Tea is nearly 5,000 years old. It was discovered in 2737 BC by Chinese
Emperor Shen-Nung. Legend says that some
tea leaves accidentally blew into the Emperor’s pot of boiling water. Tea became highly popular in Europe in the
1600s.
Tea is an all-natural and environmentally sound product from
a renewable source. The tea plant is
naturally resistant to most insects.
In 2010, Americans consumed well over 65 billion servings of
tea or over 3 billion gallons. About 80%
of all tea consumed was Black Tea, 19.5% was Green Tea, and the remaining amount
was Oolong and White Tea. Approximately
85% of the tea consumed in America is iced.
The summer months are the most popular time to brew up some fresh iced
tea. Over the last ten years,
Ready-to-Drink Tea has grown by more than 15 times and sales in 2010 were
estimated at $3.3 billion.
Health Benefits of Tea
Tea contains no sodium, fat, carbonation or sugar. It is practically calorie free. Tea may contribute to overall good
health. Tea contains flavonoids which
act as antioxidants to kill free radicals.
Drinking tea can benefit heart health by lowering LDL “bad” cholesterol
which can reduce the risk of heart attack.
Some studies have also shown that the amount of tea consumed can affect
health. One study found that women who
drank 2.5 cups of tea per day had a 60% reduction in rectal cancer risk,
compared with women who drank less than 1.2 cups of tea daily. Tea is also associated with a reduced risk of
colon cancer and skin cancer.
Drinking
tea has also been found to be associated with a reduced risk of developing
Parkinson’s disease. Theanine, an amino
acid found in green and black tea may help prevent age-related memory
decline. Tea is naturally low in
caffeine and safe for most people. One
cup of black tea contains about 40 milligrams of caffeine.
Refreshing Summer Iced
Tea Recipe (Low Calorie)
Orange Earl Grey Iced Tea (From Eating Well)
Makes 8 one-cup
servings
Ingredients:
¼ cup loose Earl Grey Tea or 12 Earl Grey tea bags
4 cups boiling water
¾ cup 100% orange juice (try the light varieties to save on
even more calories, such as Trop50)
¼ cup sugar (try using Stevia granules or extract instead)
4 cups cold water
Preparation:
Steep loose tea or tea bags and orange peel in boiling water
for 3 to 5 minutes.
Strain the tea or remove the bags/peels and pour into a
large pitcher. Stir in orange juice and
sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add
cold water. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Serve over ice with orange slices.
Nutrition Facts: (unless using light orange juice and
stevia)
35 calories per serving, 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g
carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 0 gram fiber, 5 mg sodium, 67 mg potassium
** Freshly brewed tea pairs well with lemons, oranges, mint,
mango, ginger, honey, and the list goes on!
References:
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