Boost your immunity with these warming teas

The nip in the air means winter is coming and hand in hand comes the winter flu. So I ask you to reach out to the popular Indian brew – a warm cup of chai. A Buddhist legend claims that tea leaves were grown from the eyelashes of Lord Buddha as he plucked one of his own eyelashes to banish sleep which kept interfering with his concentration during meditation.

Let me tell you, this 2500 year old brew, is a part of the Indian DNA. For all, chai is a powerful potion of good health. I say this brew is extraordinary not just in taste but also because of its innumerable health benefits too. Chai is loaded with antioxidants which help prevent free radical damage. Research shows that limited consumption of this brew has proven beneficial for cardiovascular diseases and multiple cancers.

Here are some of the ways you can incorporate the different Indian Chai's during the winter months:

Black tea

If you feel a cough coming on, I say switch over to this curing tea. Simply boil dry black tea ground leaves in water without milk, strain and sip on it. The tannins from this tea may aid in soothing irritation in the throat. My tip: squeeze in lemon juice or put some lemon slices.

Mint tea

I have seen the wonders of this tea provide relief to sore throats and coughs. Take a few mint leaves, boil in water, strain and consume. You can have it plain or put in a dash of milk or squeeze lime in it.

Kahwa

The kashmiri kahwa is India's most famous kahwa. Made from boiling water with saffron strands, almond slivers, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods. The saffron contains at least 2 carotenoids crocin and crocetine plus 2 phytochemicals making it a powerful antioxidant.

Masala chai

This tea brings wonderful warmth to the body with its healing effects from the ground green cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn and dry black tea leaves. Cinnamon is helpful for insulin resistance, cardamom is an anti-depressant and cloves possess anti-inflammatory properties to relieve general pains and inflammations.

Green tea

This refreshing drink has thermogenic properties that helps keep you warm. It promotes healthy cell growth and is best had without milk and any sweetener.

Chai tea

This is your simple homemade chai. Just remember to replace the sugar with stevia.

I believe that chai for an Indian is an antidote, making one feel solace with its imbibing flavours. A good cup of tea refreshes places where other beverages cannot reach. If you want to sweeten these brews, add stevia instead of sugar. Remember to have not more than 2-3 cups of any of these chai's through the day with the last cup being before 4 pm.