So yes, I’m late to this whole tea thing, and no we’re not talking teatox or those crazy scams you see on Instagram, we’re talking tea. T-E-A itself. I’m not here to try and sell you some mad diet that you have to invest all your hard earned money into. This post is dedicated to the love of tea, how you can switch up your flavours and use it to become part of a lifestyle and not a diet. Diets imply a start and an end date, where a lifestyle change you will barely even notice in your daily routine. It’ll be as regular as clockwork, and a habit you’ll see as familiar as brushing your teeth twice a day.
Three letters, endless benefits and cheap as chips if you know where to shop around for it.
Tea especially masala chai is a massive antioxidant, it flushes out the bad and keeps in all the good. If you’ve had an overindulgence at Christmas and feel like your tummy is forever expanding, flick the kettle on for a steaming cup of herbal bliss to cleanse away all the grogginess, and get back to being healthy happy you. There’s been so much proof going around that it’s been seen as a preventative for blindness by cataracts. As well as being an antioxidant, it’s anti-inflammatory properties make it excellent for weight loss and releasing excessive water retention – great to debagging around your eyes and generally feeling trimmer and great within yourself, as tea has such little calories.
Mental health wise, it increases memory and concentration levels – this is due to the caffeine and L-Theanine combination. It’s fantastic for boosting your immune system, and fighting off nasty bugs (especially in the winter). Whilst also decreasing the risk of strokes, dementia, and digestive problems.
So overall we like tea, where there is tea, there is hope.
The benefits of tea
Find Your Tea
Ever walked in the hot beverage section of a supermarket and been massively overwhelmed with the variety of tea out there. Over the past 15 years of drinking tea I’ve grown to understand why certain teas sit better with particular people. It’s often to do with the fragrance and taste combination – but aside from personal preference there is actually a greater understanding of why certain teas suit others better. Since we all have vastly different lifestyles it’s good to work out what tea is best for a specific time. So I’ve listed below some of the best for different situations.
I love starting my day with green tea and a slice of lemon. Throughout years of being in the music industry, you get to know a lot of singers and their habits. Many will tell you that hot water/tea and lemon will kick start their day, clear their voices, warm up their throat and allow them to project. I totally get that, for I am I sufferer of a hoarse voice first thing in the morning and feel like it needs a mini workout to get the cords back in action, and learnt that milk makes a hoarse voice frothy and thick. Green tea kick starts the day leaving you feel revitilised. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it as a tea after 1/2pm as it does include a lot of caffeine, equal to the parts of coffee. Personally I’ve never found a decaf green tea that tastes lovely either. Unfortunately for people who are decaf there’s less hope, but one cup of herbal tea isn’t too bad!
Green Tea
Rose Bud Tea
Rose tea – excellent for anyone who wants radiant skin and an overall freshen up in the morning if green tea isn’t your thing. It’s like Marmite you love it or loathe it, but it’s better to try every kind of tea on your journey down the beverage aisle in life, as you might find something you like! With rose tea you can tart it up a bit with spices, honey to give it some added interest of flavour. Ladies take note – add black pepper to your rose tea when it’s time of the month, as it’s renowned for decongesting the blood and managing the pain. Period tip of the day. Rose tea is packed with Vitamin C, so super handy at battling colds and coughs, and internally one of your best friends for preventing toxic waste entering your kidneys and bladder. For it’s relaxing properties, it’s also great for anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue and insomnia. Worth a try!
One of my personal favourites is Yandra Damask Rose Bud Tea – beautifully fragrant and light with delicate fledging Damask Rose Buds, that’s bonuses include increased circulation and improved heart health. I like to take my tea in the afternoon when I’m having a few moments to cool off from work. I love that it’s subtle, delicious, has so many health benefits and looks fantastic in the cup! Also you should definitely try out the rose syrup too. Intense notes of rose petals, flowery rose aroma. Used with teas, cocktails, sparklings, still wines, flavoured milks. The dark pink, floral fragrance of the Damask roses are replicated in flavour and taste when blended with sugar to create rose syrup. So if you love the tea, you can make fragrant drinks at other points of the day too!
Chamomile tea was one of my go-to methods of winding down when my insomnia was at its worst. The action of taking time to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea was equally as important as the benefits themselves. I’ve come to realise they don’t call it a tea break for nothing, it should be enjoyed for all it’s delicious goodness. It’s taste is soothing and floral but somewhat hearty once you’ve picked the right one. Studies have suggested that you improve your sleep quality due contains apigenin, an antioxidant that binds to certain receptors in your brain that may promote sleepiness and reduce insomnia, or the chronic inability to sleep. It also does a great job at battling off cancers, promoting good digestion, benefit blood sugar control and improves heart health.
