Green is a Smart Tea Time Choice

When it comes to drinking your health, green tea wins all the garlands, it seems. High in minerals, it is good for bone density, the fluoride content strengthening teeth and gums. It protects the liver against toxins such as alcohol and cigarette smoke, which may explain why heavy smokers in Asian countries where green tea is drunk more frequently still have a low incidence of heart disease.

This brilliant beverage can lower "bad" cholesterol (green tea drinkers can eat almost twice as many cholesterol-rich foods as their non-tea-drinking brethren), reduce arthritic inflammation, improve memory and new studies show it can protect against eye diseases such as glaucoma, too.

But will a traditional British cuppa do the same for us? Apparently not: antioxidant EGCG, which is 100 times more effective than vitamin C at cell protection, is found only in green tea.

Black tea loses its benefits through the process of being crushed and fermented. Green tea leaves by contrast are withered and steamed, resulting in more antioxidants and less caffeine. I suggest trying Oolong tea - a mix of fermented and non-fermented tea as a transition away from the builders brew.