5 ways tea does your body good
and then see if you're ready to change your Starbucks order!
1. Tea contains antioxidants.
Like the Rust-Oleum paint that keeps your outdoor furniture from rusting, tea's
antioxidants protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of
pollution.
2. Tea has less caffeine than
coffee. Coffee usually has two to three times the caffeine of
tea (unless you're a fan of Morning Thunder, which combines caffeine with mate,
an herb that acts like caffeine in our body). An eight-ounce cup of coffee
contains around 135 mg caffeine; tea contains only 30 to 40 mg per cup. If
drinking coffee gives you the jitters, causes indigestion or headaches or
interferes with sleep --switch
to tea.
3. Tea may reduce your risk of
heart attack and stroke. Unwanted blood clots formed from
cholesterol and blood platelets cause heart attack and stroke. Drinking tea may
help keep your arteries smooth and clog-free, the same way a drain keeps your
bathroom pipes clear. A 5.6-year study from the Netherlands found a 70 percent
lower risk of fatal heart attack in people who drank at least two to three cups
of black tea daily compared to non-tea drinkers.
4. Tea protects your bones. It's not just the milk added to tea
that builds strong bones. One study that compared tea drinkers with
non-drinkers, found that people who drank tea for 10 or more years had the
strongest bones, even after adjusting for age, body weight, exercise, smoking
and other risk factors. The authors suggest that this may be the work of tea's
many beneficial phytochemicals.
5. Tea gives you a sweet smile.
One look at the grimy grin of Austin Powers and you may not think drinking tea
is good for your teeth, but think again. It's the sugar added to it that's
likely to blame for England's bad dental record. Tea itself actually contains
fluoride and tannins that may keep plaque at bay. So add unsweetened tea drinking
to your daily dental routine of brushing and flossing for healthier teeth and
gums.
