It's National Iced Tea Day!

You read it correctly-  
National Iced Tea Day!

It began in 1904 when a tea plantation owner set up a booth at the world's fair.  He planned to sell hot tea, but due the hot weather, he added ice and the rest my friends, history.

Iced tea history.

Health benefits? Of course!

The leaves of the tea plants contain polyphenols, which gives tea it's antioxidant properties.  Polyphenols in tea have been known to:

• Help protect cells from the normal, but damaging, physiological process known as "oxidative stress." Although oxygen is vital to life, it's also incorporated into reactive substances called free radicals. These can damage the cells in our body and have been implicated in the slow chain reaction of damage leading to heart disease and cancer.
• Help prevent blood clotting
• Help lower cholesterol levels
• Help neutralize enzymes that aid in the growth of tumors
• Help deactivate cancer promoters
• Help stimulate the immune system

Apart from polyphenols, tea also contains a variety of ingredients that are beneficial to one's health. These include theanine (an amino acid unique to tea), vitamins, minerals, and methylxanthines. These are the components that are the source of the healthful properties of tea. These are known to:

• Help fight against mutagenic agents
• Delay aging
• Help fight high blood pressure
• Help fight against viral and bacterial infection
• Help improve the functions of the digestive and excretory systems

DRINK UP!