It should always be tea time!

The mad hatter honestly said it best when he exclaimed that “it’s always tea time!”. I completely agree. Since the age of four, tea has probably been my favourite beverage. In all its forms, temperatures and variations, no matter what time of year, tea tends to be my usual drink of choice (apart from water but what is tea more than hot, flavoured water?). In fact, I might go as far as to say that I’m a tea-a-holic! 

Now I know that tea isn’t the world’s most popular hot beverage. Even if I just look at my immediate family, I’m the only one who will pick tea over coffee. However, just because tea may not be as popular, doesn’t mean you should knock it until you try it. Because there are so many different types of tea, it means that different teas are good for different things. Besides that, tea is known to have several health benefits, and if you don’t like one type, I promise you that somewhere in the world there is a type of tea you will enjoy. There are too many possibilities for there not to be at least one that you don’t enjoy. So, as I sit here drinking some steaming tea in one of my favourite mugs, today I will be sharing with you some of the great reasons why you should try adding tea to your beverage list. Let’s begin 

It can reduce certain health risks

I’m always wary when I read through health studies and articles about the benefits or negatives of foods and drinks because you can never be too sure that they’re giving you all of the facts. However, tea has been shown in countless studies to reduce certain health risks, such as heart attacks and strokes. It can potentially improve the blood flow, thus reducing the risk of clots, as well as lowering cholesterol levels. Now I wouldn’t say that tea alone will prevent you from having a heart attack or a stroke, but the small things we do every day to improve our health can’t hurt. Drinking several cups of green tea (or one cup of matcha tea) a day has shown to reduce the risks of said health problems. Who knew drinking tea could be so powerful? 

Keeps your body hydrated 

Like I mentioned in a very simply put way earlier, tea is mainly hot water with some flavouring leaves in it. Although regular water is the ideal and primary fluid to keeping your body hydrated, tea can also be useful when it comes to the hydration of your body. It may be higher in caffeine (and calories if you add milk, sugar etc.), but tea is still good for hydration because it provides a flavoursome and health-filled-source of water. Just make sure you don’t drink too many steaming cups a day because as good as tea can be for you, repeatedly drinking hot beverages isn’t great. 

Can prevent tooth decay 

I didn’t actually know this until the beginning of this year because who would have thought that consuming anything other than water could be good for teeth health? But apparently, regular consumption of tea can strengthen your teeth and lower potential risks of tooth decay. Tea happens to be a great source of fluoride, and fluoride has been known to bolster tooth enamel. Not only that, but because of all the antioxidants in tea, tea can even potentially fight against bacteria and gum disease. Wow! (But please do remember to brush your teeth regularly! Just because tea can help strengthen your teeth and enamel that doesn’t mean it washes away all of the bacteria and stuff that collects on our teeth throughout the day.)

Weight-loss buddy 

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it twice (probably more than that if I’m honest) and plenty of health scientists have said it, but tea is actually a great weight-loss buddy. I first realised this when I was looking at the ingredients listed on the back of several weight-loss pill bottles and found that almost all of them contained extracts of green tea. Now if green tea extract is a primary ingredient in several weight-loss pills, that is evidence enough, right? Green tea has been known to boost metabolism, help with bloating and suppress hunger. It is also a great detox beverage. Essentially what I am trying to say, having tried it myself and noticed what a great positive addition it has been to my daily liquid intake, is if you are trying to lose weight, drinking a few cups of green tea every day is undoubtedly going to do you some good. 

There are so many options

Now I have no qualms against coffee. However, comparing the two, tea gives you so many more options than coffee does. Sure you get different roasting methods for coffee, the taste varies from the various sources, and you can add plenty of different flavourings. But, there are seven different types of tea (as in black, herbal, oolong, white etc.) and within those main seven branches are over 3000 varieties. All of them have their own unique taste, different ways you can drink them to enhance the flavours and all have various benefits. For example: 

• Green tea, as I said, is a great weight-loss buddy. It speeds up your metabolism and is known to suppress hunger, help with bloating, enhance energy (because it has got caffeine) and is great for detoxing. 
• Black teas are another great alternative to coffee as they are quite high in caffeine. They also supposedly reduce negativity, and as such help with anxiety and headaches. 
• Chamomile, much like lavender (you can get lavender teas), are the peaceful teas. They help reduce anxiety, soothes and calms your nerves and can help you sleep better. 
• Peppermint, known for its zingy flavour, as you can imagine, can be an energy booster. However, it also promotes digestion and can even combat mental stress. 
• Ginger tea is excellent when you’re feeling under the weather. Due to the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger, it can help with sore throats, colds and flu. I’ve also read that it can reduce bloating. 

See how great those all sound? And that is barely the tip of the tea iceberg. There are so many different teas, each with their own great flavours and benefits, so I’m sure that there is at least one type of tea that you can enjoy, even if you aren’t a tea drinker. 

Boosts memory

You thought it was a coincidence that so many old people drink tea, but if you dig a little deeper, there is a scientific reason why that might be so. Scientists say that certain types of tea (such as green tea, wow green tea is really on a roll!) can help to strengthen the memory cells in the brain, as well as offer protection from issues such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Huh. So maybe students should be drinking tea by the jug when it is exam time? 

It’s essentially calorie-free 

Last but not least, and something I love so much about this drink, is that if you don’t add anything to it, it is virtually calorie-free! There are so few things in the world that have little to no calories, and still taste good but thankfully, we have tea. As long as you don’t add sugar, honey, milk or anything else really to your cup, tea is essentially an incredibly healthy, appetite suppressing and feel-good beverage that doesn’t do anything to messing up your calories for the day. Now if that isn’t the most fantastic thing ever, then I genuinely don’t know what is. 

And so there you have it! So you see, tea may sound like a drink only for bookworms, librarians and senior citizens but it certainly is not! Tea, in all its incredible variety, is so much more than that. It is a delicious, soothing beverage that comes with so many health benefits and in so many different forms. 

So, if tea isn’t your drink, why not try a cup? Let me know how you like it! If you are like me and can’t consume enough of it, what is your favourite tea?? Personally, I love green tea (most types but my best is one that is pomegranate, raspberry and strawberry flavoured) and chai tea. 

As always though, thank you all so much for reading today’s blog post! Please remember to hit that like button if you enjoyed it, subscribe so that you don’t miss out on any future blog posts and share this post with your friends so they too can enhance their love of tea! Now, go pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy the rest of your day! 

Lots of Love

Blondey on a Mission xxx