It's an old tradition around the midEast to drink tea with a sugar cube in the mouth (not necessarily from a saucer though!) And no, it's not rock candy. A regular sugar cube will do.
I don't see how milk nullifies the benefits of teas, myself. My doctor (who's not just a well-known oncologist but also has a degree in Chinese Med) drinks assam religiously with milk.
Milk In Tea
This is not a new revelation.. but allow me to rephrase... I believe drinking tea is great. However, studies have shown that milk added to tea, can block certain health benefits of drinking tea..See attached articles.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6241139.stm
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... f-tea.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 191523.htm
but may not block all..
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/ ... a-benefits
Additionally, many people drink black tea with milk not for the purported health benefits, but simply because it tastes good (including me!) , or because it is a part of their culture, (like my friend from India).. It delicious.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6241139.stm
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... f-tea.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 191523.htm
but may not block all..
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/ ... a-benefits
Additionally, many people drink black tea with milk not for the purported health benefits, but simply because it tastes good (including me!) , or because it is a part of their culture, (like my friend from India).. It delicious.
Interestingly, there is a strong cardiovascular disease gradient running from North (highest) to South (lowest) in the UK; purportedly, Scots and Borders folk tend to use milk in their tea, whereas the English and Cornish prefer lemon or nothing added.
I queried my Mom (a Scot) on this; she didn't think the association was valid and suggested it probably has more to do with general dietary preferences.
Aside: casein is a common food additive present in hundreds of processed foods. Even if it's not present in milk added to tea, it can be present in many other foods in diet and therefore avoidance is a bit problematic if it indeed reduces the vascular nitric oxide relaxation effect of tea.
I queried my Mom (a Scot) on this; she didn't think the association was valid and suggested it probably has more to do with general dietary preferences.
Aside: casein is a common food additive present in hundreds of processed foods. Even if it's not present in milk added to tea, it can be present in many other foods in diet and therefore avoidance is a bit problematic if it indeed reduces the vascular nitric oxide relaxation effect of tea.
