Why You Should Add Tea to Your Daily Plan

Tea plays a great role in the Asian countries. People from Japan, China, India and some eastern European countries have been enjoying the healthy benefits of drinking green tea for centuries.

If you are a passionate coffee lover and drink more than 2-3 cups of coffee a day, you may want to replace one or maybe even more of those with a cup of tea. Science confirms that drinking tea is useful for achieving and maintaining good health.

Green Tea

Green tea is a very powerful antioxidant, a lot more potent than vitamins such as C and E. Also it’s about 6% more potent as an antioxidant than black tea – the difference is the method of processing the tea lives; When producing black tea, the leaves are oxidized which destroys some of the beneficial compounds.

Green Tea Benefits Include

Cancer prevention:

It has been shown that green tea helps in preventing cancers in the gastrointestinal tract such as the stomach, small intestine, pancreas and colon. Lung cancer prostate, bladder and skin cancer have also shown a reduced risk of developing as an added benefit of drinking green tea.

Cholesterol Reduction:

Researchers have found that green tea has the ability to lower LDL a.k.a “bad” cholesterol. Also it helps to keep the cholesterol count in check when eating high amounts of high-cholesterol foods. This is important to note if you are an off-season bodybuilder and may be consuming high amounts of fatty foods.

Blood Pressure Reduction:

Heart attack victims are often advised to drink green tea or consume green tea extract because of the high ability to lower blood pressure.

Insulin Sensitivity Control and Reduction Of Blood Sugar:

A study was conducted on people with diabetes and was found out that tea helps in reducing blood sugar levels. Although blood sugar can be controlled with a healthy diet, surely it won’t hurt you to add a cup of tea to help you control your blood sugar.

Anti-Viral & Anti-Bacterial Benefits:

Green tea is noted for it’s anti-viral and anti-bacterial capabilities (1). Studies have been conducted regarding Green Tea’s effect on multiple types of influenza by inhibiting flu replication, and potentially acting on the virus itself
Other Benefits Include:

* Aiding and preventing type two diabetes
* Improving bone structure
* Preventing dangerous blood clots
* Improving blood structure
* Fat loss – Green tea works by increasing energy expenditure and also has thermogenic properties which promote fat burning.

White Tea Benefits

The main difference between green and white tea is in the method of processing. To produce  green tea, the leaves are exposed to high temperatures to dry off and remove the moisture, while white tea is dried naturally using sunlight or lowered temperatures indoors which preserves tea polyphenals.  Also the leaves are specially selected and true white tea is made only from Da Bai Hao Bush Leaves.

This is why white tea contains as three times more antioxidants than green tea and black tea, and is considered to be more beneficial and finer than green tea. Actually it’s considered that white tea is twice more effective in cleaning the free radicals from our bodies.
White tea has a pleasant, mellow taste that is subtle and also sweet. It has a delightful aroma and the leaf tea is very fruity.

Vitamins & Minerals in Tea

Vitamins :

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) – Included in most of the processes of obtaining energy from carbohydrates in our body. Promotes better appetite and digestion and is also needed for growth and reproduction.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) – Participates in all processes of degradation of carbohydrates, proteins , fats.
Vitamin B6 – Helps to release energy from food and enhances the metabolism of proteins. Also it is responsible for the division of tissue
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) – A very well known antioxidant. It’s known to fights some common types of virus and bacterial infections.
Vitamin K – Prevents blood clotting and helps build bone metabolism.
Carotene – It is converted to Vitamin A upon digestion. Promotes good eyesight and healthy skin.
Folic Acid – Red blood cell formation and gene formation.

Minerals :

Zinc – Essential for the development of reproductive organs and helps to heal wounds.
Manganese – Vital for growth and the body’s development.
Potassium – Essential for maintaining normal heart rhythm.
Fluorine – Protects the teeth and strengthens the bones.

Polyphenols

Flavonoids and catechins are groups of polyphenolic compounds. They help fight against cancer causing radicals and heart disease.