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Glimpse into white tea

I love tea. Thank the Food Intolerance Gods for letting me still be able to drink tea!! I keep mindful around fruit teas (monitoring for FODMAPs), but to be honest, fruit teas don’t do it for me as much as other teas do! I also watch the caffeine content because as we all know, this is just another thing the body has to process, and when you’re unwell, really it is an unnecessary pressure. This still leaves me with a wide range of teas to choose from and I can’t get enough! I drink at least 4 cups a day on an average day, and now that we in the Southern Hemisphere are coming into winter, that will soon increase!

I did not like tea for years. Looking back, I think this was probably because when tea is made for young people, it is usually very milky and very sweet. I have never liked milk, so it makes sense that I wouldn’t like milky tea! I just used to loiter around Mum or Dad’s cups so that I could dunk my biscuits! During my teens, I started to become a sushi fan, and with that came green tea. I did not like it at first, but slowly, slowly, became more accustomed to the flavour. Then when I lived in England, I would regularly stay with my aunt and uncle, avid tea drinkers. After repetitively declining tea offers, one day my uncle handed me a black tea without asking if I wanted one. I felt it would be rude to say no, given I always said no to tea yet had one given to me anyway. That was the turning point! Tea without milk or sugar and I liked it! From that cup, I started drinking more frequently, and then branched out to trying all sorts of teas, and now like them strong (so thanks to my uncle for putting me on the right path!).

I seem to go through phases as to which tea I am hooked on and drink religiously, until my taste buds have a change of heart and I get obsessed with another (I do always slip in a different flavour or two throughout the day, so as to spice it up though!). I have recently emerged from a green tea phase, and am now heavily entrenched in a white tea phase. It is like a very mild, light flavoured black tea, with a sweet, comforting taste.

White Tea.

White tea provides a mug full of goodies that your body will love. It is made from the new, baby leaf of the Camellia tea plant; the same that green tea comes from at an older age. White tea is steamed and dried, and is not fermented to any extent like green or black tea. Because the leaf needs less processing than when making green tea, white tea retains more antioxidants (for this same reason, green tea has more antioxidants than black tea). The antioxidants are the same in green and white, however the larger amount in white obviously results in a bigger hit each cuppa.

These antioxidants which we drink are beneficial in multiple ways. Cancer risk is reduced, cholesterol can be lowered, cardiovascular health is improved and weight loss can even be assisted. Tea can also improve oral health, bone density, and bacterial digestive health.

Caffeine is low in white tea. While black tea contains around 45mg of caffeine per cup (but can range from 23-110mgs), green tea contains 20mgs (ranging from 8-36mg) and white tea contains 15mgs (ranging from 6-25mg). The higher level of caffeine in green tea is attributed to better assistance in weight loss, but as caffeine is a stimulant, it is best kept to a minimum when looking to improve health (a little is ok as it is beneficial to alertness, metabolism and mood). Drinking tea that has been brewed a second time will decrease caffeine content, as will brewing with cooler water, and brewing for a shorter time.

I prefer to buy the organic white tea. Not only do I personally prefer the flavour, it also avoids fluoride from pesticides, which is easily absorbed by tea plants.

I find tea so comforting. It can improve my mood through its warmth and the relaxing
ambiance connected to it. It can settle my nausea, and ease my stomach cramps and pain. It provides me with a tasty treat, which, with a restricted diet, is treasured. It is great whether the weather is warm or cold. Best of all, it makes my cookies perfectly soggy!

“All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger as each year passes” – George Elliot