Fluorides in Tea: Good or Bad?

controlling the infusion duration is critical in managing how much of each of the contents in the tealeaves come into the tea liquid

Don’t leave the tea soaking in the pot

In the same study, they have found out that the longer the infusion time, the more fluoride in the tea liquor. The increase can be 11 to over 100 percent. For example, the earlier mentioned Yunnan Gold (Dianhong) can give 0.81 mg/l of fluoride if left steeping in water for 30 minutes. This is a 153% increase. That is one more reason why you should completely decant your tea once you have infused for the intended time. This also shows a merit of the Gongfu approach in tea infusion.

In the Tibetan case, a visionary Buddhist group “Tzuchi” worked with a local scientist to introduce a method of making brick tea with much lower fluoride content and not a dramatic raise in price. This would be a happy way forward if the idea is carried forth to scale in those tea plantations that have been making profits by selling brick tea to ethnic groups since early memories. This change will mean the Tibetan people can happily keep to their traditional life-style of 40 ~ 50 cups a day without fluoride over-dosage and those makers keep their business.

As for the rest us, stick to finer whole leaf teas, and stay away from tea mixes and ready-to-drink products.

There are other things you may consider doing if you are concerned with excessive fluoride intake:

• Use a non-fluoridated toothpaste
  In an US study, 20% of the toothpaste is swallowed during brushing. That can add up and is proportionally large in a young children RDA
• Use an effective water filter
  The amount of water one ingests per day is larger than that he drinks — cooking and gargling and even absorption through the skin during the shower. That adds up quite significantly
• Use a natural sea salt
  Certain activists argue that fluoride poisoning through salt is potentially more serious than other sources. There are also other funny additives in your “table salt” that you may not want to ingest. Although fluoride is found also in natural sea salt, only in much safer level, it does taste better, and possesses other good substances for the body, such as trace amounts of other minerals.
• Choose breast-feeding for your baby
  Before there is any consensus or regulation in the fluoride amounts used in baby formula, use your own milk. It is at least 100 times less fluorides; and much more beneficial nutritionally, in addition to the supply of all the immune capabilities of the mother, which no canned food can replicate.
• Minimize your children’s intake of instant cereals, canned drinks, and canned food
  These are some of the sources one can avoid, if one chooses less processed food for its health benefits, and for better taste
• Avoid using plastic coated cooking pans, including some of those world famous brands
  Food materials heated in plastic coated cookware are found to have fluoride content raised to 3 ppm. Cast iron, stainless steel, anodized aluminium, glass and ceramics are better choices than coated wares
• Support one of those activist groups
  Sign a petition or give a donation to those who stand up for their opinion which you agree, and which you know will be for the benefits of all. Or become active yourself.