Some people mistakenly believe that tea, as a traditional beverage, is outdated. But in fact, many drinks cannot compare with tea, especially in summer, where drinking tea is more beneficial than consuming ordinary beverages.
Tea is a natural beverage without additives
No additives are included during the tea production process; its color, aroma, and taste are formed solely based on the quality of the raw materials and the production mechanism. In contrast, many other beverages often require the addition of chemical substances such as colorants, flavors, and sweeteners during manufacturing to enhance their sensory properties, color, and taste. Sometimes, depending on the beverage's purpose, stimulants, anesthetics, or preservatives are appropriately added. Currently, China uses over 200 types of food additives. Experts recommend drinking fewer beverages containing chemical additives and opting for more natural drinks, with tea being an ideal natural beverage.
Drinking tea helps dissipate heat, cool down, and quench thirst
During the scorching heat of midsummer, tea's cooling and thirst-quenching effects far surpass those of ordinary beverages. This is due to the combined action of various active components in tea. The caffeine in tea plays a significant role in regulating the body's temperature control center in the hypothalamus. Simultaneously, the aromatic substances in tea act as natural cooling agents, dissipating a certain amount of heat from the body's pores through evaporation. Drinking hot tea (not scalding) in summer provides the best heat-dissipation and cooling effects. The caffeine in tea also has diuretic properties.
Drinking tea can prevent gastrointestinal diseases
In the hot summer, if dietary hygiene is not carefully maintained, bacteria can multiply rapidly, making summer a season prone to digestive diseases. Scientific research indicates that tea possesses antibacterial, germicidal, and gut microbiota-improving functions. Drinking tea can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria while promoting the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, thereby enhancing intestinal immunity.
Drinking tea replenishes potassium salts and fluids
High summer temperatures cause increased sweating, leading to the loss of substantial potassium salts from the body through perspiration. Tea is a potassium-rich food. Research using atomic absorption spectrometry shows that the average potassium content leached into black tea infusion is 24.1 mg per gram of tea soup, while green tea contains 10.7 mg. Drinking tea in summer helps replenish potassium salts, maintaining normal intracellular and extracellular osmotic pressure and acid-base balance, and supporting regular physiological metabolic activities. This is a key reason why tea is recommended during summer when sweating is prevalent. Compared to consuming potassium-rich fruits (such as citrus, pineapple, bananas, etc.), drinking tea is both economical and convenient.