Health Benefits of Drinking Tea

Put that "diet" soft drink down. Diet soda is even worse for you than regular. I strongly believe that water should be everyone's drink of choice. We are made up of mostly water so why aren't we drinking enough of it? So how much water should you be drinking? Do you know the health benefits of drinking tea? You are about to find out! My rule of thumb is to take your weight, divide it by two and that is the number of ounces you should consume minimum daily.

Example: I weight 140 lbs. Divided by 2 is 70. I should be drinking at least 70 ounces of water.

Plain water can get a little boring so I like to add a little lemon or lime to it or infuse it with difference fruits but there is an even better option!

The third and best way to get the most health benefit out of your beverage is to drink tea! Caffeinated tea can be a great replacement for your morning coffee or afternoon pop craving!

How Drinking Tea Affects Your Health

Health Benefits of Drinking Black Tea

Black tea is first on our list because it is easily the most popular tea and it actually accounts for an amazing 75% of global tea consumption! If you rink black tea you will notice it has a slightly bitter flavor. Black Tea  contains the most caffeine out of all the teas — about 40 milligrams per cup. To put that into perceptive a  cup of coffee has between 50 to 100. This tea is popular and very well known for it's health benefits.

Health Benefits: The many diverse health benefits of black tea include beneficial properties for the following medical conditions: high cholesterol, diarrhea, tooth decay, low-concentration levels, digestive problems, poor blood circulation, high blood pressure, and asthma. Plain black tea is also  is rich in antioxidants known as polyphenols. With the slightly bitter taste black tea is normally sweetened with honey, lemon, or milk. Some may even brew it with other flavor enhancing herbs like ginger or cinnamon.

Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

It can easily be argued that green tea could be the healthiest beverage in the world, being loaded with powerful antioxidants and nutrients. It's also one of the oldest known teas with origins tying back to ancient China. I love green tea but not for the taste, i dink it because it helps keep my weight in check and the other health benefits are just icing on the cake!

Health Benefits: Green tea has insane health benefits! Here are a few of the more "well-known" health benefits of drinking Green Tea: increased Weight loss and better weight management, lows your risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease, Esophageal Cancer, Cholesterol, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, Blood Pressure. It also helps prevent tooth decay. Green tea has a chemical antioxidant called “catechin”. Studies have shown that it can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions. Green tea is also amazing for your skin, it can help with wrinkles and the signs of aging because of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Related: Which Teas are the Best For Weight Loss? ​

Health Benefits of Drinking Oolong Tea

Oolong tea and green tea are two of the most popular teas that have weight loss and weight management properties. This is way both of these teas are commonly found in tea based detox and weight loss formulas. So what is Oolong tea? Dating back to almost 400 years, this tea strives from the leaves, buds and stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. Oolong tea is slightly fermented and semi-oxidized, this gives it a tastes somewhere in between that of Black tea and Green tea.  

Health Benefits: Oolong tea is extremely rich in antioxidants. From a nutritional perspective, Oolong tea also contains vital vitamins and minerals. These include calcium, manganese, copper, carotin, selenium, and potassium, as well as vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin K. But that not the end of it. Oolong tea also contains folic acid, niacin amide and other detoxifying alkaloids. Health benefits of Oolong tea includes Weight Management, Removal of harmful free radicals, Healthier skin, Healthy bones, can controls diabetes, and it has anti-cancer properties. Oolong tea also can help with stress management and Mental performance and health. As far as Oolong tea blend go one of the best and most powerful blends that I've found is Kou Tea.

Related: Top 5 Detox Teas for Weight Loss

Health Benefits of Drinking Herbal Tea

Herbal tea is actually a​ typically some combination of dried fruits, flowers, and herbs and they don't contain any caffeine making them a great option for those that are sensitive to caffeine. Herbal tea is also the class of tea that many flower/herb specific teas are grouped into. For example the class of "Herbal Tea" includes tea like  Chamomile Tea, Cinnamon Tea, Dandelion Tea, Ginger Tea, Hibiscus Tea, Peppermint Tea, etc. Often these herbal tea are added to create "tea blends" that are very flavorful and pleasant  to drink. You will also find them added to Green, Black, or Oolong tea to give them more flavor.

Health Benefits: Herbal teas are loaded with antioxidants and the health benefits of herbal tea will be dependent on the blend based on what herbs are included. ​You can go wrong with brewing a cup of herbal tea! Let's take cinnamon tea as an example. This warm and spicy tea has health benefits that range from from fighting viruses to soothing an upset stomach to stabilizing blood sugar. It is also thought that cinnamon tea may help with weight loss and can ease menstrual cramps. Here is a quick reference of a few more popular herbal teas and the health benefits often associated with them:

Peppermint tea: ​clear a stuffy nose, soothe a sore throat, ease stomach cramps, ward off a cold, relive stress, as well as reduce bloating.

Ginger Tea: ​stops nausea, eases the pain of arthritis and rheumatism, lowers cholesterol, and can help with weight loss.

​Chamomile Tea: ease aches and pains, soothe a colicky baby, sleep soundly through the night, or provide relief from irritated skin.

​Dandelion Tea: cleanse the liver, ease constipation, stimulate digestion, reduce fluid retention, and even relieve the pain and swelling of arthritis

​Hibiscus Tea: High in vitamin C and antioxidants, known for lowering blood pressure, relieves insomnia, helps with weight management, and even fights free radicals.

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