Health Benefits of Tea Demystified
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We all know tea is healthy, but it can be overwhelming to pick which tea is best for which health goal and which packs the most bang for your nutritional buck.
Well I have good news for you – you have come to the right place to have tea demystified for you.
Initially, I got hooked on an after lunch “dessert” tea because I had a colleague who brewed some directly in her mug every day after she finished eating.
I still paired it with a sweet treat, but it felt like an indulgent ritual, and it took a big edge off my sweet tooth and signaled to my brain that the meal was over. (If you have a sweet tooth too, you must try this Crème Brulee or this Vanilla Berry Truffle. Holy crap.)
And who doesn’t want a little self-care treat in the middle of a busy work day? But beyond that I was still confused about all the conflicting headlines I’d skimmed about black being better than green for this or that. So finally I sat down and just googled it.
First things first, let’s separate tea from herbal tea. Real tea – which includes black, green, white, oolong, and puerh – are made from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis.
That is real tea with caffeine, and the difference among them is that they’re processed in different ways/for different lengths of time.
Herbal tea, on the other hand, is made from herbs, spices, flowers, and fruits and has no caffeine.
In other words, you can really boil anything and turn it into herbal tea (I’m being hyperbolic here, but you get my point). Think ginger and peppermint tea that you make when you have an upset stomach – those are just spices, flowers, and leaves of plants.
Learning that point alone made tea not overwhelming for me. (It also made me want to explore various combinations of things to mix to create herbal tea, but for now I rely on the experts at Art of Tea as I learn.)
Let’s focus on real tea now, and which you should choose for your specific health goals (lowering cholesterol, boosting your metabolism, etc.). Well here’s the good news for you:
Tea provides the same general benefits courtesy of all the antioxidants and nutrients:
Boosts Heart Health.
Polyphenols, a type of antioxidant in tea, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.
Lowers Blood Sugar.
By helping your body utilize insulin better.
Supports Gut Health.
Tea encourages the growth of good bacteria and inhibits bad bacteria. All this helps repair your stomach lining and reduce inflammation.
Want to start healing your microbiome? Do you prefer dark chocolate peppermint or coconut cacao? (Answer: both.)
Fights Inflammation.
The antioxidants fight the free radicals that allow inflammation to go unchecked.
Prevents Cancer.
Those same antioxidants are at work here.
Boosts metabolism.
The combination of caffeine and compounds in tea have been linked to a better metabolism. Please note that you are not going to lose 30 pounds drinking tea if you don’t have an overall healthy diet. Any “diet” that guarantees weight loss from a “magic” tea is a scam and potentially dangerous!
Increases focus.
In addition to caffeine, tea also contains an amino acid that helps you focus (by increasing your alpha brain waves)…while reducing stress at the same time!
So if they all have the same benefits, what’s the difference? It’s really just at what age the leaves are picked, then how they are processed.
Black tea:
Has the strongest flavor and is oxidized completely, hence the darker color. It has the most caffeine of the teas.
Green tea:
Tastes a little grassier and is only partially oxidized, then steamed, so it keeps its green color. This is the one most people associate with weight loss because of the EGCG, a polyphenol that has medicinal properties and helps the liver turn fat into energy. But remember, all teas are from the same plant, so you’ll get the same antioxidants, just in different amounts.
White tea:
Is mild in flavor, is harvested the earliest, and is not oxidized (just steamed). It has more antioxidants than green tea.
Puerh tea:
Is a little different because its processing involves fermentation, so it has extra tummy-friendly probiotic benefits.
Oolong tea:
Is particularly high in L-theanine, the amino acid I mentioned earlier that helps reduce stress and focus.
The bottom line is that since you get the same positives (in slightly different amounts) from whichever type you pick, go with the flavor profile you like the best!
That’s right, whatever your goals are, drink the tea you think tastes the best! Don’t know which teas will fit your tastes? Take this tea quiz to find the perfect flavors for you!
Hopefully this post has you thinking about adding some tea into your repertoire, whether it replaces one of your daily cups of coffee, is a treat alongside lunch at your desk, or becomes a nighttime ritual to help you wind down for bed.
But before you go reaching for an old bag of Lipton at the back of your kitchen cabinet, how about you upgrade your tea game a bit and try something new?
My favorite place to find new teas is The Art of Tea (the same site that has that quiz I posted above). They have traditional sachet bags, but they are way prettier than the ones you find at the grocery store (and are sure to make you feel fancy)! Or perhaps you want to step up your game and move onto loose leaf tea?
Regardless, Art of Tea has something for you! Start with this quiz to find the perfect blend for your taste, whether it’s real or herbal tea!
Looking for a kickstart to your nutritional plan beyond drinking more tea? Whether you are looking to reset your body after a long weekend in Vegas of salt and alcohol or just looking to recommit to your health, click below to get my FREE Three Day Liver Reset Meal Plan:
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