Some of you might have heard that a major tea company was recently slapped by the FDA for making health claims about their tea. They're not the first and I'm sure they won't be the last, especially now that the FDA has taken the position that claiming health benefits means that the company is promoting tea as a drug. I am not, however, going to take this blog post in the direction you might expect. Instead I'll say, I'm really tired of talking about tea and its purported health claims.
There, I said it. Send along your hate mail and I'll begin answering when I can.
Seriously, though, I really am. It is one of the top areas of discussion as soon as people hear that I'm interested in tea. They want to lose weight, lower their blood pressure, improve their teeth...you name it. You'll notice that it really isn't a topic I've talked about much in the blog and I generally only write about it if hired to do so.
It's not that I'm disinterested in health. Far from it. I was actually a biology major in college and then earned a Masters degree in public health. It's not even that I don't believe there could be health benefits. There are lots of studies out there that suggest there could be some positive effects, but we do have to keep in mind that many of these studies utilized tea extracts and not tea in the form most of us consume it.
Again, not really my point. So what is my point? My point is that I want to drink tea because I like the taste of tea. I like its connection to centuries of history. I like to think about where it was grown and all the people it took to bring it to my door. I like tea just for what it is. I don't need to grab onto these health claims that are largely unproven and have led to ridiculousness like green tea in my shampoo and hand lotions.
Some claim that we need to promote tea's health benefits in order to get people to drink it. I don't buy it. When is the last time Starbucks had to put a sign in their window that you should drink coffee because it gives you shinier hair and stronger fingernails. (These are not real health benefits of coffee. Do not go get a cup because I said this.) People drink coffee because they like the taste and/or because the industry has done an amazing job in convincing people that coffee is the perfect way to connect with others. You meet friends over coffee. You stop and grab a cup in the morning and then talk to everyone at work about how you really "needed a cup of coffee." You linger over coffee at the end of a meal.
It's time for tea folks to stop trying to get people to drink tea to be healthier. You don't see people gathering over plates of spinach. Let's get people to drink tea because it's warming and relaxing and satisfying and tasty.
And that makes me feel better.
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Thursday, May 26, 2011
Why do we talk about health?
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5 comments:
Totally agree with your thoughts on drinking tea for what it is as opposed to what is supposedly does for you.
Thanks for Sharing
Although I just hosted a conference for a client where the keynote talked about men who have 6+ cups of coffee a day have a lower percentage of prostate cancer. Move over POM! LOL! Although it says nothing about how they probably never sleep. Waiting for the Starbucks brew - Prostate Roast. Eeeww.. I am with you, K. I say there's nothing wrong with drinking tea just because you like it. And now that summer is here I am like to brew some and mix in some herbs from my garden to make different flavors, and serve it nice and cold. Aaaahhh!
Hi Katrina,
I absolutely agree with you. In fact, when I report the results research on tea and health, I always do so with a disclaimer.
In our Meetup groups, we stay away from the topic of tea and health and when our guests ask questions about it, we only acknowledge that the FDA has not recognized these claim.
Instead we try to get them to learn to enjoy the tea for its own sake.
Hummm... Your insight is interesting! I don't completely agree with you, but I do agree that people should drink tea because it tastes good. People shouldn't force a cup of tea into themselves simply because they want health benefits... its disrespectful... to the tea, the tea growers, the company that produces the tea, and people who generally enjoy tea.
I agree with you that there is a negative side to the obsession with tea and health.
I do think tea is healthy, but it's healthy in the way nearly all fresh, natural foods are. The reason tea is seen as healthier than other drinks is not that it's really amazing, it's just that we are comparing it to industrially-produced drinks which barely qualify as food--soft drinks, things loaded with sugar, artificial additives, and devoid or nearly devoid of natural ingredients. Compared to these, tea looks like a miracle drink.
I do have a lot of material about health on RateTea.net, but I try to take a more skeptical, impartial tone, and I try to steer people in the direction of focusing on the flavor and aroma of tea.
I do think that even if one is strictly concerned with health, there are reasons to focus on tea as a beverage rather than a medicine: the act of paying attention to taste and thinking about where your tea comes from promotes mindfulness and relaxation, both of which have strong positive effects on health, probably more than any sort of biochemical effects that the tea would have.
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