National Tea Month: The Benefits of Tea

Comfort food delivers just what it describes: a taste that pacifies the mind and body. This week, when I asked my patients what 'comfort food' means to them, I heard responses like brownies, ice cream, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes. For me … it's tea.

Don't get me wrong—I'm not one for passing up a bubbly molten lava cake, but when it comes to choosing a trusted companion, it's a soothing steamy mug of tea that greets me on a chilly morning, acts as a speed bump to unnecessary snacking in the late afternoon, and lets me know that dinner is done in the evening. My personal favorites include Tazo's Passion with a sprig of fresh mint and drizzle of agave, or a basic Earl Gray with some warmed milk and honey. Perhaps the toughest part about drinking tea is deciding which one to select while strolling down the ever-expanding tea aisle in the supermarket—and being prepared to lay down some cash for the fancier brands.

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You'll find teas that profess to calm your mood, lull you to sleep, ease constipation, boost energy, improve immunity, and help you speak with an English accent (just kidding about that one). Although these health claims are not clearly labeled on the box, their benefits are implied in their names, like Smooth Move, Sleepytime, or Tummy Tamer. The options for tea-lovers seem limitless, and these tasty brews bring lots of good reasons to get into hot water with their surprising health benefits.

• Boost bone strength. Researchers have reported that drinking tea may protect your bones and prevent against osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease. In one study, tea drinkers had higher bone densities and less bone loss than those who filled their mugs with other beverages.

• Favorable flavonoids. Some studies show that tea provides even more antioxidants than fruits and vegetables. Powerful compounds called flavonoids protect against damage caused by free radicals, helping cut the risk of cancer. Regular consumption of tea, particularly green tea, has been shown to lower the risk of colon, throat, and stomach cancers.

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• Heart helpers. The antioxidants in tea may help keep arteries more flexible and relaxed, lowering blood pressure and supporting cardiovascular health. Tea also has a calming effect, which helps combat stress.

• Happily hydrate. Whether chilled or hot, tea is an excellent source of hydration. The choice of an iced tea sweetened with a splash of fruit juice instead of a sugary beverage could bring big benefits, rather than empty calories.Toss some cut up fruit into a pitcher of unsweetened iced tea and keep it in the fridge for a refreshing pick-me-up after a workout.

• Curb colds. Tea may also boost immunity and help fight colds and viruses. A stuffy nose can be unlocked by breathing in the warm vapors that arise from a sweltering cup of tea. Warm liquids, in general, help assuage congestion.

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• Cut cravings. A mug of tea sipped slowly while making dinner or while typing away to meet a tight deadline could save you from unnecessary noshes and calories that you may not have counted.

It is with certain-tea—sorry, couldn't help it!—that tea has its benefits, but not all teas are harmless. Proceed with caution around those that add vitamins, minerals, and herbs that could interfere with other medications or supplements you're already taking. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings about "dieter's teas," which contain laxatives like senna, aloe, and buckthorn, perhaps leading to looser pants because of loose stools. The FDA also recommends proceeding with caution if you're considering supplemented tea like Comfrey (could cause liver damage), Woodruff (acts as an anticoagulant), Ephedra (could affect heart rhythm), Lobelia (may cause breathing problems), and even chamomile (may cause allergic reactions.) And don't assume that herbal tea doesn't contain caffeine. If caffeine keeps you up at night, make sure your box of tea explicitly says "caffeine-free" or "decaffeinated."

The benefits of tea have been enjoyed for centuries, so perhaps the next time you walk into Starbucks ... give teas a chance.

[See Signs of Caffeine Addiction]

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, has been owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants, LLC, for more than three decades and she is the author of Read It Before You Eat It. As a renowned motivational speaker, author, media personality, and award-winning dietitian, Taub-Dix has found a way to communicate how to make sense of science. Her website is BetterThanDieting.com.

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Wear Red and Learn ABC's for Heart Month

February is American Heart Month

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer for Americans. One in three deaths is caused by heart attack or stroke, amounting to about 800,000 fatalities each year. Even if one survives a heart attack or stroke, the condition often leads to disabilities and loads of expenses. "Fortunately, there are many simple steps we can take to prevent heart disease, such as eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and not smoking," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in a statement today. The HHS department aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2016 in a program aptly named "Million Hearts," which launched in September 2011. And just how will they pull this off? The program seeks to empower Americans to make healthy choices, by avoiding tobacco and reducing red meat and sodium intake, as well as improving care for people who already need treatment, by teaching them the ABCs. A: Aspirin for folks at risk; B: Blood Pressure Control; C: Cholesterol Control; and S: Smoking Cessation.

The American Heart Association, too, plays a big role in American Heart month. In fact, today is National Wear Red Day, to bring attention to cardiovascular disease and its threat to women.

Is Domestic Violence Most Common on Super Bowl Sunday?

Urban myths rarely have a useful purpose other than to confound, outrage, and frighten people into passing them along. But there's a silver lining to this one—the idea that Super Bowl Sunday is linked to the highest incidences of domestic abuse in the country.

While experts in the field dismiss that theory, they value the increased attention paid to domestic violence on the occasion.

"The Super Bowl does not cause domestic violence, and it doesn't increase domestic violence, but it does increase the public's awareness of the issue, which will help victims learn about help and resources," says Cindy Southworth, vice president of development and innovation at the National Network to End Domestic Violence. [Is Domestic Violence Most Common on Super Bowl Sunday?]

Does It Only Take 3 Weeks to Form a Habit?

I've heard it said hundreds of times, writes U.S. News blogger Yoni Freedhoff From patients, from colleagues, and sometimes from the media: "It takes three weeks to form a habit." But in my experience, both personally and professionally, the notion that true habits—behaviors that persist in the face of major life upheavals and adversities—can be forged in 21 days flies in the face of reality. So I decided to research the claim.

My readings took me to a self-help book written in 1960 by Maxwell Maltz, a cosmetic surgeon, who reported that it took 21 days for amputees to stop feeling phantom limb pain. Maltz then extrapolated that consciously cultivating a new behavior for just 15 minutes a day for 21 days could create a habit. This didn't strike me as particularly rigorous or convincing proof.

Looking to more modern research wasn't any more helpful. The most recent piece I could find was a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology that looked at the time it took for subjects to "automate" an eating, drinking or exercise behavior "carried out daily in the same context"—i.e., a habit. And with examples such as the time it took to automatically drink a glass of water after waking, or to do 50 sit-ups before breakfast, they concluded that it took participants between 18 and 254 days for these behaviors to happen "automatically." [Read more: Does It Only Take 3 Weeks to Form a Habit?]

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