The Surprising Health Benefits of Tea

Sip on this - drinking tea can have positive health benefits you may not know of! From lowering cholesterol to preventing heart disease to fighting signs of aging, you’ll be surprised to know just how much one little cup of tea can do for you!

Put your pinky’s up because we’re spilling the tea on all the different types of teas and their surprising health benefits! With so many types of tea, it can be very difficult to decide which one to drink. And, all the different types and flavours will definitely peak your curiosity and entice you to try them all. But, when it comes to tea there’s more than meets the eye. Although all teas seem like a simple blend of herbs, you will never expect how these tiny herbs can impact your health! Check it out!

Health Benefits of Chai Tea:

Chai Tea or masala chai is a caffeinated, sweet and spicy Indian Tea enjoyed all over the world. Chai tea refers to black tea combined with popular spices used in Ayurvedic medicine like cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, and black pepper to name a few. Some Chai tea even contain decadent sweets like chocolate and dried flowers. But unlike other teas, Chai tea is typically brewed longer and brewed with both milk and water, meaning that you get a more flavourful tea. But, did you know that this delicacy packs more than just flavour? Chai tea is full of surprising health benefits too! 

Since Chai tea contains a variety of healing spices (which you can read all about their health benefits here), regularly drinking Chai tea may improve your blood pressure, lower cholesterol and improve overall heart health. Chai tea may also play a role in controlling blood sugar and managing insulin resistance making it a good choice for diabetics. To reap these sugar regulating benefits, it’s important that you limit buying Chai Tea-based drinks from your favourite coffee shops to avoid a sugar overload. It’s best practice to make it at h

ome and if you like it sweet, use a natural or artificial sweetener instead of sugar.

Aside from dominating in the blood sugar department, Chai Tea may be a home remedy for nausea and digestive issues; The ginger in the Chai Tea along with the other spices help fight nausea, digest food, and can keep you from hanging out by the washroom all day long. But, wait, there's more! Chai tea can also help promote weight loss! This delicious tea can help curb hunger, keep you fuller longer, keep your body from absorbing unnecessary calories and stop your body from holding on to unnecessary fat. However, if you put too much milk, cream or sugar in your Chai Tea you may not be able to claim these weight maintenance benefits. 

Chai tea is also a great option for those looking to cut back on caffeine but are still in need of that small energy boost.. And, if you’re also in the market for an immune boosting tea, Chai tea may be just what you need. Chai tea may have more antioxidants than other black teas that can help fight off things that can make you sick. Chai tea may also help prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease and inflammation-related diseases like Alzheimers to name a few. Chai tea is also a great option for stress management as the spices provide a calming effect and it may even improve your mood. Chai tea may also play a role in pain relief, healing and helping you feel your best. However, you may not expect that Chai tea may also help relieve chronic coldness, bad breath, and it may even be a light aphrodisiac. 

As indicated above, Chai Tea is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to helping your body stay healthy. And since Chai tea is brewed longer, the health effects may be stronger than other teas!

Health Benefits of Green Tea

Word on the street is that green tea is a key player when it comes to good health. But, what is green tea even good for? Glad you asked. Green tea has an abundance of antioxidants that can boost your immune system, help prevent diseases like cancer, and overall help to keep the doctor away. Like Chai tea, green tea can also reduce inflammation and protect you from inflammation-related conditions.

One cup of this herby drink can help keep you alert, improve your memory and boost your overall brain function and health. So, you definitely know what we’ll be drinking during our next exam. And, if you also suffer from the pre-exam jitters, then green tea may be just what you need as it can help to calm your nerves. 

But, green tea is not only good for your head, it's also a natural metabolism booster, so you don’t have to worry about doing those extra crunches at the gym. Green tea behaves like a natural fat burner and boosts your metabolic rate so you can burn more calories with less effort, sign us up! But, there is a slight catch. To reap the benefits of green tea, you may have to avoid adding milk and boiling water to your green tea as it can interfere with the antioxidants. However, adding some lemon juice and using 160-170F degree water may help you absorb more of the amazing health benefits green tea has to offer. 

And if you love coffee but also enjoy having a beautiful smile, then you may want to consider switching to green tea. Although both drinks are caffeinated, coffee may stain your teeth while green tea may improve your oral health. Green tea contains catechins that work to fight the cavity-forming and bad breath bacteria in your mouth keeping your teeth looking their best. Additionally, with green tea you won’t get that energy crash after the caffeine wears off. Green tea can stabilize your energy and blood sugar levels so you don’t feel as if you’re on a wild energy roller coaster. In fact, green tea may improve insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels, making it great for diabetes management and prevention. On top of all the benefits mentioned above, green tea may also promote good cholesterol and blood pressure levels, prevent heart disease, increase weight loss, and even help you live longer. Green tea may just be the superhero we need. 

