Drink tea to boost your immune system

Teas are healing, low in calories and have much less caffeine than coffee, according to a therapist.

Tea has a range of therapeutic and medicinal benefits that range from boosting your immune system, detoxification to reducing heartburn, says Lily Mueller, therapist, Dubai Herbal and Treatment Centre.

A 180 ml cup of tea has only two or three calories. Having said that, it is advisable to, not drink tea with milk and sugar, especially herbal teas. “People add milk and sugar to make the tea taste less bitter but it interferes with the propensity of the tea to do maximum good.”

Mueller suggests using natural plant sugar such as Stevia (a sugar substitute) or a touch of honey rather than ruin it with milk and sugar.

The bitterness in unadulterated tea come from the tannin in the tea leaves. When infusing it, do not leave the leaves in the hot water for more than five minutes, she advises.

Regarding caffeinecaffeine, the relatively lower amount of caffeinecaffeine in tea is because of the smaller quantity of leaves used in making it, explains Mueller.

Some teas, research show, help in reducing weight, lowering cholesterol and helping fight heart disease.

Of course, if you drink too much tea in a day — about 15 cups — you have been overdosing on it. What’s the recommended amount? “About five cups a day,” says Mueller.

She lists the benefits and the composition of some of the popular teas. Black, green, white and oolong tea come from a shrub native to China and India and are rich in antioxidants. A very potent antioxidant known as ECGC may help against free radicals that cause cancers, heart disease and clogged arteries.

Many people like to drink instant tea — the kind that comes in tins and just needs water to be mixed in. Doctors warn that this kind of tea may contain very little real tea properties and instead could be full of sugars and artificial sweeteners. Check the ingredients before buying.