How Much Do You Know About the Nutritional Value of Tea?

Source: Anxi Tieguanyin Network

Tea leaves contain various types of vitamins. According to their solubility, they can be divided into water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. Among these, water-soluble vitamins (including Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins) can be directly absorbed and utilized by the human body through drinking tea. Therefore, drinking tea is a good way to supplement water-soluble vitamins, and regular tea consumption can meet the body's need for various vitamins.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, can enhance the body's resistance and immunity. Tea leaves have a relatively high content of Vitamin C; generally, every 100 grams of green tea contains 100-250 milligrams of Vitamin C. High-grade Longjing tea can even contain over 360 milligrams, which is higher than in fruits like lemons and oranges. In black tea and oolong tea, due to fermentation during processing, Vitamin C undergoes oxidation and degradation, resulting in a decrease in its content. Every 100 grams of tea may only contain several dozen milligrams, especially in black tea where the content is even lower. Therefore, the higher the grade of green tea, the relatively higher its nutritional value becomes. Drinking just 10 grams of high-grade green tea daily can satisfy the body's daily requirement for Vitamin C.

B-complex vitamins include Vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (pantothenic acid), B5 (niacin), and B11 (folic acid). The content of B-complex vitamins in tea is shown in Table 3.

Since fat-soluble vitamins are difficult to dissolve in water, they cannot be easily absorbed when tea is steeped in boiling water. Therefore, it is now advocated to appropriately "eat tea" to compensate for this deficiency. This involves processing tea leaves into ultrafine powder and adding them to various foods, such as tea-infused tofu, noodles, pastries, candies, ice cream, etc. By consuming these tea-based foods, one can obtain the fat-soluble vitamin nutrients present in tea, thereby better utilizing the nutritional value of tea.

2. Drinking tea can supplement the body's required proteins and amino acids

The water-soluble protein content in tea that can be directly absorbed through drinking tea is approximately 2%, while most proteins are water-insoluble substances found in the tea residue. Tea contains a rich variety of amino acids, more than 25 kinds in total, including six of the eight essential amino acids required by the human body: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine. Additionally, histidine, which is necessary for infant growth and development, is also present. Although these amino acids are present in tea at low concentrations, they can still serve as a supplement for daily dietary insufficiencies.

3. Drinking tea can supplement the body's required mineral elements

Tea contains both macroelements and trace elements needed by the human body. Macroelements mainly include phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, etc., while trace elements primarily consist of iron, manganese, zinc, selenium, copper, fluoride, iodine, etc. For instance, tea has a relatively high zinc content, especially green tea, with an average of 73 micrograms per gram, and some varieties reaching up to 252 micrograms; red tea averages 32 micrograms per gram. The average iron content in tea is 123 micrograms per gram of dry tea, while red tea contains 196 micrograms per gram. These elements play important roles in the body’s physiological functions. Regular tea consumption is one of the important ways to obtain these mineral elements.