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Even if you’re an avid coffee drinker, tea provides a host of benefits that make it more than worthwhile to switch your warm beverage every now and then. But not all teas are created equal, and some provide more health benefits than others. Check out the top five healthiest teas below to make sure every sip will be revitalizing and nourishing.
White tea is loaded with antioxidants, and it’s considered even more powerful than green tea, which is already popular on the list of the healthiest teas available. Like green tea, it has catechins that could help fight cardiovascular disease and cancer. But drinking this tea can even reduce your risk of having a recurrence if you’re a breast cancer survivor, according to the American Cancer Society.
As mentioned above, the catechins in green tea make it one of the healthiest teas available. The antioxidants in green tea, combined with EGCG, have the potential to prevent heart disease and cancer. In fact, a study has found that if you drink just one cup a day, you could reduce your risk of heart disease by 10%. So definitely consider switching between white tea and green tea to keep things interesting and to avoid becoming bored with the flavors.
Oolong tea is a fantastic tea for those who wish to reduce their triglyceride count. This is because the tea will activate enzymes that reduce this type of fat within your blood. A study found that women who drank oolong tea were able to burn a bit more fat compared to women who drank water. Plus, the tea has niacin for natural detoxification, along with antioxidants.
Although highly caffeinated, black tea is still very healthy for you, as it contains theaflavins and thearubigins. These are antioxidants that can reduce cholesterol levels. Drink three or more cups per day to reduce your stroke risk by 21%.
You may turn to chamomile tea when you have an upset stomach or you want to relax and fall asleep, but there is more to this tea than that. With antioxidants that can stop or slow the growth of cancer cells, as well as prevent the side effects of diabetes, chamomile makes a tasty yet surprisingly healthy tea.
The next time you’re craving a warm beverage, reach for one of the five teas above to enjoy great flavor and health benefits.
Of course, just choosing the right options among the healthiest teas doesn’t necessarily guarantee you’ll get the most out of their benefits. Preparing these drinks properly can help you to make sure you draw the most benefits out of what the tea has to offer. This is particularly true of the antioxidant benefits they contain.
Use the following tips to maximize the benefits from the healthiest teas in your pantry.
Healthy teas are one of the areas of nutrition where choosing organic can make a substantial difference. Many types of teas are grown in areas with heavy pesticide use. Moreover, as teas are made from leaves, many growers will spray their crops to ensure they protect each leaf. Equally, leaves may absorb the pesticides from the soil or from the spraying itself. The disadvantages of pesticide consumption can offset any advantages from antioxidants. Therefore, organic products can be your top choice.
Sugar raises the calorie load in your healthy teas, which would otherwise not contain many calories at all. It also alters your insulin response in a way that could eliminate the benefits of the beverage. The same can be said of brown sugar, honey, maple syrup and other natural sweeteners. At the same time, skip the zero calorie sweeteners for which the only benefit is the taste, but they offer no other nutritional advantage.
Research has shown that adding dairy or whiteners to healthy teas will counteract any benefit offered by antioxidants in the beverage. Skip the addition to your cup to reap the most rewards from what you’re drinking.
If you want to enhance the taste of your healthy teas and still get lots of great health benefits, use lemon juice. It brightens flavor while adding some vitamin C to your drink. This will help you to boost the health benefits of what you’re drinking while making it tastier for you, too.
Heat the water to boiling, then let it cool for a minute or two before adding it to the cup or pot with the infuser. Don’t add boiling water, which is too hot for the leaves and can negate some of the benefits. Using loose leaf teas is typically considered to be far better for taste and nutritional benefits than bags. Bags often contain millions of microplastics which are shed into your cup and that you may be drinking each time. Moreover, many tea companies use lesser leaves when using bags than you would find in loose leaf options.
