Research study after research study have shown us just how bad soft drinks are for our long term health. We have all also seen how back and forth research on coffee is. Some days it is good for us, other days it is one of the worst things we can drink. But one thing that pretty much everyone agrees upon, is that drinking tea is not only better for you than these other drinks, but it can generally be healthy and offer several health benefits.
But first, we must all understand that there are four different types of tea. Black tea is the most common in the United States and most of Europe, and is often what our iced teas are made out of. White tea often has decent health benefits and has become more dominant in western markets over the past few years. Green tea is often cited as having the most health benefits all around, and comes from many East Asian countries, where they have been drinking it for thousands of years. And lastly is oolong tea, the darker tea from the East Asian countries. Herbal tea is not actually tea at all, but a simple plant infusion.
As an avid tea drinker myself, I have compiled a list of some of these benefits to share with the world.
1 – Tea can actually help boost exercise endurance, so that we can exercise longer and smarter to achieve that healthy body we all want. On top of that, green tea can actually help the body burn fat quicker, allowing for quicker weight loss and also allowing muscle mass to build at a better pace.
2 – Research has shown that drinking tea can actually lesson the chances of having a heart attack. Many tests have also shown that simply drinking tea improves cardiovascular health all around, leading to better circulation and a stronger, healthier heart.
3 – Cancer is one of the largest plagues that mankind deals with in the modern age. And research has shown that tea can actually help stave off cancer cells. While it should not be considered a miracle drink and used as your only source of staying healthy, any chances of keeping cancer free should be jumped at with joy.
4 – Tea can actually help absorb and fight off free radicals. While you may not know what that means, the basic concept is that tea can absorb these oxygen rich free radicals and keep them from damaging our DNA on a very basic level. This is a large health benefit.
5 – Despite having caffeine content, tea will fully hydrate the body. So while drinking water throughout your day, especially while working out, is important, tea can also help keep your body hydrated so you don’t have to worry about the health issues down the line.
6 – Drinking tea has been shown to help lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease. Sadly, it is unable to reverse the effects of the disease when it has already come into play, but reducing the risk of getting it in the first place gives many people a good reason to enjoy a nice hot cup every day.
7 – Some studies have shown that tea drinking helps protect our skin from the harmful UV rays that the sun likes to give off. While it is no alternative for sunscreen, any added boost is always welcome.
8 – Drinking tea, especially compared to soft drinks, helps keep your waistline down. It can also help prevent various metabolic disorders that slow down the processing of food and lead to larger waists. So if you want to fit into those skinny jeans you love, tea can help you wear them forever.
9 – By drinking tea regularly, it can actually help counteract the negative effects of smoking and reduce the risk of lung cancer. Ideally, one wouldn’t be smoking at all when they’re considering something for a health benefit, but for those that do smoke, tea drinking can help out greatly.
10 – Green tea can help diabetics process simple sugars better, leading to a better overall state of health for them.
11 – Tea actually helps the body recover from radiation. While large exposure levels are always fatal, minor exposure to radiation can be treated in tandem with tea drinking.
12 – Green tea not only tastes great, but helps improve bone density and strength. So drinking it throughout ones life can not only help strengthen the body, but can help stave off brittle bone disorders later in life.
13 – Tea is slowly being shown to help neurological disorders and even neurological strength. By drinking tea, green tea especially, degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s can both help be prevented and somewhat treated.
As you can see, the health benefits of drinking tea are astounding. And unlike the negative effects of drinking soft drinks such as heart problems and kidney failure, tea offers many benefits instead. Not to mention the simple weight kept off by avoiding large amounts of soft drinks and beers.
So cast aside your morning coffee in favor of a hot cup of tea. Get rid of that six pack of soda in your fridge and make some nice ice tea to keep your cool during the hot days. Tea not only tastes great, but it can help you live a longer, healthier life.
