5 Healthy Reasons You Should Drink Tea Regularly

Tea is a popular drink, but it’s also extremely healthy. People have been drinking tea for centuries because of the ways that it can positively affect the body. The British may be on to something with their afternoon cup of tea! Here’s why you should drink a cup of tea with your meals this winter:

1. Drinking tea can help your digestion.

Digestion can be tricky to control — especially when it comes to fiber intake. Fiber is an essential part of our diets, but only about 5% of people reach their recommended daily fiber intake. Adult women need about 25 grams of fiber daily and adult men should strive for about 38 grams of daily fiber. However, meeting those numbers isn’t always feasible. With that said, drinking tea can help your digestion too!

Drinking tea can be a fantastic way to improve your digestion, whether it’s a typical day or your stomach aches. One way to improve your gut health is to drink fermented tea. Fermented beverages contain “good” bacteria like antioxidants and probiotics, which will help the cells in your intestines properly perform their functions.

2. Drinking tea can improve your heart health.

The nutrients in tea can help multiple systems of your body — including your heart. Drinking tea can regulate your cholesterol levels, which ultimately protects you from heart disease later in life. Studies show that drinking tea can also slow your body’s reduction of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (or “good” cholesterol) as you age. It can also lower your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (or “bad” cholesterol).

Green tea and black tea are two of the best teas for improving your heart health. It’s no accident that both are so popular! Green tea is even one of the best teas for cardiovascular health because it contains ACE inhibitors that lower your blood pressure and improve your blood circulation.

3. Drinking tea can help prevent cancer.

Another long-term health benefit tea provides is cancer prevention. Some studies show that the polyphenols in tea can slow down cancer cell growth. For example, these compounds can prevent bladder tumors from growing too large. Green tea, oolong tea, and black tea all have these important polyphenols, so drinking more tea could prevent you from having cancer scares in the future.

4. Drinking tea can boost your energy.

Do you have a hard time getting up in the morning? Sometimes you need to pour a cup of ambition (or tea!) for a pick-me-up. Tea has caffeine, so it can give you that morning energy jolt, but it still has less caffeine than coffee, so you don’t have to worry as much about your daily caffeine intake.

Some teas have a reputation for being great energy boosters. Green tea is a superstar in the tea world because it can increase your endurance and physical performance. Hibiscus tea can also increase your energy levels because it has sweet flavors from hibiscus extracts that help give you an alert start to your day.

5. Drinking tea can contribute to weight loss.

If you’re trying to lose weight, but you miss flavorful beverages, tea is a great choice for you. A cup of unsweetened tea only has a few calories, so it’s perfect for you if you want a warm, guilt-free drink.

Green tea’s antioxidants can help increase weight loss. Catechins make green tea famous for weight loss and can even help improve your metabolism. Also, green tea’s caffeine helps in thermogenesis, which is the  process that your body goes through to burn calories.

Tea is a global favorite not only because it’s great on a winter day but also because of its health properties. This winter, instead of warming up with your usual cup of coffee, try a tea drink — your body will thank you later!

Featured Photo by Drew Jemmett on Unsplash.