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Health

29th Jun 2014

Food High Five – Five Reasons Tea Is Good For You

This week, we’re looking at the health benefits of tea…

Rebecca McKnight

Every week, for our ‘Food High Five’ series, we talk about certain foods that have great health benefits.

This week, we’re looking at tea.

Unsweetened Tea: We all know that tea is full of antioxidants. These antioxidants promote blood flow, enhance memory, improve our mood and increase fat brew. Keeping the sugar out of your morning cuppa means that you’ll get even more health benefits from your brew. To give those antioxidants a major kickstart, drink your tea black (without milk) and hot or iced.

Contains antioxidants
Due to the antioxidants (catechins) it contains, tea can be said to strengthen your immune system and prevent against different types of cancer including breast, ovarian and skin.

Reduces risk of heart problems
Drinking tea can help to keep your arteries clear hence reducing your chances of having a heart attack or stroke. It is also believed to keep your cholesterol levels in check.

Strengthens bones
As well as the addition of milk, which contains calcium, tea itself has vitamin D in it which gives you strong bones.

Gives you a nice smile
While putting sugar in your tea won’t give you a nice smile, tea itself contains fluoride and tannins which fight plaque and kill bacteria.

Good for your memory
Another useful antioxidant in tea is EGCg which apparently helps to protect the brain against nerve damage thus protecting against Alzheimer’s disease.