Tea is generally good for you (due to the presence of antioxidants and other beneficial minerals) and has the added advantage of being completely organic and sugar-free (zero fat or calories). This makes it a better beverage to consume than say Coke, Pepsi, Red bull, etc. which all contain sugar and calories (not to mention a high concentration of acidity which are bad for the teeth). Having tea after large meals can help with digestion and prevent the “after-meal hangover” or “food coma” due to the moderate levels of caffeine in the tea.
Note: only high-quality loose leaf tea will give you all the beneficial nutrients from the tea (and be organic) — tea bags usually contain tea dust/extremely poor quality tea which should be avoided at all costs.
If you want to become a regular drinker of tea as a matter of course, a good schedule to follow is:
7:00–9:00am — Black tea including Chai Tea [with breakfast]
2:00–3:00pm — Oolong tea [can be an accompaniment to lunch]
5:00–8:00pm — White tea [with high tea or light supper]
9:30–11:30pm — Green tea [1 hour before going to bed]
The ranges are given for people’s sleep/lunch/work schedules — there is no hard and fast rule regarding the consumption of tea. Similarly, you can easily substitute the Oolong and White teas with Green tea (although I enjoy the variety of flavours and depth of different teas) in the afternoon or at supper time.
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