Our human body is more susceptible to the flu and cold in the harsh, chilly winter months. Due to its many advantages, such as improved immunity, weight loss, and all-day energy without much caffeine, tea can be a fantastic choice for the winter. Stress reduction is another benefit.
Tea has a long history of being linked to warmth, comfort, and metabolism. Tea contains stimulants that cause alertness, wakefulness, and mood elevation in addition to acting as an excellent fat oxidizer. People with diabetes, heart disease, or other conditions brought on by an unhealthy lifestyle can benefit greatly from including tea in their diets.
The most popular beverage in the world (behind plain old water), tea is an incredibly versatile and seemingly straightforward beverage. 159 million Americans drink tea daily on average.
The popularity of tea is well-earned. The fact that tea blends so well with so many different emotions, circumstances, and temperatures is one of our favorite aspects of tea. Tea is suitable for any situation, regardless of how hot or cold it is outside. A cup of soothing tea can help you peacefully unwind at the end of a chilly day, and on a hot day, iced tea can help you beat the heat. Tea can even give you an energy boost in the middle of the day.
A regular cup of tea is a great winter companion and can support your overall health in many ways, whether you love tea, only occasionally drink it, detest it, or are obsessed with it. Here are just a few amazing justifications for consuming tea regularly in the winter.
IMPROVEMENT IN DIGESTION
In the winter, when your digestive system isn’t functioning at its best, gut health is crucial. Regular exposure to colder temperatures causes your body to attempt to conserve energy and heat, which slows down your metabolism and adversely affects your digestive system.
We frequently indulge in more food with friends and family during the winter. Holiday foods typically have higher sugar and fat content, less fiber, and larger serving sizes. All of this increases the stress on our digestive health and can result in acid reflux, heartburn, and a general slowing down of the digestive process, which can cause stomach aches and constipation.
Because tea contains antioxidants and polyphenols that have been found to support digestion and fat breakdown, drinking tea will support healthy digestion and increase populations of healthy gut bacteria. Tea can also improve gut health and lessen digestive disturbances.
IMPROVES YOUR METABOLISM
We all know that eating during the holidays can result in the dreaded seasonal weight gain. We have a sluggish metabolism and a higher propensity to gaining weight as a result of all those sweet, fatty, greasy, and high-carb foods as well as the decrease in physical activity brought on by the shortening of the days, unfavorable weather, and holiday obligations.
While it’s very easy to slack off during the winter and overindulge, tea offers you some support. Tea can assist your slow metabolism and help you avoid holiday weight gain.
Numerous teas have been found to reduce appetite, and studies have shown that drinking one or two cups of tea daily can increase fat oxidation and metabolism, which can help you burn a few calories and get your blood flowing.
Particularly green tea has thermogenic properties. The process known as “thermogenesis,” which derives from the Greek word thermos for heat, helps you burn calories while you’re eating by helping you to digest your food. Weight loss may be significantly and favorably impacted by this.
Regular consumption of green tea has been shown to have the potential to lower body fat by up to 19 percent, according to studies.
DEVELOPMENT OF MOOD
Due to the stress of the holidays, travel, and lack of sunlight, the cold weather season can cause a lot of depressive symptoms like gloominess and SAD.
Fortunately, a hot cup of tea occasionally can perk up your mellow mood. This is not just because drinking tea is a healthy indulgence and a ritualized way to unwind; tea also has real, important benefits for regulating your mood.
This is because the amino acid L-theanine, which is present in tea, can cause levels of the happy hormones serotonin and dopamine to rise. This helps ward off depression and boredom.
Researchers have also found that drinking tea lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, although more study is needed to determine why this is. Green tea may be able to reduce the risk of developing depression because it contains folate. Additionally, drinking tea may help with post-stroke depression. The antioxidant capacity and phytochemical makeup of tea are related to this effect.
There is a link between drinking tea and the risk of depression, according to a 2015 meta-analysis of 11 studies and 13 reports with more than 22,000 participants. There was a 37% reduction in the relative risk of depression for every three cups of tea per day.
So, if you’re experiencing winter blues, continue drinking tea to support your body, mood, and soul.
BOOST TO IMMUNITY & COLD-SOOTHING
You need to safeguard your immune system because cold viruses spread more quickly in colder climates. An effective defense against infectious bacteria will help ward off colds, congestion, coughing, and the flu.
The good news is that tea is well known for its remarkable anti-inflammatory properties, including flavonoids (an antioxidant), which can help to strengthen our immune systems and lessen flu and illness symptoms like chest congestion, fever, and sore throat.
The spread of illnesses is rapid during the winter; drinking tea can give you some of the extra defense your body needs.
In conclusion,
Now that you are aware that tea is the newest beverage in town, feel free to indulge in a few more sips. If you would like more information, recipes, or specifics on how to improve your health, please contact Rupanshi Taneja, your go-to dietician, as soon as possible.