- Where does most english breakfast tea come from?
- Is english breakfast tea nutritious?
- Is English breakfast tea alkaline or acidic?
- Is english breakfast tea gluten free?
- Is english breakfast tea a common food allergen?
- Water footprint of english breakfast tea?
- Carbon footprint of english breakfast tea?
- Is english breakfast tea sustainable?
- Is English breakfast tea vegan?
- Does english breakfast tea have human rights issues?
What are English Breakfast Tea benefits and side effects? Is English Breakfast Tea vegan? Gluten free? Acidic or alkaline? Low fodmap? Good for you? Healthy? Sustainable? Here are English Breakfast Tea pros and cons: all the info on English Breakfast Tea that every ethical consumer wants to know…
Food is something we consume every day. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on English Breakfast Tea benefits and side effects.
After learning if English Breakfast Tea is good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about English Breakfast Tea benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
English Breakfast Tea Benefits and Side Effects
Health
English breakfast tea health benefits may include:
- heart health
- detoxification
- lower cholesterol
- anti-hypertension
- weight loss
Additionally, English breakfast tea is…
- Caffeinated, contains caffeine
- Acidic 4.5 pH level once digested
- Gluten Free
- Not a Common Food Allergen
Environment
Water footprint: high, it takes 8,856 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of black tea / 1,061 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of black tea
Carbon footprint: low, 1.9 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of tea, a car driving equivalent of 4.5 miles or 7.25 kilometers
Destruction: low, black tea production is relatively sustainable, there is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. as long as pesticides have not been used, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc., tea plantations have long been considered environmentally friendly, some tea varieties yield suitable leaves for 30 to 100 years, which reduces the need for replanting and any emissions associated with crop planting, most high-quality teas are hand-plucked opposed to machine usage
English breakfast tea is…
- Moderately Sustainable
Animals
Kills: none, english breakfast tea production does not require any animals to be killed
Harms: none, english breakfast tea production does not require any animals to be used
Indirectly kills or harms: none, no animals are indirectly killed or harmed from english breakfast tea production as long as toxic chemicals have not been used, be sure to buy Non-GMO/organic, as pesticides harm and kill wildlife and ecosystems by contaminating soil, water, air and plants that animals eat
English breakfast tea is…
- Vegan
- Harmful to wildlife and ecosystems unless organic
Laborers
Health and safety: hazardous, limited access to clean water, lack of sanitation, which create health risks, may lead to disease, many workers and their children are malnourished, low immunity to diseases, dangerous exposure to pesticides leads to loss of appetite, numbness in hands, breathing difficulties, reports of starvation deaths
Living conditions: poor, in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Bangladesh, most workers live on tea plantations in decrepit homes, no working toilets, minimal electricity, child trafficking occurs as a result of low wages, children then become slaves, child labor to help meet worker quotas, oppressive conditions intensified by caste system
Wages: low, men work non-leaf-plucking tasks and earn a nearly double hourly wage compared to women, tea pluckers must look for additional work elsewhere to supplement their incomes
English breakfast tea has…
- Labor issues, human rights concerns
Where does most english breakfast tea come from?
Kenya is the world’s leading black tea exporter.
China is the world’s leading black tea producer followed by India, Kenya and Sri Lanka.
Is english breakfast tea nutritious?
Earl grey contains antioxidants and caffeine.
Is English breakfast tea alkaline or acidic?
English breakfast tea is acidic.
What is the pH level of English breakfast tea?
English breakfast tea, and all black tea, has a 4.5 pH level once digested.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
Is english breakfast tea gluten free?
Yes, english breakfast tea is gluten free. English breakfast tea does not contain gluten. Tea is made from dried leaves, therefore making it a naturally gluten free food.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
Is english breakfast tea a common food allergen?
No, english breakfast tea is not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to english breakfast tea but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
Water footprint of english breakfast tea?
English breakfast tea has a relatively high water footprint compared to other foods and beverages.
What is the water footprint of english breakfast tea?
It takes 8,856 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of black tea / 1,0661 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of black tea.
Did you know that water is a finite, non-renewable resource?
How much water does it take to produce an apple? A serving of rice? A steak dinner?
We need to be aware of “water footprints”. That is, the amount of fresh water utilized in the production or supply of goods we consume. As it turns out it takes significantly more water to yield foods that come from animals than foods that come from plants. Imagine how much water a cow needs to consume to generate a piece of beef. Not only how much water a single cow drinks, rather all the water that went into producing the crops that the cow ate.
Find out how much water your food consumes with this: Water Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Carbon footprint of english breakfast tea?
English breakfast tea has a relatively low carbon footprint compared to other foods and beverages.
What is the carbon footprint of english breakfast tea? It takes around 1.9 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of tea, a car driving equivalent of 4.5 miles or 7.25 kilometers.
Food not only has a water footprint but also a carbon footprint, known as CO2e, which stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. Since carbon measurements are a bit more difficult to comprehend, it is common to equate CO2e to the distance which a car drives in miles or kilometers.
When calculating carbon emissions, some factors may include…
- farm equipment
- animal feed production
- hothouses (greenhouses)
- food processing
- packaging
- transport
- refrigeration
- freezing
- package waste and more
But that’s not all!
It’s best to keep the following in mind when grocery shopping:
- shopping locally reduces transportation emissions
- food without packaging reduces waste as well as the carbon footprint
- refrigerated and frozen foods increase carbon emissions
- seasonal foods reduce carbon emissions from hothouses (greenhouses)
- growing plant-based foods at home is the most environmentally sustainable method with zero carbon footprint
Find out how much carbon your food emits with this: Carbon Footprints of Foods and Ingredients List
Is english breakfast tea sustainable?
English breakfast tea production is moderately sustainable due to its high water consumption. There is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. as long as pesticides have not been used. Be sure to buy non GMO/organic, as toxic, chemical pesticides contaminate air, water, soil, etc. when using regenerative practices.
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
Is English breakfast tea vegan?
Yes, English breakfast tea is vegan. English breakfast tea is made from tea leaves and not an animal product or byproduct, therefore making it a vegan beverage.
Animals of factory farms and the livestock industry are suffering. They live in horrific conditions that often include confinement, physical abuse and unnatural environments…so much so that they need to receive antibiotics to keep from getting ill or spreading disease. They’re also injected with growth hormones to become fatter faster and live short lives, being slaughtered as soon as they finish growing and are killed prematurely, well before their natural lifespan.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non-Vegan Foods List
Does english breakfast tea have human rights issues?
Yes, there are human rights concerns with tea production. It’s important to stay aware of human rights concerns and worker exploitation that may come with specific brands.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
This post was all about English breakfast tea benefits and side effects.
Sources:
Dominion Tea, Passionate & Informed Tea Drinkers
