Tea may be a welcome break for the buzzing coffee lovers. When your immune system is on its last leg, and you have already thrown back three coffees and three energy pills, why not complete your day with a cup of tea. It is delicious, too.

Asians have been enjoying the healthy benefits of drinking green tea for thousands of year. Scientific research is now confirming 4,000 years of folklore and medicinal uses of tea for achieving and maintaining good health.

The amount of tea consumed a day in Asian countries typically is three and a half cups or more per day. It can be steeped for 3 to 15 minutes depending on your preference. There are many good health reasons for tea drinking which could benefit everyone, and its virtues are now being recognized. Tea drinking is becoming more popular in Western countries, and hopefully now in the Fitness communities!

Tea drinking is also a ceremony to involve your love ones and communities. This is a form of stress reduction and relaxation. No wonder why tea drinkers live so healthy.

Green Tea

Green tea has shown far greater antioxidant protection than the well known polyphenols in antioxidant vitamins such as C and E. Green tea is 6% more potent as an antioxidant than black tea.


Green tea is produced by lightly steaming the fresh cut black tea leaf, whereas black tea, the leaves are oxidized which destroys some of the compounds which have the potent antioxidant and anticancer properties that green tea has.
The forms of cancer that green tea has shown the most aid in preventing cancer of is the gastrointestinal tract such as the stomach, small intestine, pancreas and colon. Lung cancer prostate, bladder and skin cancer have also shown a reduced risk of developing as an added benefit of drinking green tea.

Other Benefits Include

Blood Sugar Reduction:

• Persons with diabetes who drank tea had a reduction in their blood sugar. You may already know how to control your blood sugar with your diet, but now you can add tea to help keep your blood sugar consistent.

Cholesterol and Lipid Reduction:

• Researchers have found that by drinking green tea the "bad" cholesterol can be reduced, and tea drinkers can eat almost twice the foods containing cholesterol as those who don't drink green tea, but still have an equal cholesterol count. This is important to note if you are an off-season bodybuilder and may be consuming hi amounts of cholesterol.

Blood Pressure and Coronary Artery Reduction:

• Green tea has been extensively tested and has been found to be highly beneficial in lowering blood pressure and aiding the recovery of heart attack victims.

A Mood Stabilizer

• Because the ritual of drinking tea and the social dynamics, it can be a therapeutic intervention for anxious and depressed individuals.
• The delicious and soul touching taste of tea can also be part of the aroma therapy
  

Viral & Bacterial Agents Lowered:

• Green tea has shown to inhibit the spread of disease. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective in treating everything from tooth decay and HIV. Green tea can also relieve influenza and diarrhea.

Other Benefits Include:

• Improving blood structure
• Sexual stamina
• Preventing osteoporosis and arthritis
• Improving bone structure
• Preventing dangerous blood clots
• Aiding and preventing diabetes type two
• Helping Parkinson's disease sufferers
• Preventing bad breath
• Calorie burning - Green tea should be used as part of a healthy diet, as it can play a role in controlling weight. Green tea works by increasing energy expenditure and also has thermogenic properties which promote fat burning.

White Tea

One of the big differences between green and white tea is in the processing. Green tea is exposed to high temperatures to remove the moisture and drying the leaf, while white tea is dried naturally using sunlight or lowered temperatures indoors which preserves tea polyphenals.


Therefore, white tea is especially potent and it has three times as many antioxidant polyphenols as green or black tea, and has shown to be 100% more effective in cleaning up free radicals that cause our skin to sag as we age.


White tea is more expensive because it is produced in a different way from all other teas. The leaves come from special bushes and then dried in the sun. Only special leaves are selected. Some of the world's best known tea experts consider white tea to be even finer than green tea. True white tea only comes from the Da Bai Hao Bush.

It is better to brew white tea at a cooler temperature instead of boiling water. There are different kinds of white tea. The more expensive the tea the better grade of tea leaves used to produce the product. Yes, you get what you pay for!


White tea has a pleasant, mellow taste that is subtle and also sweet. It has a delightful aroma and the leaf tea is very fruity.

Why not try tea today?

I am debating whether to drink Chinese Wutong tea or Vietnamese Da Lat tea. Is it important or tea is tea?

Drinking tea from China or Vietnam is not as important as long as you are drinking tea. Tea from Dalat, Vietnam uses cow dung as a source of fertilizer and does not use pesticides so it is considered organic.

Remember, drinking tea can also keep you warm. It is best to serve tea while it is still hot. Cold tea is not as good.