Tea is known to carry a multitude of health benefits and even a cup a day can be beneficial. You want to work it in when you can so that you can get the antioxidants – such as flavonoids and catechins – to help in improving your health. These antioxidants can help with a variety of things from protecting against disease, to burning fat to glowing skin.

Chai Tea Marinade

This can be used for just about anything you marinate, including beef, tofu, chicken and pork. Tea contains tannins which have many health benefits, but they will also help your meat become tender so that it is falling off the bone. You will need the following for this marinade:

• A cup of chai tea brewed

• One and a half inches of finely chopped, fresh ginger
• Two teaspoons of rice wine vinegar
• One tablespoon of honey
• Two cloves of finely chopped garlic

Once your tea is brewed, take the teabag out and put the honey and ginger in. You will allow this to cool and then add the rice wine vinegar and garlic. Simply pour over what you are marinating and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Mint Tea Vinaigrette

This is perfect for a refreshing spring or summer salad. Switch out the lettuce for fresh spinach and add some citrus fruit like grapefruit to top this off. You will need the following for this vinaigrette:

• A half cut of mint tea that is brewed. Steep this for five minutes

• One tablespoon of red wine vinegar
• Pepper and sea salt to taste
• One teaspoon of honey
• One tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil

Before steeping your brewed tea, add the honey and let this sit for five minutes. You will remove the teabags and stir in your olive oil, vinegar, pepper and sea salt.

Matcha Breakfast Shake

Matcha is a type of green tea that is concentrated and ground up well. It will be a powder when you get it and it can be found at health food stores. A single tablespoon packs as many flavonoids as 10 cups of the tea version. This means that the fat-burning properties are increased ten-fold. You will need the following to create this shake:

• Half peeled naval orange

• Half cup of strawberries
• One teaspoon of matcha green tea
• Half cup of low-fat yogurt (plain)
• Two peeled mandarin oranges
• Seven ounces of orange juice (should be 100 percent juice)
• One scoop of protein powder (preferably whey protein)
• Ice cubes

You should put all of this into a blender and blend until it is the consistency that you like best.

Spicy Carrot Soup

This is an easy-to-make soup that contains leeks, silken tofu, chilies and coconut water. You will use a lemon-ginger tea. You should brew the tea and chop everything up. Put everything in a pot and cook. This can be made quickly and it is super healthy and flavorful.