Tea can harm your health

I kept getting a cold every few weeks, which is odd because I’m a healthy weight, eat clean, and exercise consistently. My doctor ordered blood work, and the results revealed that my iron levels were low, which surprised me because I eat a good portion of iron-rich proteins in the form of chicken, fish, eggs, or turkey, daily, and I make sure to have steak or lamb once a week as previously advised by my doctor to get more iron.

People who exercise a lot, and who have more muscle need additional iron, so I do fall into that category, but having such low iron levels still didn’t make sense. After doing some research, I learned that the tannins in tea, and I drink tea all throughout the day, hinders iron absorption (1). So, now I limit tea to 16 ounces (one large glass), in the morning, and eat a tangerine or orange with one of my afternoon meals. (Iron supplements can be toxic since it builds up over time (1).

I would have never thought that drinking tea was the reason I kept getting sick and why my injuries from running and tennis were taking so long to heal. This is a good reminder that even healthy foods can be harmful in excess.

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• (1) Sources:
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5093162/
• http://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk/nutritionist-articles/is-your-daily-cuppa-leaving-you-lower-in-iron
• http://www.livestrong.com/article/542844-does-green-tea-block-iron-b12/
• http://jacknorrisrd.com/herbal-teas-inhibit-iron-absorption/