The Superfoods Guide

The exact amounts of the catechins and theaflavins that are present in any sample of tea, (green, black or oolong) depends on where the leaves are grown and just how the leaves are processed prior to drying. Of course, factors such as the soil the tea is grown in can influence the content of polyphenols. In addition, whether the tea is decaffeinated, blended or freeze-dried (“instant”) and the specifics of its preparation (how much tea is used per cup or glass, how long the tea is left to steep, brew or dissolve, and at what temperature) all affect the resulting beverage’s phytonutrient content. The process of decaffeination removes some of the phytonutrients along with the caffeine (an unavoidable consequence of the chemistry of decaffeination).

Hot tea that is brewed contains the largest amount of phytonutrients, Teas that are “instant” have lost approx. 80% of their phytonutrients and “iced” and other ready-to-drink tea products contain even less. If tea is diluted with milk, ice or water reduces the amount of phytonutrients contained in each glass or cup. Recent studies have shown that mixing milk with tea could reduce its ability to enhance the blood circulation and could hinder some of its antioxidant benefits. Plus, it should be noted how important it is to realize that so-called “herbal teas” really are not “teas”. They are boiled decoctions of the herbs used to make them. Plus, they contain no beneficial tea theaflavins or catechins. They do contain beneficial compounds present in the particular herbs.

Tea as a Dietary Supplement

Why is all this important to you? It is important for you to remember that even though drinking tea is an extremely healthy practice, hot or cold teas prepared from either loose dried leaves, powdered leaves or “bags” are less reliable sources of tea phytonutrients than are the standardized powders used in the highest-quality dietary supplements. Standardized extracts control for the level of collective and individual tea polyphenols, and research shows that in order to receive optimal benefits from tea intake, an optimal amount of polyphenols needs to be consumed on a daily basis. This could mean drinking cups and cups of tea per day. In addition, the catechins in high-quality standardized powders are absorbed about twice as readily as they are from teas.

When it comes to drinking tea, sometimes enough should be enough! There will always be those days you would rather drink something else. Do not worry about this, combining tea (or even replacing tea as a beverage) with a high quality dietary supplement that is high in catechin, really is the perfect answer. So make sure you look into products that contain the multiple polyphenols present in tea as each polyphenol has unique benefits and together they create synergistic effects.

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