Green tea is probably the healthiest beverage on the planet.
It is loaded with polyphenols like flavonoids and catechins which function as powerful antioxidants and have huge benefits on the body.
These particular substances can reduce the formation of free radicals in the body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. Thus, making you super-duper healthy!
Antioxidant Power
• High in Catechins (EGCG) - antioxidants that fight and may even prevent cell damage
• Improves blood flow and lowers cholesterol
• Helps prevent a range of heart-related issues, from high blood pressure to congestive heart failure
• Keeps blood sugar stable in people with diabetes. Because catechins lower cholesterol and blood pressure, they can help protect against the damage a high-fat diet can cause.
Improves Brain Function
• Key active ingredient is caffeine, which is a known stimulant. Caffeine in the brain blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine. It actually increases the firing of neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.
• Improves mood, vigilance, reaction time and memory.
• Contains the amino acid L-theanine, which is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and increase activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, which has anti-anxiety effects. It increases dopamine and the production of alpha waves in the brain.
• Together, caffeine and L-theanine can have synergistic effects and is particularly potent at improving brain function
• People who drink green tea have greater activity in the working-memory area of their brains and it has also been shown to help block the formation of plaques that are linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Relax with Green Tea
• The amino acid L-theanine has another role, and to provide relaxation and anti-stress effects.
• An 11 year study in Japan revealed individuals who drank the most green tea were least likely to suffer symptoms of psychological distress.
• Just the process of sipping tea helps you slow down and relax.
Green Tea and Weight Loss
• Green Tea ignites several different fat burning pathways in your body, from increasing the expression of fat burning genes, to properly stimulating your nervous system and enhancing abdominal fat loss.
• 5 cups of caffeinated green tea every day for 12 weeks can increase your weight loss by 3 pounds while decreasing your waistline by almost an extra inch.
Nature’s Appetite Suppressant
• New research published in Nutrition Journal showed that a 10 ounce cup of green tea with lunch increased study participants’ feelings of fullness and decreased their desire to eat more of their favorite foods.
• The antioxidants in green tea prevent the breakdown of norepinephrine, helping you eat less.
• Try snacking on a handful of nuts and a cup of green tea. The combination of protein, fats and anti-hunger effects of the tea will stave off any craving.
The Perfect Cup of Tea
To make the best tasting cup of tea, don't add green tea to boiling water. It's bad for catechins, those healthy chemicals, in the tea.
Better: 160-170 degree water.
So allow the water to sit for about 1-minute after boiling, then let the tea bag steep for 1-1:30 minutes. Add lemon. Vitamin C makes the catechins easier to absorb. Dairy, on the other hand, makes it harder to absorb them.
The longer you steep the tea, the more antioxidants will be drawn from the tea leaves. However, antioxidants tend to taste bitter. So, the longer you steep your tea, the more bitter it will taste.
Nutrient levels in green tea can vary. Pricier teas usually have more, and canned green-tea drinks generally have less.
Pick organic so you don’t get the pesticides and herbicides in your tea. Enjoy!
Yours in health!
