Three minutes to a perfect cup of tea

Friday, 17 February 2012 2:48 PM

We drink 165 million cups every day. That’s 15 billion litres of tea every year. And according to a recent BBC programme, our favourite cuppa is also the number one drink for health!

Getting the most health benefit from black tea may depend on the brewing time, according to a demonstration by Dr Tim Bond on the BBC programme. The experiment showed that leaving the tea bag for just three minutes could double the antioxidant potential in a cup of tea compared to the average brew.

A recent paper by nutritionists Dr Carrie Ruxton and Dr Pamela Mason found that drinking three or more cups of black tea each day (with or without milk!) protects against heart disease and may also protect against type 2 diabetes.

Dr Tim Bond from the Tea Advisory Panel said: “Black tea flavonoids are thought to be the compounds responsible for the protective effects of black tea on health. Chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes are associated with inflammatory processes and the presence of excessive pro-oxidant free radicals in the body.”
 

Sweetener alternative for your daily cuppa

Stevia products at tea time can save 1000 calories per week

In the UK we get through a staggering 165 million cups of tea every day, with the average tea drinker having four cups each and every day. Steviana, the new alternative to sugar derived from the stevia plant, can help you save 128kcals per day.

 Baked beans are a cheap and convenient super food

All about super foods

In the last few years people have generally had a healthier diet than past generations, namely through better education of which products should be included in our diets and while products we should cut down on.

Manage blood pressure, improve heart health

Black tea 'helps reduce blood pressure'

Are you enjoying your morning cuppa? Switching to black tea could not only cut calories, it could also help you lower your blood pressure and prevent risk of heart disease. That’s according to results published in The Archives of Internal Medicine.

 Pie workshop on The One Show

Perfect pies get BBC showcase

The BBC’s The One Show went behind the tills Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop and Restaurant this week to learn how to make the perfect pork pie. The One Show’s roving reporter Anita Rani got a crash course in the tricks of the trade with Craig Midwood.
Tea found to have cancer-fighting properties

Black and green tea found to fight cancer

Black and green tea has been found to have anti-cancer nutrients by two new studies. Researchers from New Jersey found a tea compound, TF-2, killed off cancer cells and also caused certain cancer cells to shrink within three hours of treatment.

 Try herbal tea for sustained energy

Swap your morning cuppa for herbal tea

Looking for more energy and an easy way to cut your sugar intake? Swapping your daily tea intake for something herbal can give you a sustained energy boost and also encourage the body to detox. Penny Lancaster Stewart recommends Cho-Yung Tea.
Pu'erh tea can be used in diet plans

Chinese tea can be used in diet programmes

For the majority of people it's the first thing they reach for in the morning. But could special teas and coffee also extract help aid weight loss? Yes, say the producers of Slender Pu'erh tea, a new product that aims to transfer an ancient herbal fusion into modern day diet plans.

 Black tea can be hydrating

Four to six mugs of tea a day is 'as good as a litre of water'

Drinking four to six mugs of tea a day is just as good as drinking a litre of water when it comes to keeping the body hydrated. Research found that black tea gave the same results as water for any of the hydration markers.

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Broccoli helps kill cancer cells

Broccoli helps kill cancer cells

We have long been told about the health benefits of superfoods but now Sulforaphane, one of the primary phytochemicals in broccoli has been proved to selectively target and kill prostate cancer cells, leaving normal prostate cells healthy and unaffected.

Over half of Brits want to shed 'at least a stone'

weight loss

The study commissioned by diet aid manufacturer Slimsticks, also discovered that a worrying one in five people have followed an ‘eating is cheating’ starvation diet and one in ten have tried a liquid diet.

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