Teas often come with an acquired taste over time, but give them a chance.  If you don’t want tea every day, consider making it a routine once a week.  While many people think of tea as a more wintery drink choice, you can enjoy hot tea in the winter and iced teas in the summer (and I don’t mean iced sweet tea)!  There are tons of flavors and they can be great for your health (key word being CAN BE, see below)!

If you aren’t a quick breakfast eater in the morning, tea can be a great alternative and a much better choice than coffee (sorry coffee lovers)!  Try to quench your thirst in the morning with a tea, preferably within the first few hours of waking up.  It helps diminish heavier cravings and assists with waking you up each day.  Enjoy tea before you eat breakfast or choose to drink it with your breakfast.  Teas such as ginseng tea (increases focus and concentration), green tea (great replacement for coffee because it has caffeine, but not as high as coffee), chai tea (my favorite, just ask my boyfriend; high in antioxidants and spices), or black breakfast tea (alternative to coffee that has a rich flavor and is often enjoyed with milk or creamer, boosts brain activity, reduces anxiety). Other great morning drinks are warm water with lemon and water with aloe.  Both are great for your immune system.  Chamomile tea and peppermint tea are great relaxers that help calm nerves and allow you to destress in the evening hours.  Chamomile tea is also great to help you go to sleep.  If you have tried tea and you can’t seem to find a tea that suits you, consider a morning protein smoothie with fruit.

From tea to spice and everything nice! 🙂  Spice up your life with some great spices, non-spicy and spicy, both will get your metabolism and body going (in a great way)!  Consider cinnamon, ginger, or cardamom to add flavor (non-spicy, rich decadence) or if you are like me and like some heat in your food, add mustard, horseradish, cayenne, chili flakes, jalapenos, etc. to add spicy flavor that will have your heart beating faster and your nose running! 😉  So no excuses for not using spice, there are mild to hot spices and something in between to satisfy everyone’s taste buds!

So, what’s the everything nice part?  Studies have shown that drinking tea and adding spice actually improves a person’s mood, provides significant energy, and gives a person a more positive energy and outlook.  That’s nice, right?  Hey, I will take it, after all, some days, we need all the help we can get!  So, drink some tea and add some spice, it might just change your perspective, mood, and your entire day!

~jj