How To Get Healthier By Drinking More Tea (Backed By Science)
Move aside coffee, tea is here to take your place!
Alright, I may not be ready to give up my morning coffee, but tea packs an amazing punch and can help boost your energy levels.
I’ve been drinking more tea instead of grabbing that second and third cup of coffee.
What Type Of Tea Benefits Your Health?
Not all tea is created equal!
The type of tea that packs a antioxidant punch are those that comes from the leaves Camellia Sinensis. Tea can be broken into 3 categories - White/Green Unfermented, Black (Fermented) and Oolong (Partially Fermented.
The great thing abut herbal tea is that they come in many flavors and can be enjoyed any time of day without the crash. It is delicious and great for your but not exactly tea –they are more like herbal infusions. Basically water infused with herbs. They are not considered to have the exact same antioxidant properties of tea processed from the Camellia Sinensis leaves.
5 Healthy Benefits Of Tea
Banish the Crash
If you are like me and love coffee, you already know about the mid-afternoon crash pushing you to fill your cup once again. Caffeine can increase cortisol levels and lead to neurological stress.
Instead of reaching for more coffee for a little boost, try tea. It has much less caffeine and is thought to reduce cortisol levels due to the presence of Theanine, which can help negate the effects of caffeine. According to this article, that can in turn reduce psycho and physiological stress.
That crash you feel after drinking a lot of coffee can be eliminated if you switched over to tea.
Help With Hair Shedding
There are also studies that conclude drinking green tea can also help with prevention of hair loss: This article on Hairgaurd states:
Many people who have used green tea to reverse their hair loss problems attribute the effects to the high levels of antioxidants. Other ways in which it could contribute to hair regrowth and prevention of hair loss are:
Improves circulation of hormones and improves blood flow.
Helps inhibit testosterone production and interferes with the conversion to DHT.
Contains a potent antioxidant called EGCG
Instead of drinking your tea, you can use it as a hair rinse. Although there are not a ton of scientific sources that validate tea helping with hair shedding, many naturals swear by using tea rinses on wash day. I have personally saw a reduction in hair shedding by rinsing my hair with tea.
REDUCE FREE RADICALS
It is crucial to have a balance between antioxidants and free radicals to prevent oxidative stress can lead to degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The great news is that you can get enough antioxidants to counteract the negative effects of free radicals.
Tea contains catechins, a natural antioxidant that can help fight free radicals in the body.
As mentioned earlier, you can switch to tea for your mid afternoon drink for a quick antioxidant pick me up.
Help With Weight Loss
Not only is tea delicious but it can also aid in weight loss.
This article reveals:
“The main antioxidant in tea, EGCG, can help inhibit an enzyme that breaks down the hormone norepinephrine.
When this enzyme is inhibited, the amount of norepinephrine increases, promoting fat breakdown”
When combined with regular exercise, tea has the ability to help muscular endurance allowing you to work out longer and more effectively.
Since green tea can also increase muscular endurance, it promotes using fat as an energy source. Keep in mind that this works in the long term drinking about 4 cups a day so don’t expect a cup of tea to magically burn your belly fat.
INCREASED HEART HEALTH
Drinking tea is associated with increased cardiovascular and metabolic health.
As you chug your new favorite tea, remember that your health is a balance. Tea isn’t a miracle cure for poor eating habits, lack of exercise and ignored stress.
For the best benefit, combine tea drinking with regular cardiovascular exercise. Try mixing it up with both steady state cardio (running, biking, stairs),interval training, or High Intensity Interval Training.
Be sure to properly warm up for each and stretch afterward.
Conclusion
Drink tea to help benefit your health, not as a supplement to unhealthy choices.
Remember that there are no “easy fixes” when it comes to your heath and wellness. All things take consistency and practice.
Please friends, don’t fall into the “Skinny Tea” trap. These teas are essentially “weight loss” supplements that promote a loss of fluids by providing an extreme diuretic effect. The combination of caffeine and diuretic herbs should not be used long term.
Jump into the comments and tell me what type of tea is your favorite!
