I am big fan of non-caffeinated herbal teas and drink at least 2-3 cups a day. Its been a over a year since I moved away from the typical Indian masala chai (I do have it from time to time but am not addicted to it anymore) I especially like the calming effect tea has on me plus its always great to have a cup when you want to eat something but are not particularly hungry - basically, tea helps me avoid junk food.
I have tried a few different flavors and my current favorite is Rooibos. The rooibos plant grows naturally without any caffeine - which means anyone from children to expecting mothers can drink it. It has been valued as a magical herb in South Africa for ages as its rich in antioxidants and is anti inflammatory (helps with an upset stomach). I am planning to start drinking Chamomile tea at night as it helps you sleep better.
I used to make my tea the regular way - heat the water in a kettle, pour the water over tea leaves in a sieve and let it steep for a few minutes. Today, I learned that I had been doing it all wrong. You MUST cover the tea while its steeping - either put the leaves in the kettle itself or do it in a covered pot. The reason being - all good medicinal herbs contain volatile oils that escape through the steam if you do not cover the tea while steeping. I had no idea!!
Another, key point I would like to stress on is to avoid using tea-bags and buy loose tea-leaves and whole flowers primarily because the quality of loose tea is much better than what you get in those tea bags. Additionally, the tea bags are either made up of a variety of different forms of plastic or paper that has been treated with chemicals. So to be on the safe side, I use loose tea at home and keep a few bags in my purse for when I am out and about.
I have tried a few different flavors and my current favorite is Rooibos. The rooibos plant grows naturally without any caffeine - which means anyone from children to expecting mothers can drink it. It has been valued as a magical herb in South Africa for ages as its rich in antioxidants and is anti inflammatory (helps with an upset stomach). I am planning to start drinking Chamomile tea at night as it helps you sleep better.
I used to make my tea the regular way - heat the water in a kettle, pour the water over tea leaves in a sieve and let it steep for a few minutes. Today, I learned that I had been doing it all wrong. You MUST cover the tea while its steeping - either put the leaves in the kettle itself or do it in a covered pot. The reason being - all good medicinal herbs contain volatile oils that escape through the steam if you do not cover the tea while steeping. I had no idea!!
Another, key point I would like to stress on is to avoid using tea-bags and buy loose tea-leaves and whole flowers primarily because the quality of loose tea is much better than what you get in those tea bags. Additionally, the tea bags are either made up of a variety of different forms of plastic or paper that has been treated with chemicals. So to be on the safe side, I use loose tea at home and keep a few bags in my purse for when I am out and about.
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