Enjoy Tea The English Way

Have you ever wanted to plan a special tea party but just had no idea where to start? Well, there is no better time to get started than today. In this article I am going to share my simple secret for creating a breathtaking spring tea menu that will have your friends and family begging for more!

The first thing you need to know is that a tea party does not have to be difficult nor does it need to be perfect. Your guests will love that you took time from your busy schedule to do something special just for them. So take a deep breath and relax. Your event will be great.

It boosts mental alertness and lowers chances of cognitive impairment. Found almost exclusively in the tea plant amino acid L-theanine actively alters the attention networks in the brain by affecting neurotransmitters and increasing alpha brain-wave activity. This results in an alert, but more calm state of mind. Studies of the elderly Japanese people showed that those who consumed more than 2 cups of green tea daily had 50 percent lower chance of having cognitive impairment than those who consumed less. This is due to the presence of antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG — type of catechin) in tea.

It lowers stress hormone levels. Researchers at University College London found that drinking black tea after a stressful event lowered levels of the stress hormone cortisol. In this study those subjects who had been drinking 4 cups of black tea daily for 6 weeks had a 20% greater drop in cortisol than the placebo group.

During the eighteenth century, tea became the most popular drink in Britain and ale and gin drinking declined. People drank this new drink at home and new Tea Gardens became very popular in London causing the established coffee houses to close down. The Tea Houses continued until the early nineteenth century when London rapidly expanded and people’s tastes in entertainment became more sophisticated and exciting.

It boosts immune system. In 2003 study done by Brigham and Women’s Hospital during four-week trial 11 coffee drinkers and 10 tea drinkers consumed 600 ml of coffee or black tea daily. Their blood sample analysis showed that the production of anti-bacterial proteins was up to five times higher in tea-drinkers, which was an indicator of a stronger immune system response. Tea contains theanine which might be responsible for boosting the disease-fighting capacity of gamma delta T-cells thus helping the body’s immune response to fight infection.

It helps fight fungal and bacterial infections. Pace University conducted a study in which they found that white tea extracts are effective in treating bacterial and fungal infections. Green tea extracts did not show as much effect as white tea.

It has antibiotic effects. Catechins in green tea are responsible for disrupting a specific stage of bacterial DNA replication process thus possessing antibiotic properties (citrus such as lemon added to the tea causes more catechins to be absorbed). White and green teas have the highest concentration of catechins.

It has anti-cancer properties. Numerous studies suggest that green tea protects against different types of cancers, including breast, lung and prostate cancer. Again antioxidant EGCG is sited as the reason. One Japanese study showed that after drinking two to three cups of green tea growth of human lung cancer cells significantly slowed. Another study claims white tea to be even more effective in battling cancer than green tea.

Breads: Cream Scone, Blueberry Scone, Lemon Tea Bread,, Banana Bread, Lemon Scone

Fruits: Strawberries, Grapes, Kiwi, Orange Slices, Apple Slices with Carmel, Peaches, Nectarines

Desserts: Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Lemon Tarts, Shortbread Cookies, Mini Cheesecakes, Bread Pudding, Mini Cupcakes

Consumption of tea also has some drawbacks. The fluoride in tea leaves can increase the risk of osteofluorosis and fractures (applies to high daily fluoride intake of over 2 mg for children and 4 mg for adults). How much fluoride the tea will contain directly depends on the fluoride content of the soil in which it is grown. Due to environmental pollution aluminum can also be found in tea. (Organic soil provides non-chemical nourishment to the tea plants and that is why some people prefer organic teas). Also consider that tea contains caffeine and too much of it can result in harmful side effects, such as certain sleep disorders and diuresis. Decaffeinated varieties of tea, however, contain less catechins (which have antibiotic and antioxidant properties). Because tea contains oxalate overconsumption of it can cause kidney stones. Some studies suggest that tea drinking maybe negatively associated with risk of esophageal cancer due to the chemicals known as tannins (milk binds with tannin making it harmless).

Like with anything else in life it is good to maintain balance. Drinking too much tea may be harmful and drinking too little may not be beneficial enough. It is better to drink tea when it is lukewarm or warm temperature — at least 4 minutes after it has been poured. It is nice to know that when you enjoy your cup of tea you receive health benefits too.

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