Black tea is one of the most widely consumed teas across the world. It is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are air-fermented before they are dried, cured, and packaged. Steeping these leaves in the boiling water for about 5 minutes gives you a low-calorie black tea, which has various health benefits.
The benefits can be reaped better if you do not add sugar or milk to the black tea. However, unsweetened black tea might not taste great, and lemon comes as a savior! A squeeze of half a lemon not only imparts taste but also boosts the benefits of black tea. Here are the benefits of adding lemon juice to your black tea.
1. Increases Iron Absorption
Lemon is rich in vitamin C. It also contains traces of vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, and calcium. Daily consumption of lemon ensures proper growth and repair of the body tissues and strengthens the immune system. When added to tea, it serves another important purpose. Tea is known to reduce the absorption of iron (non-heme or iron from plant sources) in the body. Lemon enhances the absorption of iron in the body. Besides, adding it to black tea doesn’t hamper its nutritional benefits, which makes the duo a healthy combination for consumption.
2. Fights Free Radicals
Both black tea and lemon juice have antioxidants which eliminate free radicals from our body. While black tea has theaflavins, lemon juice has ascorbic acid or vitamin C, which together, scavenge the free radicals out of the body. These potentially keep nerve-damaging diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s at bay. The antioxidants also help prevent hardening of arteries, kidney stones, and heart attack.
3. Helps In Weight Loss
Black tea contains caffeine, which is a stimulant. Stimulants usually have appetite-suppressing properties, which reduce your food intake. This, in turn, helps you limit your portions and prevent overeating, which ultimately avoids you putting on those extra pounds.
Unsweetened black tea has zero calories. Lemon has about 8 calories per ounce, which is negligible. This near-zero calorie beverage doesn’t add to your body weight in any way. Just skip the sugar.
Black tea also has micronutrients called catechins, which have the ability to prevent the absorption of fat in the body. And, any action that avoids fat absorption contributes to weight loss indirectly.
Also, by avoiding the milk, sugar, or whipped cream, you are ideally cutting down on a whole lot of calories which, for sure, would derail your weight-loss plans. Having a cup of black tea with some lemon squeezed into it half an hour before your meal is beneficial.
4. Cleanses The Body Of Toxins
Both caffeine and lemon juice have diuretic properties, which increase your urine output. They eliminate the toxins at a faster rate. It is especially beneficial when there is an infection, as the viruses or bacteria are expelled within a short span. However, it is important to take your doctor’s advice before consuming the same during illness, as caffeine might interfere with the functioning of some drugs.
5. Cures A Sore Throat
Adding honey to black tea with lemon makes it a perfect therapy for a sore throat and cold. While caffeine acts a stimulant and pain reliever, lemon eliminates toxins, and honey provides a soothing effect to your throat. Having a cup of this concoction twice a day will help you get rid of the infection faster.
It also acts as a detoxifier by aiding digestion.
Black tea with lemon is totally safe for regular consumption. Just limit the consumption to a cup or two per day. And don’t add sugar or milk.
