Did you know green tea has many health benefits? For starters it is loaded with antioxidants (EGCG). Secondly, it can reduce muscle soreness for those of you who exercise. Some studies have also shown that green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells meaning it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. Other studies have also shown that green tea can help with reducing rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease. Of course we can’t depend on green tea alone, but instead we should include green tea in our healthy diets.
The down fall of green tea would be that is it has a fair amount of caffeine. I would recommend that you drink no more than two cups a day and also include plenty of water in your diet. Too much caffeine can cause nervousness, irritability, anxiety, heart palpitations and headaches.
If you don’t care for the taste of green tea try squeezing some lemon in it to give it more flavor, but try not to undermine the great benefits green tea has to offer by adding sugar. There is also a brand called Numi and they have a Jasmine Green Tea which is excellent and doesn’t taste so bland as regular green tea. I have also come across that different brands of green teas taste different so don’t knock green tea if you have only tried one brand. Find one that works for you and include it in your daily diet.
Ha! I love it. I drink far more than two cups a day, but I stick to the same tea bag, hopefully I get reduced caffeine that way. Did you ever find a brand you liked?
Sticking to the same tea bag sounds like a great idea. You probably do get less caffeine.
Yes I like the Numi brand and the Jasmine Green Tea is my favorite!! I am actually drinking a cup right now
Awesome! It looks like I’ll be drinking a ton of green tea from now on.
Do other teas have similar benefits?
Yes, other teas have similar benefits. White and green teas are the best because they are the purist. Black tea still offers benefits, but the think to remember with black tea is that black tea has a lot more caffeine in it. The more processing tea leaves undergo, the darker they will turn. Green tea and white tea are the least processed tea therefore they are the purist forms of tea.
Herbal teas on the other hand are not derived from the same leaves as white, green or black tea. Studies show herbal teas do not have the same particular health-promoting properties.
Another interesting thing is that some studies have shown that if you buy decaf tea you might not be getting the same polyphenols or the same health benefits.
Green tea with honey or lemon is absolutely terrific.