According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, global tea consumption is on the rise and is looking to steadily increase for the next decade. Tea sales have been primarily driven as an alternative to coffee and a trendy product for members of the upper-middle class. But more than anything, tea has been promoted tirelessly for its health benefits, making it one of the most popular drinks in the world.But this phenomenon isn’t new. Tea has been growing for a lot longer than we give it credit. For example, the National Institutes of Health found that tea consumption has been growing steadily since at least the 1990s. Who knows? Perhaps there is even an argument to be made that its popularity hasn’t seen a decrease since long before then.
According to findings by the Washington Post, tea imports have grown in the last 50 years by 700%. If we tracked the numbers back as far as possible, we might find a story about tea steadily rising as the lightly-caffeinated underdog to coffee.
In this article, we’ll break down some of the benefits of tea and tell you how it can translate to increased profits and happy customers. The rise of tea consumption is making customers everywhere ask: “is tea good for you?” We’re here to tell you that not only does tea have numerous health benefits, it can also have many benefits for your business.
Near Endless Benefits
Think about all the beverages you consume on a daily basis, excluding your daily recommended intake of water. What are you drinking? Soda, beer, coffee, and other mixed drinks may have a center point in your diet. What do they all have in common? They have drawbacks. A lot of these drinks have calories or added sugar. We all know the struggle of coffee breath, and if you don’t take it black then you are probably adding loads of sugar or cream into your morning cup of joe.
So what sets tea apart? According to research conducted by Consumer Reports, drinking two to three cups of tea a day can lead to a “lower risk of cognitive decline, glaucoma, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.”
Did you read that correctly? We assure you that you did. So much for anyone who says that there aren’t any health benefits of tea. The best part about these benefits, however, is that many of them are found no matter what tea you’re drinking. Because you are ingesting any kind of tea, your body is enjoying the compounds found within the plants without the drawback of added calories.
The key to selling tea is to advertise these benefits to your customers. There is a growing concern with healthy choices in America, and tea can provide a great avenue for delivering products that Americans can feel good about consuming.
Stock your shelves with a few local or high-quality teas, and see how quickly you can leverage them to make customers happy and increase your margin. Tea may not solve every problem in the book, but offering it to health-conscious consumers can have many benefits other than profit. Offering great tea will also keep your customers healthy and coming back to your establishment for a long time.
But how do you draw in the naysayers and the skeptics? Just list off some of the benefits of consuming tea over other beverages. Maybe you don't know any or you’re just curious about some of the benefits for yourself. We’ve listed the most beneficial and backed-up claims that set tea apart from the rest.
The Benefits of Tea
Staying Hydrated
Tea does one thing better than its competitors: it keeps you hydrated. I know what you’re thinking: doesn’t coffee do the same thing? Coffee won’t improve your skin or hydrate you as quickly as tea. Think of tea like water with a few perks. Coffee can also leave you crashing harder.
Tea keeps you hydrated and sharp for a longer period of time. This is because coffee operates at an extremely high depress rate, meaning that when you crash from coffee, you crash a lot harder than if you were drinking tea. If you’re looking to stay alert and hydrated at work, tea is your best course for staying steady throughout the workday.
Keeping You Quick as a Whip
One of the health benefits of tea is that it can reduce your likelihood of contracting mind-altering diseases like Alzheimer's. The National University of Singapore stated that drinking a warm cup of tea often can decrease the risk of cognitive decline by as much as 86% for people who are genetically predisposed to contracting Alzheimer’s.
Additionally, Green Tea has been linked to increasing your memory and current cognitive ability. A study from the University of Basil in Sweden linked green tea consumption to working memory. We’ve personally started drinking a few cups a day so we never lose our keys again.
The Full Strength of Antioxidants
Antioxidants are one of the phenomenal benefits of drinking tea. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that the presence of antioxidants in popular foods like tea can reduce your risks for many diseases. Antioxidants keep healthy cells protected and strong. You can use this benefit of drinking tea as a tool to keep your cells happy and healthy.
The Powers of Hibiscus and Chamomile
Tack on a few more wins for the health benefits of tea. According to the American Chemical Society, firing up a warm cup of chamomile can help ease your cold symptoms. Chamomile increases your immune system’s ability to fight harmful invaders.
In addition to the health benefits of tea, tea brewed with Hibiscus can lower blood pressure in hypertensive adults. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Research found that this brand of tea can lower your risk for cardiovascular issues.
Misconceptions
Tea isn’t a miracle worker, and there are some common misconceptions about what tea can do for you. While we stand behind tea for its numerous health benefits, there are some people who are prone to give out some common myths about what it can do for you.
Serving tea can be a great asset to your business, but make sure you aren't making any false promises. The benefits of tea can be amazing, but sometimes you need to dispel a couple of common mistakes that tea proponents advertise. Make sure that you don’t communicate anything about the health benefits of tea without first consulting evidence from a trusted source. We’ve listed some of the biggest ones to help you out.
Does Tea Prevent Cancer?
To make a long story short, we’re not sure. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, studies linking tea to cancer prevention often cite the presence of polyphenol compounds as the basis for this claim. Polyphenols may reduce your risk of cancer, but the evidence that exists often has caveats or conflicting evidence. While tea may or may not reduce your cancer risk, the confirmed health benefits of tea still warrant a cup or two a day.
Will Tea Help You Lose Weight?
There have been many studies that link the compounds found in green tea to weight loss. So what’s the problem. Many of those studies have relied on using green tea extracts. Green tea may help you lose weight, but it means that you would have to drink many cups of tea a day in order to match the levels of compounds that would be found in extracts. We’re not saying it isn’t possible, but we are giving a warning to anyone who has heard that you can transform your body in a few weeks by drinking a cup of green tea a day.
But never fear, green tea has many of the same benefits of drinking tea and can still lower your risk for other diseases.
Tea Will Strengthen Your Teeth
Some green tea enthusiasts claim that a cup of green tea a day will decrease your odds of tooth loss. While this may be true, there is some conflicting evidence. Some studies have shown that tea can break down the enamel layer of your teeth over time. There is also a hypothesis that tea might strengthen your teeth because it is often brewed in water that contains fluoride. Don’t hesitate to have a cup of tea every now and then, but don’t go thinking you can throw out your toothbrush.
Have a Cup, Change Your Life
We don’t think that tea can solve all of your problems, but it can allow you to thrive as a business. Tea is on the rise and providing popular products is one of the many ways you can set your business apart. Giving your customers an opportunity to partake in rising trends can drive in new business and distinguish you from your competition.
