Spring has arrived, and people enjoy drinking tea. However, many citizens, for the sake of convenience, often use tea drinks as a substitute for tea. Unbeknownst to them, the health benefits of tea drinks are not the same as those of tea. When choosing tea drinks, one should look at the content of tea polyphenols; those with a high content of tea polyphenols are more beneficial to health.
The ingredients in tea drinks cannot be equated with those in tea.
Tea drinks are made by steeping tea leaves in water through various processes to create tea soup, or by adding water, sugar water, acid regulators, edible flavors, fruit juice, or plant (grain) extracts to the tea soup. The nutritional value of tea drinks is not the same as that of tea, so they do not have the effects of tea, such as reducing blood viscosity, preventing thrombosis, relieving fatigue, enhancing memory, and boosting immunity. Moreover, after multiple processing steps, the content of main nutrients like tea polyphenols, vitamin C, and vitamin B in tea drinks decreases, while additives like white sugar, flavors, and potassium sorbate are not nutrients. Therefore, tea drinks cannot completely replace tea, and should not be consumed excessively; they can be enjoyed occasionally.
When buying tea drinks, check the tea polyphenol content.
Whether it's tea or tea drinks, the beneficial component is tea polyphenols. Tea polyphenols are one of the main components that form the color, aroma, and taste of tea, and they are also the main component responsible for tea's health benefits. Medical research has found that tea polyphenols have detoxifying and anti-radiation effects, earning them the title of "radiation nemesis." In addition, tea polyphenols can also delay aging, inhibit cardiovascular diseases, and suppress and resist viruses. However, looking at the labeled ingredients of tea drinks currently on the market, they usually contain tea extract, tea flavorings, or concentrated tea extract, with little mention of the tea polyphenol content. Therefore, when citizens buy tea drinks, they should check the tea polyphenol content and try to choose products with a high content.
Pregnant women and children should consume fewer tea drinks.
Tea drinks, with tea as their main ingredient, also retain the original components of tea. Therefore, the contraindications for drinking tea also apply to various tea drinks. For example, do not drink too much before bedtime, and those with high uric acid should consume it in moderation. Tea drinks are also not suitable for pregnant women and children. This is because they are mostly made from tea leaves with other ingredients added, and the caffeine in tea can easily overstimulate the brain, leading to fetal restlessness. Furthermore, tea contains a large amount of tannic acid, which can interfere with children's absorption of protein and minerals such as calcium, zinc, and iron, so children should not drink too much of it. Additionally, people with neurasthenia, insomnia, active gastric ulcers, anemia, and heart disease should not drink tea or consume excessive amounts of tea drinks.
For spring health preservation, it is advisable to drink flower tea.
Different varieties and origins of tea have different properties, such as cold, warm, sweet, and bitter, and their effects on the body also vary. To achieve better health benefits, it is more beneficial to health to choose different varieties according to the properties and effects of tea as the seasons change.