Black Tea – Actually Good For You

Virtually everybody

has heard that old adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". 

People should realize that the ounces of vitamins, food supplements, dietary

products, and exercise equipment they buy as a preventative health measure

doesn't offset the pounds of fast food, carbonated beverages, cigarettes,

and alcohol they consume that are destroying their health. Many people don't

realize that one of the easiest, least expensive and effective measures to

shift the winning balance to the side of prevention is right under their

noses. If you drink tea you are already a winner but here are a few facts

regarding black tea and its miraculous effects.    

There are so many

different teas on the market it might surprise you to find out that they all

come from only one type of plant called camellia sinensis.  The different

teas get their unique color and flavor depending on the amount of processing

the leaves go through.   

Black tea, the most

common type used in the United States, goes through the most amount of

processing.  The leaves are picked, cleaned, sorted and then allowed to

oxidize giving it its rich dark color.  Black tea contains: Favonoids

(antioxidants)  which improve artery function helping to prevent heart

disease and strokes;  Tannins which effects gastric and intestinal activity

thus helping to control diarrhea (To help with diarrhea let the tea steep

for a full 15 minutes);

Theophylline, helping

to improve cholesterol levels; Fluoride to help prevent tooth decay; 

Polyphenols, shown by research to increase the number of white blood cells. 

Black tea also

contains vitamins c, a, b, k and traces of minerals including potassium and

calcium.  Loose tea gives more benefits than tea bags since loose tea goes

through less processing.   

Black tea only

contains about half as much caffeine as coffee and that level can be reduced

by reducing the brewing time.  The caffeine starts to release during brewing

after about a minute.  Small amounts of caffeine have beneficial effects

such as increased energy, improved circulation, and help in the release of

waste products.  Studies show that after drinking the caffeine from tea that

your energy rises slowly, plateaus and then gradually decreases. 

 As you can see black

tea is beneficial, so drink up and enjoy without feeling guilty for not

drinking herbal tea or green tea. Black tea may be enough to deliver that

extra ounce of prevention leading to better health. 

For other health tips

and alternative means of keeping healthy visit

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