I’ve partnered with Unilever® to create this post, but as always all opinions are my own and I appreciate your support!
There’s a lot of talk about morning routines and bedtime routines, but how about a routine in the middle of the day to help with stress and support your health? No matter what line of work you’re in, the day can get crazy and all of the sudden you find yourself frazzled, a little too stressed, and needing a moment to regroup and be calm. That’s where tea comes in for me!
Routines can be fundamental in helping us implement a new habit, unlearn an old one, and find the time in the day for things we might not prioritize. They are so helpful for all of those reasons and why I wanted to create my own routine in the middle of the day when I felt I needed it most to help destress.
In this day and age, we are running around constantly on information overload. I know what helps me when I need to calm things down for a bit, get rid of all outside distractions that inevitably come up, and focus on one thing while I have a cup of Lipton® green or black tea.
My Daily Calming Routine
On some days by 3pm I feel frazzled and paralyzed like I’m not sure what to do next because there are so many things I can or should be doing so I just freeze. I start to feel overstimulated with work, things I see on the internet, calls, getting stuff done for the day and planning for tomorrow before the day gets away from me.
Some of that is definitely my own workflow issues, and some is definitely because of this constant “always on” world we live in where we are constantly inundated with information. I’m selective about what I consume, but regardless it can get to be a lot!
Lately when I’ve started to feel like this, I know I need to slow things down, take a deep belly breath, sip my green or black tea with a touch of honey and focus on one task, and one task only.
I savor a cup of Lipton Tea the moment I need to reset, slow down, and focus. That’s why I’m excited to share new research regarding tea and your heart that shows that habitual consumption of unsweetened green or black tea as part of a healthy diet or lifestyle may help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Tea & Heart Health
Tea, the most globally consumed beverage after water, has long been associated with several health benefits.
A new meta-analysis published in Advances in Nutrition, a highly respected medical journal, showed consumption of green or black tea can reduce risk of premature death and death from cardiovascular disease.
The study summarized the results from 37 previously published epidemiologic studies found:
- The key to tea’s heart-health benefits is its rich source of flavonoids – naturally occurring plant compounds which have been shown in previous studies to exert a health benefit.
- Tea flavonoids exerts a likely effect on vascular function (ability of blood vessels to relax or contract).
Here are a few of the findings on tea and heart health:
- Tea drinkers consume a daily flavonoid intake that is ~20 times higher compared with those who do not consume tea.
- People who drink 2-3 (8 oz.) cups of tea per day may lower their risk of death from heart disease by ~8-12 percent, compared to non-drinkers of tea.
- For each cup of tea consumed by those greater than 65 years old, there was a 10% lower risk of death from heart disease.
- People who drink 2-3 (8 oz.) cups of tea per day may lower their risk of all-cause mortality by approximately 4-6 percent, compared to non-drinkers of tea.
The research findings are particularly pertinent today when nearly 5 in 10 adults in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease, and it is responsible for nearly 1 in every 3 deaths in the country (~837,000 deaths in the U.S.).
Share this news with your friends and family and consider adding a cup of green or black tea into your daily routine! Hot or iced, you can reap the heart-healthy benefits and know that by drinking a cup today you are doing something to protect your future health. What better way to protect our hearts through the foods we eat and drink?! I’ll raise a cup to that!
More articles & nutritious recipes you are sure to love-
- 5 things I learned from working with a body language expert
- roasted garlic pesto pasta with baked salmon, butternut squash and spinach
- blueberry lemon oatmeal cups
