Healthy Teas

Healthy Tea Tips

How To Start Drinking Tea to Improve Your Healthy Lifestyle

Tea has long been used as a refreshing, sweet drink to enjoy on a hot summer's day or simply as a way to relax and unwind at the end of the day. However, tea also provides many health benefits to the drinker.

The Health Benefits of Tea
  • Contains Powerful Antioxidants: Probably the most significant benefit of tea is that it contains powerful antioxidants, which research shows helps slow the aging process and helps protect the cells from environmental damage. It also contains polyphenols, which are known for their medicinal advantages, including helping to improve cardiovascular diseases.
  • Helps Lower LDL Cholesterol: Tea has been shown to help decrease bad cholesterol. In fact, a study published just this year showed that people who consumed at least four cups of green tea per day not only experienced lower levels of LDL cholesterol, but they also had a 32 percent lowered chance of having a heart attack.
  • Helps Prevent Cavities: The plant compounds in tea have been shown to change the pH balance in the mouth when you consume it, which may help prevent cavities and tooth loss. In fact, studies show that some teas, such as Rooibos tea, also contain calcium and other minerals, which help keep the teeth and bones strong.
  • Contains Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Tea contains catechins and epicatechins, which studies show help provide anti-inflammatory benefits. These same studies also show that over time people who drink tea are also at lower risk of developing diabetes.
Why Loose Tea is Better than Tea Bags
  • Made of Whole Leaves: Loose tea means the tea is made of pure, whole leaves. However, tea bags are made using smaller leaf pieces and leaf dust.
  • More Flavor and Aroma: Whole leaves are able to retain more essential oils, which gives them more flavor and aroma, whereas the smaller leaf pieces in tea bags allow the essential oils to dissolve, which can make the tea tasteless and stale.
  • Better Infusion: When loose leaf tea is steeped, it has plenty of space for the leaves to expand as the water soaks them, which extracts more flavors, vitamins, and minerals from the leaves as they infuse. However, when a tea bag is steeped, its infusion depends on the size of the tea bag.
  • More Flavor Varieties: Loose leaf teas are usually specialty teas from an estate or a province, meaning their flavor and profile can vary, which provides a wide range of flavors and aromas to select from. On the other hand, tea bags are typically blended to taste the same, so there is less of a flavor profile.
How Loose Tea is Prepared

There are a number of ways to prepare leaf tea; however, the most basic method is as follows:
  • Purchase an in-cup infuser. Infusers come in a wide range of sizes, so be sure to select the size that fits your cup and has enough space to allow your tea leaves to expand.
  • Select a cup.
  • Place the infuser into the cup along with some whole tea leaves.
  • Fill the cup with hot water.
  • Allow the tea to steep for 1 to 2 minutes or until you find the taste that suits you.
  • Remove the infuser along with the leaves.
  • Enjoy!
Once you gain a better understanding of steeping whole-leaf teas, simply experiment with different brewing methods to find the best one for you.

Types of Loose Tea to Begin with for Beginners
Healthy Green Tea
  • Green Tea: Green tea is one of the most popular teas around and provides many benefits, including helping to prevent certain types of cancers, boosting the metabolism, and aiding in weight loss.
  • Rooibos Tea: Rooibos tea makes a great alternative to sweet beverages, such as juice. It also contains no caffeine like other types of tea.
  • White Tea: White tea has a mild flavor and refreshing taste, and also contains little caffeine, which makes it an excellent tea for beginners who may not prefer the strong flavors of traditional teas.
What to Expect as a New Tea Drinker

As a new tea drinker, the main benefit you may notice after drinking tea is that you are more hydrated. In fact, research shows that tea also contains hydrating water, which makes it just as good as a glass of water at keeping your body quenched.

Other new tea drinkers also noticed that they became less prone to common colds after just one month of drinking a cup of tea per day. Some new tea drinkers also reported feeling more health-conscious after drinking tea, as it made them more aware of their health.

As a new tea drinker, studies show that in the long run, you may also find that you are less likely to develop diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and heart disease as compared with non-tea drinkers.



 About the Author

Dr. Josh Kantor D.C. owns and manages Chill Space, a leading Manhattan Health, and Wellness Spa. To learn more about scheduling a cryosauna session please visit his website at ChillSpaceNYC.com.

Additional References
Location: 124 E 40th St #603, New York, NY 10016, USA

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