The wonders of modern science continue to amaze us with new cures and essential information on healthy living: what to eat, what to drink, what do to; and, of course, what not to eat, drink, and do. All of this is quite wonderful.
Well, most of the time.
Occasionally (just occasionally), some nice, innocent foods, drinks, and things-to-do get painted with the wrong health brush, and it's only through a re-examination of scientific research data combined with a rather passionate public relations effort that these blameless foods, drinks, and activities are redeemed. Chocolate is a good example of how a food can get, well, steamrolled by the healthy eating train. Wine is another example. And of course, lest we forget the noble avocado, which many dieters (and even non dieters) have kept at bay with almost superstitious fervor.
Now, thankfully, we bring to light another dietary item that the North American stomach has been rudely banished in the caffeine-free craze of the last decade or so: tea!
The simple truth is that tea is one of the earth's most generous sources of smart nutrition. In fact, by the time we're done looking at the major benefits of tea, you'll never be able to look at another cup the same way.
Tea Contains Antioxidants (the good guys)
The best known health benefit of tea ? regardless of the color (and we'll chat about that further below in this article) ? is its antioxidant properties. These antioxidants derive from chemicals called polyphenols, which are present in the leaves.
The thing is, when the body digests food, something rather unhealthy is created in that process; something called "free radicals". (And no, they don't run around your body with picket signs calling for anarchy and setting off pipe bombs). Free radicals are rather dangerous, and if left to roam freely in your body, lead to a menu of pretty terrifying health conditions, including: cancer, heart disease, stroke, ocular/vision problems, and even dementia. Thankfully, however, antioxidants ? which are plentiful in tea ? come to the rescue and help ward off the damage that free radicals would otherwise do if left to roam and damage freely. Antioxidants from tea are thus the "good guys" that come to the rescue when the free radicals want to do their damage.
Tea Helps Your Smile
Let's jump from one of tea's best known benefits to one of its least known benefits: it contains fluoride, which is great for tea and bone health. Fluoride is the stuff that dentists (at least 4 out of 5, apparently) add to toothpaste and water treatment systems to help ward off cavities, and to promote overall dental health. Furthermore, some teas, such as oolong tea, can help kill unhealthy bacteria in the mouth.
Tea Keeps you Beautiful
Here's a business idea: go to the beach, and instead of selling sunbathers ice cream or lemonade, sell them a nice steaming cup of tea. And when they begin to yell at you for selling something so unwanted on a hot day, show them this article (particularly the part in the next paragraph).
Researchers at the University of Arizona (they'd know a lot about the sun, right? It's sunny in Arizona?) have found that drinking tea ? particularly black tea ? can protect the skin against squamous-cell carcinoma (this is the second most common form of skin cancer in the US, affecting more than 200,000 people each year). There is also some research evidence pointing to tea's skin-care value as a topical lotion. Know what that means? Yup: instead of selling suntan lotion next to your black tea stand at the beach, you can just as happily sell black tea lotion. (You can even sell them bundled at a 10% discount!)
Tea is Hearty
We briefly touched upon tea's antioxidant properties; which is a fancy way of saying that tea helps deal with those evil free radicals that can lead to heart disease and stroke. Yet even though we've mentioned how tea "helps your heart", it's worth another mention because, well, it's good to have a healthy heart. Tea has been shown to lower "bad" cholesterol (a.k.a. LDL cholesterol), which can help stave off the myriad of extremely serious problems associated with high "bad" cholesterol, including the aforementioned stroke and heart disease.
Vitamin Tea?
We're not all that accustomed to enjoying vitamins from beverages that don't come from fruits and vegetables. But really, all we're "accustomed to" is accessing our vitamins from things that grow; and tea is certainly a thing that grows. In this light, it shouldn't come as a big surprise (though it often is surprising to learn) that tea is loaded with vitamins, including: Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6. "But that's not all" -- there's also a good dose of two very helpful minerals: potassium and manganese. Together, these vitamins and minerals help the body maintain a healthy heart, healthy nerves, healthy bones, and healthy digestion (among other healthy functions).
