Healthy Teas – Steeping Your Way To Good Health
Tea is something many of us wish we drank more of. Herbal teas have garnered much attention as a tremendous caffeine-free drink that is pleasurable to our palate and healthy for our organs. Below is a list of healthy teas that benefit the body.
History of Tea
The history of tea dates far back to ancient China. Almost 5,000 years ago, Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He was immediately hooked on the pleasant scent of the resulting brew and tasted some of it. Only a few centuries later, tea had become a popular drink all over China. The art of preparing and drinking tea became an essential ritual in Chinese culture. Teahouses began to prosper and would go on to play a critical social role.
Europeans had already heard about tea from missionaries returning from the Far East. However, the Dutch were the first to bring some tea to Europe at the beginning of the 17th century. A few decades later, it had seeped throughout the rest of Europe.
Health Benefits of Tea
Did you know that consuming tea can have a huge, positive impact on your endurance and reduce the risk of having a heart attack? As studies indicate, the antioxidants in tea might even help protect against cancer.
Swapping your morning or afternoon cup of coffee for one of the teas listed below can make a huge difference. Drinking loads of coffee is hard on your heart and other organs. Tea can provide a pick-me-up without the high levels of caffeine, making you less jittery and helping you get to sleep when you want.
There is another, more obvious reason to add tea to your diet: It helps to keep you hydrated. Studies show that tea is healthier than just having water alone. Tea hydrates you and provides you with antioxidants. Antioxidants protect your body’s cells against the effects of free radicals — molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke and radiation.
Here are a few more reasons to add healthy teas to your daily routine!
Let’s Look at Some of the Best Healthy Teas:
5. Pu-erh Tea
Dr. Weil
Known for centuries as a “qi-enhancer,” or life-force enhancer, pu-erh tea is known for its digestive health properties and ability to enhance general health. In traditional Chinese herbalism, pu-erh tea is especially beneficial to “blood cleansing” and digestion. Therefore, many people drink this tea after meals.
Some studies have shown that Pu-erh may lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and increase metabolism. Pu-erh is occasionally touted as a diet tea. However, like all teas, we don’t recommend consuming it as a magical weight-loss tool. Instead, this tea should be an enjoyable part of a healthy diet. However, try to remain balanced on the caffeinated teas so you are not overloading unknowingly on caffeine, which could cause issues of its own (insomnia, reliance on caffeine, jitteriness, anxiety).
Pu-erh is generally higher in status than other teas. Because it is more prized, this tea is not drunk absent-mindedly. You may find pu-erh raw, green, or fermented into a black tea-like drink. The older the tea, the more prized it is, much like wine. Drink pu-erh like loose-leaf tea, letting the leaves settle to the bottom before drinking it.
4. Oolong Tea
Organic facts
Oolong tea is a semi-fermented black tea that has been shown to increase metabolism by 10% while decreasing the fat in the cells. Therefore, many people drink this tea to help them lose weight. Oolong tea is very high in antioxidants and protects the body from free radicals, and its astringency has proven helpful for digestive disorders.
Three times a day is a good drink for weight loss and cholesterol-lowering benefits. Researchers in China studied the relationship between drinking oolong tea and cholesterol levels, as high cholesterol levels can be associated with an increased risk for heart disease.
Surprisingly, oolong tea also strengthens bones while providing all these unique benefits. People often drink oolong after meals to aid in the breakdown of fats. People drink this tea hot or warm.
3. Green Tea
Harvard Health
Green tea has many excellent health benefits that have been touted for many years. Green tea is rich in polyphenols, which reduce inflammation and help to fight cancer.
This tea variety is on the list of healthy teas, as it helps lose weight, lowers cholesterol, and prevents diabetes and heart disease. Many of us don’t know, however, that green tea can also help to prevent dementia. Green tea is high in catechins, antioxidants that scope out free radicals that would otherwise damage many body parts. Many people love green tea for extra flavor, especially with lemon, honey, or stevia.
Green tea has become very popular in Western nations. People drink green tea hot, warm, iced, with or without flavor, loose leaf or in sachets, and organic or highly processed with tons of added sugar. You can choose the least-processed tea you can find. The best options are homemade and organic.
2. Hibiscus Tea
Simply Recipes
Hibiscus is a gentle herbal tea made from a beautiful, exotic-looking flower. People make the tea by boiling parts of the hibiscus plant, mostly the flower itself. Healthy teas such as hibiscus contain antioxidants, flavonols, and minerals. Hibiscus tea helps lower cholesterol in a gentle, non-aggressive fashion.
This tea has also been proven to help decrease bloating, prevent aging, and assist with weight loss due to its ability to control the body from absorbing carbohydrates. Hibiscus tea is ruby red and has a sour taste. Therefore, some call this variety “sour tea” and compare the flavor to cranberry.
In the past years, people have come to love hibiscus tea. Most coffee shops now offer this tea in both hot and iced varieties. Add a little stevia or honey for a sweet tea drink that can easily top unhealthy sugar-laden fruit juices that many of us have become accustomed to.
1. Dandelion Tea
Health Focus
It’s time to look at your garden differently. Instead of seeing weeds, envision a potent cocktail of nutrient-rich compounds. The health benefits of dandelion tea shouldn’t be ignored.
Dandelion root tea is an excellent aid for cleansing, explicitly targeting the liver and forcing cancer cells to die. This tea helps the liver break down waste products while supporting the kidney in filtering the waste products’ blood. Dandelion also stimulates the liver to create bile flow, aiding overall digestion. Finally, this tea can stabilize blood sugar levels, proving effective as an inflammation reducer. Overall, this tea is antioxidant-rich, nutrient-rich, and cholesterol-reducing.
Picking wild dandelions for homemade healthy teas sounds like an adventure, but you should be careful about the source of your supply. Not all dandelions grow in optimal conditions. Avoid any plants that could be contaminated by pollution.
Dandelion tea tastes great hot or warm. You can consume it throughout the day. Choose this tea in spring as a liver cleanse when these weeds grow. Add a bit of honey or stevia to sweetness the very characteristic taste.
Start experimenting with healthy teas today, and you’ll soon find dozens of ways to incorporate them into your everyday life.
Have you enjoyed reading about the potential health benefits of tea? Please look at our collection of articles about how to lose weight by cooking at home.
