Black tea: benefits and harms to the body

This drink is respected all over the world, and of all types of tea, black undergoes the longest fermentation process. According to legend, tea leaves accidentally fell into the water that was boiled for Emperor Shen Nong. People saw that the water changed color and taste – this is how tea leaves began to be brewed: first in China, then all over the world.

Together with experts, we will figure out what the benefits and harms of black tea for the body are.

The history of black tea in nutrition

China is considered to be the birthplace of black tea. Although in this country the black tea we are used to is usually called “red”.

From China, by 800 AD, tea leaves came to Japan, and by the 1810th century, they began to grow it there. In 1826, tea was brought to Taiwan, and in XNUMX it was brought from Japan to the island of Java.

The drink came to Europe only in the XNUMXth century, in Our Country it appeared at the turn of the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries.

Types of black tea

There are several classifications of types of tea. The division is often leaf size:

• large-leaf – is considered the highest quality,
• medium leaf,
• small-leaf – this includes crumbs and waste.

One can single out such a factor as processing type:

• long leaf,
• pressed – tea in tablets,
• extracted – in other words, soluble.

Tea is also classified by place of growth:

• Chinese,
• ceylon,
• Indian,
• Kenyan.

Regardless of the place of growth, the most high-quality option is large-leaf tea, twisted longitudinally. It should be dark brown in color, closer to black.

The composition and calorie content of black tea

Calorie content and the amount of useful elements may vary from variety to variety, but not significantly. Here is the data for black long leaf tea per 100 grams of dry product – this is the volume of an average package.

Black tea contains a large number of useful elements:

• tannin, with the help of which the absorption of vitamin C increases and immunity increases;
• caffeine, which, in combination with tannin, has a more gentle effect on the body;
• phenolic compounds, with whose help the drink gets a beautiful color and helps quench thirst;
• catechinscontributing to the strengthening of the walls of blood vessels;
• vitamins C, groups B, P;
• proteins and amino acids, which give the tea flavor;
• tanninscontributing to the taste of tea.

The benefits of black tea

Black tea in its characteristics has general positive properties for men and women:

• stimulation of the kidneys;
• toning the body and increasing efficiency;
• headache relief;
• normalization of the stomach.

When asked about the effect of tea on the children’s body, Healthy Food Near Me answers Olga Vishnyakova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of the highest category, pediatrician of the Stavropol Central District Hospital:

– According to the “National program for optimizing the nutrition of children aged 1 to 3 years in the Federation”, it is recommended that children under 3 years old be given only fruit or herbal teas. Only from the age of three is it allowed to introduce 100 ml of black tea into the child’s menu every other day. Children from the age of six are allowed to drink 200 ml of tea daily. Green tea is allowed from 10-12 years old. Tea has positive properties that make it possible to recommend the inclusion of a drink in the menu for school-age children. This is a tonic, immunostimulating effect, a mild tonic effect. Tea polyphenols activate the production of endogenous insulin by pancreatic beta cells, which causes body tissues to absorb sugar, reducing its level in the bloodstream. They also allow you to maintain the balance of the intestinal microflora and are even able to destroy some pathogenic bacteria, for example, salmonella, which is the causative agent of salmonellosis. In this case, the antioxidants contained in black tea are also useful for cleansing the body of toxins.

Harm of black tea

Tea is a fairly safe product and its use can harm the body in rare cases. However, it is worth remembering that everything is good in moderation. Uncontrolled consumption of tea in large volumes can lead to various problems. He comments on this subject Olga Arisheva, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Gastroenterologist-Hepatologist at the Hospital named after V.V. Vinogradov:

– The ideal option for drinking is large-leaf, freshly brewed tea. Black tea (like any other) contains caffeine and tannins – so it has a tonic effect and it is better not to drink it before bedtime, especially for people with insomnia. Tea contains a lot of dyes that can affect the color of tooth enamel, and a very strong drink can wash out fluoride from teeth. This does not mean that tea should be abandoned: you need to use it in moderation, 1-3 cups a day is enough. A very hot drink in large quantities can be one of the risk factors for developing esophageal cancer.

Olga Vishnyakova also talks about the dangers of black tea for a child’s body:

– The main reason for recommending the age at which you can start drinking tea is the stimulating effect on the nervous system of caffeine. In the second, but very important, place is the difficulty in the absorption of iron in the stomach due to the content of tannin, which, moreover, affects the metabolism of vitamins D and B1. Tannin, forming a protein of tannic acid, suppresses appetite, which is very bad for young children, in whom the norms of food eaten play a large role in growth and development. In addition, one of the actions of tannin is constipation. In third place are the individual characteristics of some children, for whom the purine contained in tea is important, as a nitrogen-containing compound that promotes increased formation of uric acid, which increases the load on the kidneys. It is necessary to pay attention to this to parents whose children have neuro-arthritic or uric acid diathesis. Because tea oxalates can also drop out in large amounts in the urine. As well as allergic reactions in children predisposed to allergies, it is not possible to offer black tea to a small child.

Application in cooking

Black tea is most often used to make a tea drink. For variety, you can add various herbs, such as mint, thyme, juniper, Ivan tea and much more.

For lovers of experiments – tea can be added to meat or fish dishes.

Kissel from black tea

An unusual drink made from simple ingredients

Boil water, add lemon juice, sugar and tea, stir until sugar dissolves. Dilute starch with water, carefully pour into a saucepan, while stirring, bring to a boil. After boiling, turn off and leave to cool.

How to choose and store black tea

The choice of black tea is largely based on taste preferences, but when buying, you should pay attention to the tea leaves – in good tea they should be dark or rich black in color and about the same size. There should not be “garbage” – stems and other foreign elements. The saturation of tea depends on the twisting of the leaves – it is better if they are twisted harder. There should be no smell of burning, dust or mold.

When choosing tea, you should also pay attention to the date of collection – it is desirable that the leaves were collected no more than five months before purchase.

Brewing black tea is an art. Not only the taste, but also the color, smell and quality of the drink depend on the correctness of the “procedure”. Before brewing, it is recommended to rinse the container with boiling water. It is recommended to take about 4 grams of tea leaves per 200 ml of water. The water temperature is 90-95 degrees.

Brewed tea is not recommended to be stored for a long time. It is best to consume freshly brewed tea every time and not overdo it every day.

Popular questions and answers

We will answer popular questions from readers about black tea.