Types of Tea and What They Do

Ever since college I have been an avid tea drinker. Between me and Morgan, I think we have eight or nine different varieties of tea in our cabinet at home. Coffee is good and I have stopped a few times this week to get my vanilla soy latte from Starbucks on my way to work, but there is something about a cup of tea that puts a smile on my face.

My first few years in college, I drank mostly green tea due to the fact that we were able to buy a 100 pack (or something ridiculous) at Costco and I could go through a bag each day. Now, being the nerd I am, I did do a bit of research on green tea and was encouraged to find that there were several benefits from drinking this tea. Some of these include: being an excellent source of anti-oxidants, lowers stress, reduces high blood pressure, rehydrates even better than water, and boosts your immunity.

I also did learn that if I had more than two large mugs in a six hour span I got a little twitchy, but this was simply from a caffeine overload in my system.

While green tea was my go to, every holiday season my mom would make peppermint tea. This stuff is delicious and to this day I feel weird having peppermint tea at any time other than during November and December. Peppermint tea is helpful with relieving stomach cramps, so I have been considering using it if my period cramps ever come back (hey, I'm a girl. I'll talk about whatever, not shy about it.). It is also supposed to help with headache problems (helloooooo migraines).

Currently, my favorite teas extend farther than green tea and peppermint tea, into Oolong tea and most Lemon or Peach teas.

Oolong tea, for those of you who aren't big tea drinkers, is a partially dried then steamed tea leaf and has a flavor that is somewhere between black and green tea. It's more floral and smoky and goes will with juicier fruits such as peaches and nectarines. It has been linked in some studies to weight loss, but don't drink this just for weight loss, it can also help to keep blood sugar, cholesterol, and acne in check!

From what I've read, lemon or peach teas really don't offer a lot as far as extra benefits, but they taste really good and like any tea, help with hydration and cleansing your system.

Studies have shown that drinking tea can help reduce your risk of heart disease by 20-25% and lowers your risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer. So, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things!

What kinds of tea do you drink?

Love,
Sara :)