The Fluoride Action Network lists black and green tea consumption as the sixth top reason for fluoride overexposure. Consumption of fluoridated water is #1. The reason is because the leaves of the tea plant tend to accumulate high levels of fluoride which they take up from the soil. Excessive intake of tea, particularly bottled or instant tea, has been known to cause a painful bone disease called skeletal fluorosis. • Check the country of origin where your tea was grown. The World Health Organization lists areas of the world where the groundwater is naturally high in fluoride such that it affects the fluoride levels of crops. These areas include large parts of Africa, China, the Middle East and southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka). If you aren’t sure of the source of your tea, call the company and ask and only buy from areas where the tea is not grown in a known fluoride belt. • Steep your tea water for no longer than 10 minutes. Longer steeping times appear to increase the fluoride content of the tea water. The minimum time for steeping is 5-10 minutes in my experience, so set the timer and remove the tea from the tea water immediately when time is up.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 07:57:40 +0000