The Healthy Benefits of Tea – Nature’s Beneficial Brew

If you want a drink that will keep you healthy, make you feel younger and possibly live longer, put down that coffee cup and try a hot cup of tea, instead. Although, it contains caffeine, tea is especially beneficial to your heart and overall health.

Tea contains flavonoids, antioxidants that help to neutralize free radicals, which can cause cancer. Recent studies have found that people who regularly consume Black Tea have a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.

Virtually calorie free, tea is a refreshing beverage that contains no sodium, fat, carbonation or sugar. It also helps to maintain proper fluid balance. But drinking tea is not the only way to benefit from this natural beverage. Tea can be used in a variety of dishes from salad dressing to cake batters.

Tea aids in digestion and can help you to lose weight. By far, lower in calories than sugar-laden soft drinks, tea works on the body like a natural laxative. A great ally for losing weight, tea can boost exercise endurance. It also magically shrinks your waistline.

From the first sip to the last, a good cup of tea comforts a weary soul like a familiar friend. Warm and comforting, a cup of hot tea can make the stress melt away. There are even teas that will calm you and help you fall asleep, like chamomile tea.

Although tea has been around for thousands of years, it has found a new group of followers for its mystical brew. Tea bars and stores devoted to selling teas have sprung up everywhere. They encourage tastings and promote different brands and tea and food parings. There are so many different flavors that it’s easy to fall in love with at least one of them.

Loose-leaf tea comes in a variety of types in Black, White, Green or Oolong tea. Each has a different flavor and different health benefits. Loose-leaf tea is a higher quality tea with a much better taste than bag teas.

Iced tea is also beneficial to your health. Choose unsweetened tea to keep it virtually calorie-free. A cold glass of tea is a welcome refreshment on a hot summer day. It goes well with sandwiches, snacks or a full course meal. Totally versatile, hot or cold, tea is the favorite beverage that Americans choose to quench their thirst.