FOOD SPECIAL..TOO MUCH IS TOO BAD (4)

4.TEA

Tea keeps our hearts healthy, it's soothing and stress relieving. But it's addictive. So there is a possibility that four cups a day will become 10. Radio jockey Radhika Sharma, 36, found that out when she counted the number of cups of tea she drank one day and found it totalled 17.

Tea contains around 40mg caffeine per cup. “Caffeine is thought to inhibit the absorption of iron and some vitamins and is also linked to headaches, jitteriness, digestive disruption, irritability, confusion, headaches, tremors, irregular heartbeats and insomnia,“ says Dr Tickoo. “People who are sensitive to caffeine may also suffer from acidity as it leads to production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.“ The tea in teabags is more finely cut and releases caffeine more quickly. And the longer you brew the tea, the more caffeine will be extracted. Drink too much tea and you could also take too much fluoride into your system and develop a state of fluorosis, which can cause a bone disease called osteosclerosis (brittle poor quality bones).

WHO'S AT RISK?

Those who are predisposed to heartburn and stomach ulcers. Diabetics and people with high blood pressure need to be careful too.
In any case, addiction is bad for anyone.
HEALTHY LIMIT:

If you drink more than five cups a day, consider decaffeinated tea. Look at the size of your cup too. Two cups of tea a day from the neighbourhood café is more like six cups a day.

(KAVITA DEVGAN HTB 5FEB12)