Is it wrong to mix tea with milk?

Is it wrong to mix tea with milk?

There is no doubt that, for many centuries, the tea it has since become one of the most consumed beverages in the world in absolutely all its varieties (green tea, red tea, white tea and black tea), together - of course - with coffee.

In Japan, for example, there is a tradition of taking a good green tea with every meal, which could become an answer to the question that many scientists ask about why this country stands out for its low mortality in terms of diagnosis of cancer cases is concerned.

As you surely know, between the different properties of tea, and its important nutritional virtues, we find the catechins and the polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that make teas like white tea a true gift of Nature.

However, in countries such as the United Kingdom or Morocco, there is a tradition of tea with milk, a widespread practice that, although it does not have to be bad for health, does have an impact on the possible loss of the main nutrients found in tea.

Mix tea with milk: is it bad?

Surely at some point you will have heard the one baptized as english tea time, consisting of drinking tea every day at five in the afternoon along with some pastries.

It is a widespread practice in the United Kingdom. Although it is also true that in other countries, such as Morocco, it also tends to take a delicious black tea with milk.

Although its flavor and aroma are simply delicious, Many people are unaware that milk, mixed with tea, inhibits the effects of its catechins, which means that most of its important benefits are lost.

This prevents, above all, that by drinking a good cup of tea with milk, in the end we are equally enjoying its most important properties.

Our advice? Drinking a cup of tea with milk a day is not bad at all, since it does not have any negative effect on health. However, to really enjoy the virtues of tea, it is advisable to divide the intake of at least two cups of tea throughout the day, for example before breakfast and after each meal.

Image | David Light Orchard

Bibliographic references:

• Rashidinejad A, Birch EJ, Sun-Waterhouse D, Everett DW. Addition of milk to tea infusions: Helpful or harmful? Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies on antioxidant properties. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Oct 13; 57 (15): 3188-3196. doi: 10.1080 / 10408398.2015.1099515