What are the benefits of drinking tea?
Tea, especially green, is undoubtedly one of the healthiest drinks you can consume. It can up-regulate more than 100 hundred inflammation-generating genes, potentially preventing cellular destruction. Tea contains a catechin called EGCG, a compound known to protect collagen from enzymes responsible for wrinkling of the skin.
Why you should avoid some tea bags?
The most readily available commercial teas are packaged in tea bags. As convenient as they may be, a recent Canadian study at McGill University, found that one tea cup brewed at a temperature of 95°C releases around 11.6 billion micro-plastics (tiny pieces of plastic between 100 nanometres and 5 millimetres in size). This, of course, carries great risk to our health, as well as the environment- many tea bags are not biodegradable.
As far as health concerns, microplastic leeching into our foods and drinks (from plastic container & tea bags) has a high potential of contributing to hormonal disruption and various health issues.
What are the best alternatives to tea bags?
- Tea powders are a powerhouse in antioxidant concentration:
The best alternative is loose leaf tea or tea powders such as Matcha and Moringa. Here are some of my favorite tea brands:
My top choice is Anima Mundi Moringa, which you can find on my website. I love Moringa for its mineralizing, antioxidant and detoxifying properties. I use it often in my lattes and green smoothies.
- Loose Leaf Tea
This is a great option for those that want to stick to using traditional tea leaves without the bag. Some great options are:
- Honey & Sons
- T2 Tea
- Organic Sancha
You can purchase them on Amazon below:
What are the brands that make plastic-free tea bags?
If you'd rather stick to tea bags, I understand. I do too. I drink so much tea and the ease of using a pre-measured bag remains highly appealing. I gathered some of the top national brands that do not use plastic in the manufacturing of their tea bags:
- Pukka Tea
- Numi Organic Tea
- The Republic of Tea
- Stash Tea
- Yogi Tea
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. I will continue my research into this topic and add more brands as I go. If you have a favorite tea brand and you'd like to find out whether they use plastic in their bags, visit the Q&A section on their website, or email them directly.
Also, feel free to share your favorites with out community in the document section of this blog.
References:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b0254
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/
Be well. Be safe. Be beautiful!
#health #wellness #organictea
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