TEA LOVE

i am a tea lover, that is no surprise. but lately i have been drawn to earl grey and on reading/learning more about this particular tea, i discovered earl grey doesn't just have a unique taste, it also has a very wide range of health benefits. therefore, i was compelled to share my love with you all. the key ingredient to earl grey which gives it it's taste and benefits is bergamot. it belongs to the mint family and the rind of the fruit is used to extract the essential oils which are used for so many purposes.

pearly whites

now this one surprised me the most. i always thought/heard that tea, like coffee stains teeth. but i guess i can be wrong sometimes. i can almost feel saad rolling his eyes on this one. tea contains very high levels of catechins, a type of disease and infection fighting flavonoid and antioxidant, which adds to tea's health benefits. earl grey also contains fluoride in addition to tap water which is an additional cavity fighter. here's a tip: the longer you steep the tea, the more flavonoids you'll get in your brew. i personally find over steeped tea bitter but you get the picture.

digestion

earl grey (like most teas) improves digestion. what it does not do is erase signs of over loading on carbs, sodium and sugar. it is no miracle worker.  but it does aid in the digesting process and helps relieve painful indigestion, nausea and colic.

that darned cholesterol

earl grey tea contains bergamot extract which helps in reducing cholesterol and ldl levels while elevating the hdl (good cholesterol) level by 20%. over the centuries it has been used as protection for the heart and as an antiseptic for cuts and wounds. it also comes in a tablet form known as bergamet, which is mainly used to reduce bloody sugar levels when taken before a meal

stress and energy

the alpha pinene and limonene in bergamot are known for its anti-depressant properties. some studies show that the effect of the bergamot oil when it comes to depression, anxiety and stress is as good as the pharmaceutical drug diaphezam. Bergamot oil has also been used to naturally cure postpartum blues.

a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology by UCL, found that people who drank black tea were able to recover from a stressful events faster than people who drank a placebo tea. "in the study, 75 young male regular tea drinkers were split into two groups and monitored for six weeks. they all gave up their normal tea, coffee and caffeinated beverages, then one group was given a fruit-flavoured caffeinated tea mixture made up of the constituents of an average cup of black tea. the other group – the control group – was given a caffeinated placebo identical in taste, but devoid of the active tea ingredients. all drinks were tea-coloured, but were designed to mask some of the normal sensory cues associated with tea drinking (such as smell, taste and familiarity of the brew), to eliminate confounding factors such as the ‘comforting’ effect of drinking a cup of tea. both groups were subjected to challenging tasks, while their cortisol, blood pressure, blood platelet and self-rated levels of stress were measured. in one task, volunteers were exposed to one of three stressful situations (threat of unemployment, a shop lifting accusation or an incident in a nursing home), where they had to prepare a verbal response and argue their case in front of a camera. the tasks triggered substantial increases in blood pressure, heart rate and subjective stress ratings in both of the groups. In other words, similar stress levels were induced in both groups. however, 50 minutes after the task, cortisol levels had dropped by an average of 47 per cent in the tea drinking group compared with 27 per cent in the fake tea group." more here.

weight loss

i am not surprised to find weight loss as part of the benefits of this tea. the citrus extract is generally thought to help in weight loss along with a healthy diet and exercise (of coarse). add more lemon people. it is said to break down calories into food for your muscles and excess is released through your natural system.

 heart disease 

UCL researchers also found that blood platelet activation – linked to blood clotting and the risk of heart attacks – was lower in the tea drinkers, and that the group trying out this theory reported a greater degree of relaxation in the recovery period after the task. dear people, this is good news. I am not saying this alone can be the cure for heart disease. rather, it is the smallest of drops of hope in the sea of heart prevention "techniques". along with a healthy (plant) based diet, exercise and de-stressing. Preventative Medicine published a study in 2012 which found that people who drank three cups of black tea daily dramatically lowered their blood triglyceride levels by 36 percent and increased the ‘good cholesterol’ HDL by 20 percent after three months. The participants also had increased levels of antioxidants, which fight against free radicals that damage your cells. if that wasnt enough, it also decreased fasting blood sugar levels by 18 percent. it also helps keep arteries open in people with elevated cholesterol, and a daily habit of about 5 cups per day may improve the function of blood vessel walls, allowing for improved dilation and blood flow.

now i will go and make me-self a lovely cup of earl grey and enjoy it with my imaginary dog pet.
drink on!

have a great rest of the week!

xo
HM