In our previous post we spoke about how in certain rare cases, tea could pose some health problems - when it is taken in excess or in the case of poor quality or adulterated teas. However, in order to make sure that you get the best out of your tea - that you receive the maximum health benefits from tea, keep the following in mind:
No Sugar
For best results to accrue from tea, do not add sugar. Did you know that drinking green tea is good for your teeth? However this benefit is negated if you add sugar to the tea - sugar is not good for your teeth. So if possible, avoid adding sugar to the tea.
No Milk
Scientists have also found that it is best not to add milk to tea - that splash of milk even, can negate the relaxing impact of black tea it has been found. Even the benefit to cardiovascular health that is noted in tea drinkers is seen only when the tea is drunk without milk - this could be the reason why the positive impacts of tea drinking are seen more clearly in East Asian countries rather than other areas where tea is traditionally taken with milk and sugar.
Brew it for just the Right Amount of Time
Brewing tea or steeping it for too little time may result in not enough of the nutrients reaching our system and in its health benefits being negated somewhat. Also steeping tea for too long may cause more of the caffeine content to leach into the beverage, which is neither beneficial nor recommended. Also certain teas may have high fluoride and / or aluminum contents which may leach into the water if steeped for too long.
Use Good Quality Tea
Certain unscrupulous manufacturers pass off adulterated tea or tea with fillers as tea - this can end up having a negative rather than positive effect on one’s health. So it is important to make sure that you buy only good quality tea from reputed manufacturers who are responsible and accountable to their consumers and are concerned with passing on the health benefits of their product to the people.
Drink Tea in Moderation
It is true for anything - that anything in excess is bad; that moderation is the key to deriving an optimal benefit from anything. So it is in the case of tea as well - many of the so called problems that come from tea drinking occur due to people consuming too much tea. Drinking 4 - 6 cups of tea a day will cause no problems (unless medically advised not to drink tea for some reason). So remember to drink wisely and enjoy your tea and help it keep you healthy!
