my special-tea

Today I just want to put tea in the spotlight for a little bit. There's not much to preparing it, but the benefits of drinking tea are endless. Anyone can find a tea they'll like, since there are so many flavors out there to choose from and there's a lot of liberty to add flavors to change it up. Personally, I love tea and it's one of those comfort feelings to sip hot green tea at any time of the day. I don't do much to my tea to enhance it, but sometimes I'll add in honey or ginger. Either way, it's always my cup of tea! (See what I did there?)

Anyway, depending on what tea you choose to drink depends on what benefits it may have for your health, but no matter what tea is a positive addition to your everyday.

1. Tea hydrates. Remember how important water is to drink everyday? Well if you are still struggling to get in all that water, drinking a cup or two of tea can suffice. The main component of tea is water so it totally counts as far as that goes.
2. Tea can reduce risk of heart disease. Green tea especially can cut your risk of heart disease because of one of the antioxidants that works to reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. This antioxidant also will help boost your HDL (good) cholesterol levels, as well as keep your arteries working well. 
3. Tea lowers the risk of cancer. Certain compounds called catechins work to stop damage caused by "free radicals", which may lead to some types of cancer. 
4. Tea's antioxidants kill bacteria. The antioxidants in teas help prevent the formation of plaque on your teeth and can help kill bacteria that causes food poisoning. (It's a good idea to drink tea after a meal!!)

So now that I hopefully have got you to think about adding a cup of tea to your day, I'll share with you some tips that I've heard as far as picking and making your tea goes.

1. To get the maximum benefits, choose either a green, black, or oolong tea rather than an herbal tea. The difference between these is that these "real" teas are steamed, rolled and dried, whereas chamomile teas are oxidized for a few hours before the process. 
2. Steep your tea for about 3 minutes, and then take the tea bag out of the mug. That way, enough of the compounds will be released, but not too much. Over-steeping your tea may actually irritate your digestive tract.
3. If you don't like hot tea, make yourself iced tea! The same benefits can come out of an iced tea, as long as it's real (not from a powder). 
4. If you don't like the flavor of teas, it's totally ok to add a little extra flavoring or sweetness to your cup. I'd suggest some lemon juice, honey, or ginger. These can also help in certain situations; honey in tea is good if your throat is bothering you, ginger is good for your digestive system if your stomach is bothering you.

Tea is just an overall good-feel good-health kind of thing, and I totally recommend drinking a cup a day. It's cleansing and makes me feel refreshed and there are also all those health benefits to it too! 

my green tea with ginger

Resources: http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/quick_sides_desserts_more/tea_time

http://www.livestrong.com/article/71063-the-health-benefits-teas/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/386031-what-are-the-benefits-of-drinking-green-tea/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/543062-benefits-of-eating-rice-drinking-tea/