Compared to energy drinks, coffee, and pop, many people believe that tea is the healthiest source of caffeine. Nonetheless, most of the conventional tea brands have been discovered to contain significantly high levels of harmful chemicals including dangerous pesticides and fluoride. As such, most are considered unsafe for human consumptions.
Because tea is rarely washed before packaging, the dangerous pesticides previously sprayed on the crop often end up in your cup. This is especially true seeing as evidence confirms that many non-organic tea brands contain dangerous pesticides that are known carcinogens.
Most of the popular tea brands list natural flavors as an ingredient, which has led to the misconception by consumers that they are purchasing better, cleaner ingredients. However, there is an entire list of what “natural flavors” might mean.
Food Research International publish a study which shows a significant percentage of the United Kingdom’s population exceed the recommended intake for fluoride. Too much intake of fluoride often bears detrimental health effects.
The overexposure to fluoride has been determined to be specifically due to the consumption of tea. Apart from causing kidney problems, this overexposure can also lead to issues with the teeth and bones.
Tea plants absorb fluoride from the soil and as they grow, they accumulate it. Therefore, older leaves are higher in fluoride, and they are more often used in cheaper teas. These teas are also lower in antioxidants’
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) investigated some of the most popular international beverage companies such as:
• King Cole
• Tetley
• Lipton
• Twinnings
• Signal
• Uncle Lee’s Legends of China
Alarmingly, the CBC found that the level of toxins contained in at least half of the tea brands exceeded the legal limit. The worst offenders among the investigated brands include:
-King Cole- Found to contain monocrotophos, a chemical that is in the process of being banned because it causes irregular heartbeat and even coma.
-Uncle Lee’s Legends of China- This brand was found to contain at least 20 different types of pesticides. Endosulfan, known to damage the nervous system, was among the 20 pesticides.
-No Name- Found to contain more than 10 types of pesticides.
The only tea that was found to contain no pesticides at all was Red Rose.
Ensuring you are safe from the harmful chemicals or pesticides found in teas does not necessary means quitting your tea-drinking habit. After all, tea is also a source of some incredible health benefits. You can, however, try the following as a solution.
- Try switching to white tea. Since it’s made from young leaves, white tea has the least amount of fluoride.
- Ensure you either brew your tea from scratch or you buy loose leaf tea.
- Go Organic! Always choose a non-GMO certified brand of tea.
- Check the list of ingredients, making sure no GMO ingredients or added flavors are included.
- Be extremely careful and particular when ordering tea while eating at a restaurant since most of these establishments use tea brands known to contain high levels of pesticides.
- Know the correct brewing times for different types of tea. For example, black tea should be steeped for 3-5 minutes; green or white teas should be steeped for 2-3 minutes; Oolong teas should be steeped for 4-7 minutes; and herbal teas should be steeped for 5 minutes at minimum, or longer for a stronger tea.
A list of bagged teas that are safe:
- Re Rose
- Numi Tea
- Rishi Tea
- EDEN Organic
- Organic Stash
- Choice Organic Teas
- Two leaves
- Organic Tazo
- Organic Traditional Medicinals
For more information check the video below to provide additional information:
Source: cuisineandhealth
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