Tea: Steep, sip, be well
Before you take a sip of that triple, venti, half sweet, extra foam, caramel macchiato to get your motor running for the day, maybe you should give tea a chance.
Proven to have the health benefits related to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight loss, cholesterol and even have some positive effects on the brain, a cup of tea definitely deserves a second look.
“I think it’s a great alternative to coffee drinking,” American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Katherine Tallmadge said in a report on tea and its many health effects. "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,” she said.
The key to taking advantage of the many health benefits of tea is choosing the right one: black, white, green, herbal, oolong, puer—there are more than 3,000 variations.
Check out this list of teas and their proven health benefits:
- Chamomile: Hass antioxidants that may help prevent complications from diabetes, like loss of vision and nerve and kidney damage, and stunt the growth of cancer cells.
- Hibiscus: Drinking three cups of hibiscus tea daily lowered blood pressure in people with modestly elevated levels.
- White and green: Contain healthy amounts of polyphenols, antioxidants that help stave off chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease.
- Black: Contains ECGC, which may help against free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries. White and green tea also contains ECGC.
- Oolong: Can lower bad cholesterol levels.
“There doesn’t seem to be a downside to tea,” Tallmadge said.
And you can save yourself a few bucks. So steep and sip at home.
Posted on Aug 20, 2015 at 8:39 PM