Love a good cup of tea? These days many people are making the switch to tea for a healthier option, but did you know some teas are worse than coffee? In this episode, Jen takes you through the different types of teas and shares which ones are the best to sip and enjoy.
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SHOWNOTES
“Life is like a cup of tea. It is meant to be filled up and enjoyed with friends.”
As a naturopath, these days I see a lot of people drinking more tea than coffee, and that is good – or maybe not so good – depending on how they are doing it.
Firstly, let’s address, is coffee bad for you? No! But eating crappy, instant coffee and drinking too much of it is. Good quality coffee that is close to nature and not made into a big milky latte is ok. It’s caffeine, yes, but in balance it’s ok. It’s when we go to the extremes that we have trouble. A bit of caffeine is alright for you, but too much will tax your adrenal glands.
More recently, however, people are thinking, I’m going to be healthier, I’m going to stop drinking coffee, and I’m going to have more tea – though tea has caffeine too! Again, if it’s close to nature and in balance, it’s alright. But sometimes, tea can be not as good for you as coffee, and I want to explain why.
So let’s start with what tea is. Tea is a bush; Camellia Sinensis is its botanical name.
Teas that are closest to nature are:
- White Tea – not fermented, 60-80% antioxidants
- Green Tea – not fermented, 60-80% antioxidants
- Matcha Green Tea – 137% more antioxidants (generally powdered)
The next step away is:
- ‘Oolong Tea – partially fermented, fewer antioxidants and more caffeine
Then there is:
- Black tea – fully fermented, way less antioxidants and way more caffeine
The ideal brewing time for tea is less than one minute. If you are brewing your tea for less than one minute, you take in the caffeine and antioxidants and skip the tannins.
Why am I not a fan of tannins? Tannin is what is used to turn animal hide into leather shoes, belts and handbags. It dries it out and takes skin and turns it into leather, which is tough as nuts.
When we drink tannins, the part of our body that is dehydrated the most is our intestine. Our small intestine is where we absorb all of our water-soluble and fat-soluble nutrients. It dries the walls of our intestine out like leather, and we can’t take things up. One nutrient that tannin blocks in a big way is iron.
Even though the tea is made on water, the tannins can outweigh it, and it can dry you out – joints as well.
Change your tea to white tea or green tea – teas that are close to nature, brewed for less than a minute count as water.
Is tea good for your immune system? Yes!
One laboratory study suggested that a particular type of polyphenols (micronutrients) called catechins found in tea may kill influenza viruses.
So, today’s Healthy Life Hacks are:
- Have tea that is close to nature as possible – give green tea or white tea a go – it counts as water
Make sure you brew your tea for less than one minute
Did you enjoy the podcast today? Please let me know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Every month I draw one lucky reviewer to have a free one-hour consultation with me. Also, remember to subscribe wherever you’re tuning in from so that you always catch the next episode.
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