Drinking hot tea with meals is quite a healthy habit that the Chinese have mastered since ancient times. Tea was usually a wealthy people’s drink while the poor resorted to drinking hot water instead.
However, the benefits of drinking hot tea or hot water with meals remain similar which explains why the Chinese are so keen on following this habit even today.
Why do the Chinese drink hot tea with meals?
It is an ancient practice in China to keep sipping hot tea along with meals the reasons for which vary from scholar to scholar. Hot water is one of the key medicines in ancient China which is known to combat high body temperature and the common cold.
The most popular reason for drinking hot tea or hot water is that the heat kills the bacteria in the water that deems it fit for consumption. You can expect a host of multiple health benefits if you too get into the habit of consumption of tea along with your meals.
Here are 4 health benefits of consuming hot tea along with your meals that most of us aren’t quite aware of:
- Eases digestion:
Hot tea works wonders in washing down your food thereby keeping your throat clear. It eases off the mucus accumulation and helps in breaking down the food better. As a result, you can expect your meal to digest faster and smoother.
- Boosts metabolism:
Once you make this habit, you’ll realize that your metabolism increases multiple folds. Water is cool in nature. But when you brew it with tea leaves, it creates an incredible drink that not only helps ease your digestion but boosts your metabolism as well.
This is one of the key habits one needs to cultivate if losing weight is the end goal. A fast metabolism seldom allows fat buildup and causes accelerated weight loss in due course of time with a consistent habit.
- Prevents overeating:
Sipping green tea while having your meal slows down your appetite as well. It satiates your hunger and prevents you from overeating which may be detrimental to your health in the long run.
In other words, green tea is quite beneficial when it comes to regulating your body weight in the healthiest manner possible.
- Adds nutritive value:
Green tea, or any type of tea for that matter, is full of antioxidants that help slow down aging in the long run. It is an excellent substitute for coffee due to its low caffeine content.
In addition to that, hot tea works wonders in flushing out toxins from your system as well as in maintaining skin elasticity for long.
Summing it up:
Drinking hot tea with meals is quite a healthy habit to cultivate especially if you’re looking to practice mindful eating and closely watch your diet. It helps regulate your blood sugar as well as overall body weight in the long run.
I’ve gotten into the habit of drinking hot tea after a meal.. especially meals with more than their fair share of oil. Since starting my vegan experiment about a month ago, however, I’ve come across research concluding that hot tea or coffee an hour before or after a meal substantially decreases the absorption of protein and iron… by as much as 80%! I don’t know how true it is but decided to just do my tea an hour later than usual.