Recipe #5 by our Hy-Vee Dietitians

Services

by Chris Culbertson, posted Sep 25th 2008, 14:00

Guest post by Michelle Arasim Diekmann, RD, LD, Hy-Vee Dietician

Coffee or Tea…and what color should it be?

The debate between the health benefits of coffee versus tea has consistently been a toss-up – depending on what health benefits you’re looking for. Both beverages have caffeine that can keep you more alert and productive and improve your concentration. Coffee has the most caffeine followed by black tea, green tea and white tea. On the flip side, if you have high blood pressure, you probably need to limit caffeine as it may make things worse.

Tea wins the award for “most antioxidants.” Antioxidants are chemicals found in plants that may prevent inflammation of the blood vessels and may reduce the risk for cancer. They may also help you look younger longer. In terms of antioxidants, white tea has the most, followed by green tea, black tea and coffee. It is important to remember that the top sources of antioxidants are fruits, vegetables and nuts like red beans and berries.

A new study from the University of Singapore found that drinking two to three cups of black tea each day reduced the risk for dementia by half in people over 55. They tested black tea because it is the most popular around the world. The coffee drinkers, on the other hand, showed no decrease in the risk of dementia.

Are there any new conclusions to be drawn here? Probably not. Good advice is to remember variety and moderation. “Too much” of anything can lead to problems. If you drink a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, enjoy! If you need to stay alert when you’re feeling tired, have a cup of coffee. If you need a dose of age-defying elixir, try this refreshing tea for a summer treat!

Raspberry Iced Tea

Serves 8

All you need:

3 cups Hy-Vee 100% cranberry raspberry juice
3 cups Hy-Vee raspberry Water Cooler
2 cups water
4 tsp Lipton™ instant iced tea mix
24 fresh raspberries

All you do:

In a large pitcher, stir together juice, Water Cooler, water and tea mix.
Place 2 raspberries into each cube of a (12-count) divided ice cube tray. Pour tea mixture evenly among cubes. Freeze at least 4 hours or overnight. Refrigerate remaining iced tea.
To serve, place ice cubes in iced tea. Refrigerate remaining tea.

KCFit.Net

Services