Future Health Research on Tea
As tea is being vigorously analyzed by scientists everywhere (you know how they like to analyze things), there are some very promising health research trends that involve tea. At the top of this list is cancer. Some studies suggest that both green and black tea help cells avoid becoming cancerous. While this does not cure the cancer, it can potentially help cancer from spreading, and enable the successful intervention of other treatments. Other research points to any tea deriving from the evergreen called "Camellia sinensis" as having cancer-fighting properties
A Tea by Any Other Color?
As promised: as you know, there are different kinds of tea available. Generally, they fall into categories based on color: green, tea, and red. Very simply, the amount of processing that the tea leave undergoes is what determines its color; with green tea being the least processed. This fact typically makes green tea the healthiest of the teas, and also typically means that green tea contains less caffeine than black tea. However, in some cases, the caffeine content can be the same; it all depends on the process. All teas, however, contain the wildly wonderful antioxidant properties that we've noted above.
Gary W. Griffin, Ph.D. is a researcher and an entrepreneur. He is also an avid tea drinker. This article is brought to you by tea faqs. If you're searching for information on tea faqs, visit us at tea faqs
efficient cleaning crew Highland Park ..Weight loss plans are almost always trying to get you... Read More
America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national attention... Read More
Cranberry juice was first made by American settlers in 1683.... Read More
The debate regarding Fluoride continues to rage, is it good... Read More
Understanding What a Low Cholesterol Diet isBasically, in order to... Read More
Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to... Read More
Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing my 6-month old... Read More
To research the health risks Sweet 'N Low and other... Read More
The adrenal or "stress glands" are small, triangular shaped glands... Read More
Can the colors on your plate tell you what health... Read More
The reason I remember the first time I was served... Read More
Olive oil is a healthy choice over other fats such... Read More
There are so many topics to discuss which affect our... Read More
Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for... Read More
In a new study published by the American Heart Association,... Read More
DeathDeath. Why it happens? Why do we die? Why do... Read More
Recently yet another super-heavyweight Iron Immortal died from a heart... Read More
Most red and white meats are very fatty and are... Read More
ABC News has recently focused on the possible anti-aging benefits... Read More
The American Heart Association recommends that you eat a variety... Read More
Oats (botanical name Avena sativa)An oat is a grass that... Read More
Scandinavian fishermen are a healthy bunch. It had long been... Read More
Fiber is the part of the plant that is resistant... Read More
Your Non-Conscious Mind is 98% of your full power. Over... Read More
Health is the thing. And no matter how many ways... Read More
scheduled maid service Park Ridge ..Question from Jack:A question from Jack, one of the subscribers... Read More
Mineral nutritionSearching for mineral nutrition information is much easier today... Read More
Do you want more energy? How about more of the... Read More
Incorporating these fat loss tips will improve your nutrition program.... Read More
Although you may have heard about soy and all of... Read More
Your fiber intake is a critical factor in weight loss... Read More
At any grocery store in North America right now, there... Read More
Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according... Read More
Ambrotose? - the Nutritional Alphabet of the "Sweet Language of... Read More
The nutritional support in critically ill patients can be explained... Read More
So what's all the shake up about anyway?. To put... Read More
With the array of different diets and diet foods available... Read More
Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news,... Read More
Meal sizes and frequency are very important. Over the years... Read More
The total calories that you should be consuming depend on... Read More
Your face turns flush and your skin starts to itch.... Read More
Since 1994, food manufacturers have required the Food and Drug... Read More
In this newsletter we will discuss the current controversy about... Read More
There are basically four major components, or essential molecular components... Read More
The question most people think they need an answer to... Read More
Instead of Butter: Use top quality, cold pressed, extra virgin... Read More
Glucosamine is readily produced in the human body and is... Read More
How Can... Read More
According to the renowned research scientist and inventor of the... Read More
We all need fat in our diet on a daily... Read More
Nutrition |