How do you take your tea? I typically drink it straight up – no added lemon, milk or sugar. But, I realize that I’m the exception to the rule. I was reminded of this the other night while driving past an ubiquitous fast food chain that features a product called “sweet tea”. The name pretty much says it all. Add copious amounts of sugar to tea while it’s hot and then allow it to cool. The resulting beverage is no longer bitter, but this transformation comes at a price. The tea itself has been sweetened to such a degree that it is almost certainly devoid of any health benefits. In fact, drinking conventional sweet tea isn’t much different than drinking a can of soda pop.
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It’s not always easy to adopt new healthy habits. Sometimes we read about the benefits of a natural food or remedy and start implementing it. But, over time, it’s easy to become lax. Eventually the new healthy practice fades away. Part of the reason may be that we need reminders about why it’s important to be vigilant in our pursuit of wellness through the use of natural approaches.

Green tea is one example that fits into this category. It’s like a really good friend that lives thousands of miles away. The benefits of tea are always there for the taking, but are often neglected. Fortunately the scientific community continues to scatter reminders throughout medical journals that can help rekindle interest in this extraordinary tonic. It’s no accident that green tea is one of the most popular and historically significant beverages in human history.
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Every once in a awhile I’ll hear someone say that they really want to cut back on their coffee intake. If they mention that to me, I usually tell them one of two things: 1) A lot of recent research points to the overall health-promoting effect of coffee – for most people. 2) If they insist on wanting to cut back on coffee, I usually mention an alternate brew with a lower caffeine content, but with even more health benefits. And I’m not talking about green tea.

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