Uniting Through the Essence of Tea.”. It emphasizes the concept of unity and connection. It motivates people worldwide to embrace tea experiences and revel in the diversity and harmony they gift to us. Including teas in our diet is beneficial for our health. Both types of teas, namely true teas and herbal teas, offer several health benefits. Discover all about the types of teas and the health benefits they offer.
Two Prominent Categories of Tea:
True teas and herbal teas are two major categories of teas. Besides these, you can also find flavoured teas that are a mix of herbal infusions with a true tea base. Let’s have a look at two main categories of teas in detail.
True Teas:
These are prepared by using leaves of Camellia sinensis, the tea plant. Black tea, white tea, oolong tea, pu-erh tea, and green tea come into this category of true tea. Although all of these are prepared by using the same leaves of the same plant, the difference in taste and colour occurs due to the production process.
White and green teas are the least processed and not oxidized. Their leaves are harvested and, later, dried to prevent them from turning black or brown due to chemical reactions. So, these true teas retain the natural green hue. Moreover, they are the healthiest ones among the teas.
Oolong tea is partially oxidized, while black tea is completely oxidized. Pu-erh tea is the most fermented and oxidized one. The caffeine content in true tea varies and is also based on the production process. Although these teas provide you with health benefits, green tea is superior to all of them.
Herbal Teas:
These are produced by infusing herbs, stems, fruits, leaves, and roots. Herbal teas contain various compounds so their health benefits differ from those of true teas. The most crucial difference is that herbal teas do not contain any caffeine like true teas. Some most famous herbal teas include chamomile tea, ginger tea, lemon tea, and peppermint tea.
10 Outstanding Health Benefits of Teas:
Both true and herbal teas offer plenty of health benefits. Let’s have a look at the health benefits of teas.
Supports Digestives Health:
Drinking tea aids digestion greatly. Teas treat a range of digestive problems, such as stomach upset, nausea, and diarrhoea. Ginger tea is quite effective for treating an upset stomach. Gingerol and shogaol in this herb help soothe the internal lining of the stomach and prevent vomiting. You can also have peppermint tea to treat stomach disturbances, as it contains menthol and antioxidants in large quantities. The tannins in the teas are effective in minimizing the inflammation of your intestine. It also helps treat irritable bowel syndrome and ease abdominal cramps.
Safeguards Heart Health:
The intake of tea helps minimize the risk of serious heart-related conditions, such as blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. The anti-inflammatory effects of the tea lower the inflammation that otherwise can limit blood circulation leading to clots. They help soothe the tissues of your arteries. Drinking tea also lowers blood pressure levels in hypertensive individuals and reduces cholesterol levels.
Improves Energy Levels:
The small amount of caffeine in healthy green tea is quite effective in boosting your energy levels. If you are looking to cut back on your caffeine consumption, green tea can be a healthy choice to improve your energy. L-theanine, an amino acid, is responsible for green tea benefits that help boost your energy. It also lowers the absorption of caffeine. So, you experience improved focus and a steadier and long-lasting energy boost. Besides this, L-theanine content in green tea improves alpha waves in the brain which helps increase your concentration while offering you calming effects.
Aids Weight Loss:
Weight loss is another well-known one of the green tea benefits. The amino acids in this tea signal your body to promote fat-burning. The increased energy levels due to the consumption of this tea help you keep up with your workout routine. The extract of green tea, which is the concentrated form of green tea leaves, also helps accelerate weight loss. The intake of green tea helps you stay hydrated without gaining calories, as it is a calorie-free beverage. So, you may replace your sports drinks and sugary sodas with green tea to shed those extra kilos.
Beneficial for Mental Health:
Regular intake of tea helps minimize stress levels and lowers the risk of neurological diseases. It provides you with natural calming effects. Drinking green tea helps prevent cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Oxidative stress increases the risk of depression and dementia. However. the high antioxidant content in teas, such as black tea and green tea, helps minimize oxidative stress, which is responsible for damaging healthy cells. Antioxidants in the teas neutralize free radicals and eliminate toxins from your body, thereby lowering the risk of psychological health conditions. So, beat stress by drinking green tea regularly.
Manages Blood Pressure:
High blood pressure can raise your risk of suffering from heart attacks, kidney failure, vision loss, and stroke. Drinking black tea can help lower your blood pressure levels. The consumption of black tea regularly helps reduce your systolic and diastolic blood pressure and prevents or lowers the risk of various serious health conditions. So, blood pressure management is one of the black tea benefits you can avail of.
Regulates Blood Sugar Levels:
Keeping your blood sugar levels in check is one of the black tea benefits that can help prevent or lower the risk of regular type 2 diabetes. Black tea consumption has revealed a reduction in blood glucose levels after a meal and these sugar regulation effects last up to 2 hours post-meal. Polyphenols in the tea are believed to be responsible for it. So, if you wish to manage your blood sugar, you may include black tea in your diet. Also, polyphenols in black tea offer antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that help improve your health in general.
Aids in Preventing Cancer:
Polyphenols in green tea are effective in preventing cancer. The sub-group of polyphenols is called catechins, which offer you antioxidant benefits when you drink green tea. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the catechin in green tea that is believed to provide you with anti-tumour effects that safeguard you from developing cancer. These powerful anti-cancer benefits of green tea help in reducing the risk of mouth cancers, bladder cancer, lung cancer, and cancer of the food pipe. Thus, protection from cancer is one of the green tea benefits.
Improves Sleep:
Drinking chamomile tea helps reduce stress and relax you. One of the prominent benefits of chamomile tea is that it provides you with a mild sedative effect that helps induce sleep. So, you enjoy sound sleep after the intake of this herbal tea. Relief from muscle spasms and menstrual pain are other known chamomile tea benefits.
Detoxifies Your Body and Improves Skin Health and Texture:
The intake of lemon tea is highly beneficial for purifying your liver. The high citric acid content in lemons aids in detoxifying your liver, which is one of the major benefits of lemon tea. Drinking lemon tea on an empty stomach in the morning helps you in clearing off all the accumulated toxins and wastes from your liver, thereby detoxifying your body.
On top of that, lemon tea is loaded with astringent properties that help eliminate dead skin cells. This helps improve your skin health and imparts a glow to your face. So, the anti-inflammatory properties of lemon help you combat skin issues, such as pimples, eczema, and acne. So, you experience improved skin health which is one of the significant benefits of lemon tea.
Now that you know these incredible health benefits of tea, enrich your diet with various healthy teas. Let’s spread the word about how healthy teas are this International Tea Day so that a maximum number of people can benefit from them. The guidance of certified nutritionists, such as health experts at Health Total, can help you have a customised diet plan comprising herbal and true teas offering green and chamomile tea benefits. Our diet plan with black tea benefits and the benefits of lemon tea not only helps you feel energetic and fresh but also manages your weight, boosts your immunity, and prevents or lowers potential health risks. So, hurry up, reach out to us at Health Total and enjoy a happy and healthy life with our diet plan enriched with the phenomenal health benefits of teas.
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