What is in our Tea?
Tea the amazing drink that have endless number of benefits, with all its different kinds and varieties, But what is really found in Tea available in the Lebanese market?
Many of today’s tea brands are actually loaded with toxins, artificial flavors, pesticides, artificial ingredients, added flavors and GMOs.
Add to this: most teas are not washed before they are packed. So the cancer causing pesticides sprayed on the leaves are going into your cup. That is why you should add tea to your organic shopping list!!
Teas Can Contain Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavoring and GMOs
Most of the teas available in the market contain natural or artificial flavoring, both of which contain chemicals. The difference between both of these flavors is the source of chemicals.
Natural flavors are created from living organisms like animals and vegetables; they are later processed in the lab to create flavorings
Artificial flavors come from anything that is inedible, such as petroleum, and processed to create chemicals of flavorings.
These flavors have been linked to so many symptoms and diseases such as:
- Brain tumors
- Cancer
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Mental confusion
- Seizures
- Depression
- DNA damage
- Allergies
- Fatigue
- Anxiety attacks
- Kidney problems
- High blood pressure
When you read on your tea “natural flavors” you might think you are buying better, cleaner ingredients; however companies are just covering up the inferior taste and how low quality is the tea.
That is why when I read “natural flavor” on a label – I put the product down and never buy it.
Fortunately, there are brands that use only real ingredients.
GMOs is not something you think about when drinking tea.
Some companies use tea modified corn starch and soy lecithin in tea (additives likely made from genetically engineered corn and soy)
This is the label I found on one of teas available in the Lebanese market:
| POPULAR Tea Brands | Possible Pesticides (only conventional products) | Natural flavors | Artificial flavors | GMO’s | Harmful packaging (?= could not verify) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilmah | |||||
| Tea Brand 2 | x | ? | |||
| Numi | |||||
| Tea Brand 4 | x | x | x | ||
| Tea Brand 5 | x | x | x | x | |
| Tea Brand 6 | x | x | |||
| Tea Brand 7 | x | x | |||
| Tea Brand 8 | x | x | x | ||
| Tea Brand 9 | x | x | |||
| Tea Brand 10 | x | ||||
| Choice | |||||
| Tea Brand 12 | x | x | x | x | |
| Tea Brand 13 | x | x | ? | ? | |
| Tea Brand 14 | x | x | |||
| Traditional medicinals |
Chamomile, natural Grape Flavor with other Natural Flavors, Sweetener, (stevia Extract, Soy Lecithin), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and Rosebuds!!!
And here is a list of some of the teas found in Lebanon with the ingredients:
What to look for when buying a Tea?
- Choose an organic & non-GMO certified tea. (My favorites are Dilmah, Numi, and Choice.
- Check the ingredient list to make sure there are no added flavors, GMO ingredients like soy lecithin and corn starch added to the tea leaves.