Health Benefits of Matcha

First things first, let’s get one thing straight, matcha and green tea are not the same. Although both are similar in colour and from the same plant, matcha offers 10x more benefits than green tea. Unlike matcha tea, other green teas don’t utilize the whole tea leaf, which is where most of the health benefits lay; But, fear not, that’s why matcha was created. Like other teas, matcha offers similar health benefits such as disease-fighting antioxidants, weight loss, increased brain power, reduced anxiety, and improved heart health, however since matcha uses the whole tea leaf you may see better results. Additionally, matcha can help your body detox from harmful substances. It helps to protect your liver and kidneys and it also helps both essential organs to do their never-ending jobs. 

Health Benefits of Black Tea

Although we briefly touched upon the health benefits of black tea in our Chai Tea section, there’s a couple other things that you should know about black tea. Black tea is the Mr.Popular of the tea world. Black tea is the base for many teas including Earl Grey, English Breakfast and of course Chai. Black tea contains the most caffeine amongst the teas, but not as much as coffee. 

As mentioned in the Chai tea section, black tea can protect against heart disease, inflammation, improve weight loss and promote overall health, but did you know that black tea can promote a healthy gut? That’s right, black tea polices the trillions of bacteria in your gut and helps to ensure that only the good bacteria are there. And, why do you want a healthy gut? Great question. Well, believe it or not, your gut runs the show when it comes to your health. The tiny bacteria in your gut control everything health-related, including your immune system. So, if there’s one thing that you want to maintain, it’s a healthy gut. And, if you have a leaky gut, then black tea may be just what you need as it can work to repair the lining of your digestive tract, leaving you leak free. 

Health Benefits of White Tea

Since white tea is the opposite of black tea, you might assume that these teas would produce opposing health effects, but not exactly. Unlike any other tea, to make white tea the leaves and buds of the tea plant are picked just before fully opening, when it’s covered in tiny white hairs. Then, the white tea is minimally processed allowing it to retain its flavour and its healthy superpowers. In fact, white tea is the least processed tea amongst teas, which makes it a force to be reckoned with in the health department. Like other teas, white tea can help fight and prevent heart disease, obesity, diabetes, brain disorders, chronic inflammation, and it can boost your immune system. However, it is important to note that due to the higher concentration of healthy properties in white tea, white tea can do all the things mentioned above better than any other tea.

One surprising health benefit about white tea that you may not know about is that white tea can help fight signs of aging in your skin. White tea has powerful compounds that help fight aging and protect the skin from the inside out. The high concentration of antioxidants in white tea may be responsible for helping to repair your skin from sun damage, and preventing fine lines and wrinkles.  

Another interesting health benefit of white tea is its ability to protect your teeth. White tea is a good source of fluoride, which helps to strengthen teeth and fight against cavities. Fluoride also has other properties that help to fight plaque buildup and keep your teeth shining. However, your teeth may not be the only bone that white tea may be able to support. White tea may help prevent osteoporosis, which is when your bones become porous and fragile. Regularly drinking white tea may give your bone cells the encouragement they need to build and repair your bones more often than tearing your bones down. Aside from having killer health benefits, you may want to opt for a cup of white tea if you're looking to cut down on your caffeine intake. White tea gives you the least amount of caffeine while giving you the most bang for your buck!

Health Benefits of Herbal Tea

Herbal tea is a diverse category of tea. In this category, you’ll find everything from Chamomile tea to Rooibos tea to Hibiscus tea. And, although each herbal tea deserves an article of its own, we’re going to cover the herbal teas as a whole. Herbal teas or tisanes are a blend of herbs, spices, fruits, dried flowers and tea leaves. Unlike other teas, herbal teas are typically caffeine-free. Herbal tea’s most popular trait is their ability to calm anxiety and help you relax. However, herba

l teas also have a good reputation for helping to improve blood pressure, maintain skin health, and heal an upset stomach. But, did you know that herbal teas can also reduce menstrual pain, muscle spasms, joint pain, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and even help to relieve allergies? You heard it here first, herbal tea can work as a natural remedy for many health problems. Some other cool health benefits of herbal teas include the ability to help you fight insomnia and restlessness. However, with power comes great responsibility, and for that reason you should avoid drinking herbal teas for more than two weeks in a row. 

So, let’s recap…

All types of teas have distinct, worthwhile health benefits. Health benefits range from protecting your body to boosting your body’s capabilities to repairing and relieving pain. Each tea contains different properties that determine the type and strength of their health benefits. Overall, drinking any type of tea consistently can be beneficial for your body. However, it is best practice to make your tea at home and avoid adding lots of cream or sugar to your tea. So, now that you know that tea-time is a worthy tradition,  raise your pinky to the sky and sip your way to better health. 

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Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek professional medical advice.