Is Tea Bad for You?

Some teas are better for your body than others.

The ideal tea is loose leaf. If you don't have the option of loose leaf tea, look for something that isn't in a paper tea pouch. A cloth bag is best. Sometimes paper pouches are treated with a chemical to prevent tearing. Ingesting that chemical over a lifetime can be detrimental to your health. Organic teas typically don't have that chemically treated pouch.

Expect to pay a little more for quality. Look for a reputable source for your tea. Black tea has more time to absorb heavy metals during the growth process. Green tea, white tea and fruit teas are a smarter choice.

Don't let your tea steep longer than three minutes.

Listen in as chef Abbie Gellman talks tea.

Featuring:

Abbie Gellman, MS, RD

Abbie Gellman, MS, RD, is a professionally-trained chef and Registered Dietitian. Abbie has over 10 years of hospitality and food and beverage consulting experience and nearly 10 years of nutrition-related experience.

She received a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from Teachers College, Columbia University and completed a dietetic internship at New York – Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. Abbie holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and earned her Culinary Degree from Peter Kump's New York Cooking School (now known as ICE).

In addition to working with a wide variety of food service operators, Abbie also counsels and educates patients and groups in a private practice setting and cooks privately for individual clients.