Tea is the second mostly consumed beverage on the earth, after water. Green tea, black tea, mint tea and chamomile tea spotlight a seemingly infinite array of wholesome teas.
But, not all sorts of tea are created equal. Certain sorts are more healthy than others. Some are almost as excessive in caffeine as your morning espresso, whereas sure natural teas might provide help to relaxation higher, ease nausea, or help digestion after an enormous meal.
“I love tea,” says Brocha Soloff, BS, RD, CDN, founding father of iHeart Health. “It is the best low-calorie winter drink.”
Let’s run down the listing of the healthiest sorts of teas. (Note: sugary “sweet tea,” detox teas for weight reduction, and fat-burning teas did not make this listing!)
1. Black Tea
As with inexperienced, white, oolong, and puer teas, black tea comes from a plant referred to as Camellia sinensis. The distinction between a majority of these teas is how they’re processed, however they’re all from the identical plant.
About 84% of all tea consumed within the US annually is black tea, in response to the Tea Association of the USA. Black tea is constructed from younger leaves and buds which have been utterly oxidized, which is what offers the leaves their darkish shade.
Black tea has probably the most caffeine of all teas, with about 47 mg per cup. (By comparability, a cup of brewed breakfast mix espresso accommodates about 92 mg.)
“Black tea is good for oral health, heart health, and also contains antioxidants,” says Soloff.
2. Oolong Tea
Oolong teas are made by partially oxidizing tea leaves, giving this tea power and shade that’s a cross between black tea and inexperienced tea.
While not as well-known within the US as black or inexperienced tea, oolong tea accommodates the identical useful polyphenols and — like different sorts of tea — gives loads of well being advantages to your coronary heart, mind, bones, and enamel, says Soloff.
In addition, research counsel it could increase your metabolism, and would possibly defend in opposition to growing sort 2 diabetes in addition to sure sorts of most cancers.
“At the end of the day, oolong tea is an incredibly healthy and tasty addition to your lifestyle,” Soloff says.
3. Green Tea
Widely referred to as a superfood, inexperienced tea is constructed from tea leaves that aren’t oxidized after harvest. They are as an alternative steamed, then shortly dried and saved. Green tea has about 29 mg of caffeine per cup.
While all tea is wholesome, “green tea is probably the healthiest,” says Soloff.
Green tea will get this glorious status as a result of it’s excessive in antioxidant-like compounds, that are believed to have a useful impact on mind operate. The best-known antioxidant-like compound in inexperienced tea is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). Green tea can also assist help weight reduction.
Green tea will get this noble, very good, and so forth., status as a result of it’s excessive in antioxidants, which is believed to have a useful impact on mind operate.
4. Matcha Green Tea
Matcha is a kind of shade-grown inexperienced tea with much more antioxidant-like compound exercise — and caffeine than fundamental inexperienced tea. The leaves are fastidiously, finely floor into the intense inexperienced powder you see utilized in lattes and baked items.
Not solely does it have all the identical advantages as common inexperienced tea, however matcha additionally accommodates 137 occasions extra EGCG! This excessive stage of EGCG is believed to positively affect temper and cognition, too.
5. White Tea
Like inexperienced tea, white tea comes from leaves that aren’t oxidized. The distinction is that white tea is constructed from leaves and buds that haven’t totally opened. They stay coated with skinny, white hairs.
White tea has a extra delicate style and barely much less caffeine. It is thought-about to be a kind of inexperienced tea, with lots of the similar advantages.
Like inexperienced tea, “white tea is high in antioxidant-like compounds and is good for weight loss, insulin resistance, and osteoporosis,” says Soloff.
6. Puer Tea
Dark teas like puer (or pu-erh) are fermented, giving them a wealthy, darkish style. Similar to black teas when it comes to their advantages, puer teas are full of polyphenols and regarded to be a fermented beverage.
7. Chamomile Tea
Made from the dried flowers of the chamomile plant, chamomile tea has an extended historical past of use as a medicinal herb.
While extra analysis is required, chamomile has been proven to assist with digestion and sleep. Swap your PM glass of chardonnay for a cup of chamomile to advertise higher sleep.
8. Mint Tea
Peppermint and spearmint are wealthy in antioxidant-like compounds, and are one of the vital extensively consumed natural teas.
While quite a lot of well being advantages have been ascribed to peppermint oil, there’s inadequate scientific proof that these prolong to its drinkable kind. Serve mint tea after massive meals as a digestif.
9. Hibiscus Tea
Sweet and tart hibiscus tea (often known as bitter tea) is scrumptious heat or iced. Made from the dried calyces of roselle flowers, hibiscus tea is wealthy in antioxidant-like compounds and should assist help wholesome blood stress, when used with dietary and way of life modifications (although extra analysis is required).
Keep a pitcher of this scorching pink tea within the fridge all summer time lengthy!
10. Ginger Tea
Spicy-sweet ginger tea is filled with antioxidant-like compounds and serves as an important abdomen soother. And, whereas extra analysis is required, some experiences are linking ginger to serving to painful durations, too.
If you get queasy within the automotive, brew up some ginger tea earlier than highway journeys. Dried ginger is stronger than recent, however you need to use both to make ginger tea anytime.
11. Passionflower Tea
Passionflower tea has a mildly candy and fruity style. Made from the Passiflora incarnata plant, this herb has been been reported to scale back anxiousness in people with anxiousness issues and assist enhance sleep high quality. Sip a mug at bedtime or when feeling notably anxious.
12. Fruit Tea
Want the sweetness of fruit juice with out the sugar or energy? Reach for a fruit tea, constructed from dried fruit or fruit extracts. “I love fruit-flavored teas,” says Soloff. “They give me that taste of having something flavored but without the sugar of fruit drinks.”
Serve them iced when you’re attempting to kick a juice or soda behavior, and as an alternative of including sweetener add a squeeze of lemon or lime.
Is It OK to Drink Tea Every Day?
If you don’t add cream or sugar, tea is of course calorie-free, and Soloff considers its well being advantages to be superior to espresso’s. And, sipping on tea could possibly be a great way to remain hydrated, too.
“Herbal teas count toward your hydration goals unless they contain caffeine, which they usually do not,” says Soloff. That’s nice information for anybody who will get bored sipping on plain water all through the day.
If you drink tea for the caffeine, that’s high-quality, however Soloff says you’ll have to drink much more water to succeed in your hydration targets.
Because of the diuretic impact of caffeine, she says, ingesting a cup of caffeinated tea (like black tea or inexperienced tea) could be like ingesting half a cup of water. (A useful behavior is to drink a cup of water after each cup of espresso or tea.)
The caffeine content material in tea can vary from 14 to 61 mg per serving:
- White tea accommodates the least caffeine.
- Oolong and inexperienced tea are within the center.
- Black tea is probably the most caffeinated tea.
Research revealed in 2008 within the Journal of Analytical Toxicology discovered that caffeine content material can range by model and steeping time, too.
From offering vitality, boosting well being, and selling restfulness, every sort of tea comes with their very own distinctive advantages, so use this information to find out which one is best for you.