For many people (maybe including you), mornings are never complete without a coffee in their system. However, you might want to exchange your coffee for a cup of tea every day because, according to studies, the latter has numerous health benefits to your aging body!
Besides the soothing feeling of its warmth, teas contain essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy substances that every senior needs. This includes:
- Calcium, potassium, manganese, and zinc
- Antioxidants and polyphenols
- Folate and niacin
- Vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12
Furthermore, plenty of popular tea varieties like green, black, white, oolong, and herbal teas have medically proven health benefits to the body. In fact, green tea was dubbed by many health experts and nutritionists as “the healthiest beverage on the planet.”
Moreover, teas can enhance your alertness, mood, and performance without putting too much caffeine into your system, unlike coffee. As a result, it saves you from the addictive and adverse effects of long-term caffeine use, such as anxiety, restlessness, and chronic migraine.
Start your every waking moment in your senior living in Carlsbad with a cup of tea in hand. This way, you can reap some of its most vital benefits to seniors, including the following listed below.
1. Improves Brain Function
Many older adults strive hard to maintain their soundness of mind and keep their brains sharp. Some engage in mentally stimulating activities, while others focus on exercising and socialization.
While all of these pursuits are proven helpful to improve brain function, one healthy habit you can add that will surely prevent cognitive decline is drinking tea.
According to the study made by the Journal of Nutritional Health and Aging, tea consumption reduces the risk of cognitive damage in seniors by 50%. Furthermore, not only does tea enhance brain function immediately after drinking, but it also prevents brain aging over time. Regular drinkers of oolong, black, and green tea were seen to have gained these benefits after drinking the beverage for years.
So, start protecting your brain from age-related decline by brewing your favorite tea now. Share this healthy drinking habit with your senior living friends and neighbors.
2. Strong and Healthy Heart
Another vital organ that doctors and older adults want to protect is the heart. As you age, your heart muscles can become weaker and blood vessels stiffer, particularly if you live a sedentary lifestyle.
Fortunately, you can prevent this by engaging in an active life and eating a proper diet, including drinking tea daily. Much medical research has already proven that tea consumption helps your body cling to the “good cholesterol” or HDL, which helps your body get rid of your ”bad cholesterol” or LDL.
The heart-health leaders among the tea varieties are black and green teas, mainly:
- Earl grey
- Assam tea
- Matcha and sencha
- Dragonwell green tea
- English breakfast tea
However, if you have a history of acid reflux or heartburn, it’s best to consult your doctor first before drinking any kind of tea.
3. Weight Improvement
Are you trying to burn that belly fat and achieve a healthy weight? If so, then you need to include drinking tea into your morning routine in your senior living in Carlsbad!
Green tea can help seniors reduce excess fat, especially in the abdominal areas, because the beverage contains catechins that increase your metabolic rate. Green tea boosts your metabolism, which, in turn, allows you to burn more calories and lose weight.
Additionally, studies proved that resistance exercise with daily tea consumption speeds up the process of weight improvement.
4. Lowers Risk of Chronic Diseases
By keeping the regions of your brain and the cardiovascular system healthy, teas benefit you by lowering your chances of developing some of the fatal chronic diseases for seniors. This includes:
- Heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease, heart attack, and heart muscle abnormality.
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hypertension due to high cholesterol level
- Obesity
- Breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer
- Stroke
- Autoimmune diseases (tea has anti-inflammatory properties)
Additionally, tea strengthens the bones, thus saving you from fall accidents and fractures. Preventing you from having these chronic diseases ultimately leads to a longer and improved quality of life.
5. Stress and Anxiety Reliever
The food you eat affects almost everything in your health, including your mental well-being. Choosing the right kind of foods, such as veggies and fruits, helps promote good mental health. This also includes your choice of drinks, which is why it’s essential to stick with the healthy ones, namely teas.
Besides water, tea is another beverage that can help hydrate your body and refill your liquid reservoir. But more importantly, it improves your mental health by calming the mind and relieving your stress.
Your resident “true” teas contain plenty of antioxidants and amino acids that help relax the mind by removing the physical and mental stress. People don’t just think it’s comforting because of its warm and soothing effects; it actually contains healthy substances that relax you. Some of the best teas to drink to get rid of the stress include:
- Chamomile tea
- Green tea
- Mint tea
- Lavender tea
- Matcha
6. Prevents Dementia
Besides easing stress, the antioxidants in teas also protect the brain from toxic chemicals called free radicals. As a result, it decreases your chances of developing brain disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Studies suggest that this brain-protecting property stemmed from the combined effects of flavonoids, antioxidants, and L-theanine. The study also pointed out that all teas have these healthy substances, so it does not matter what kind you consume as long as you drink it regularly.
7. Reduces Dental Problems
If you are having trouble getting rid of bad breath, then you better exchange your regular coffee for a cup of healthy tea. Gain that confidence back and enjoy every minute of your senior living in Carlsbad!
Many seniors suffer from a case of dry mouth and bad breath due to the acid content of coffee. Luckily, you can eliminate and even prevent this by drinking tea instead.
Health and dental experts recommend older adults drink tea daily to improve their breath, protect their gums, and reduce oral bacteria in the mouth.
