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There’s no escaping the hype about green tea! But really, is green tea good for you? What’s so great about green tea? To answer these questions, yes, and it’s all about the powerful antioxidants called polyphenols! Theses antioxidants have been found to be beneficial in prevention of heart disease, cancer and a multitude of health problems! Green tea is one of the fortunate herbal teas that has been the subject of significant research and this is why, in terms of health benefits, green tea is so widely lauded.
My naturopathic doctor is a big promoter of green tea! This is when I started drinking it and now I relax every day with a cup of green tea. It naturally decreases stress due to the amino acid L-theanine! Green tea is so smooth and has a nice earthy taste!
Basics about Green Tea
Green, black and oolong are the three main types of tea; however, green tea surpasses oolong and black in health benefits. Also, known for significant health benefits are red rooibos and white tea. Some studies have reported that white tea has more antioxidants than green. This is because the less processed the tea, the more antioxidants, and white tea is one of the least processed. Green tea is less processed than oolong or black tea.
How is green tea good for you?
Green tea contains polyphenols (antioxidants) that fight cell damaging free radicals. The polyphenols are known as catechins and include the powerful antioxidant Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which has been found in many studies to bring numerous health benefits such as; prevention of arteriosclerosis, cerebral thrombus, strokes and heart attacks. It also can improve blood flow and relax arteries, benefiting heart disease. Green tea is high in flavonoids which help fight oxidation and inflammation in cardiovascular disease.
Why is green tea good for you? Here are more health benefits :
- Lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels
- Lowers blood pressure
- Eases pain of rheumatoid arthritis
- Helps stabilize blood sugar
- Beneficial for stress (due to the amino acid L-theamine)
- Decreases protein beta-amyloid that may cause nerve damage in the brain and memory loss (Alzheimer’s disease related)
- Prevents arteriosclerosis
- Helps prevent glaucoma
- Some studies (University of Maryland Medical Center) have shown Protection or limitation of spreading from the following Cancers: Bladder, breast cancer, ovarian, possible benefit for prevention of
- pancreatic (more studies needed), skin cancer
- May reduce inflammation of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- Helps fight in autoimmune diseases and cancer
- Anti-aging
- Some research on benefits reducing liver problems
- May prevent cold and flu symptoms
- May help fight prostate cancer
- Bacterial & viral infections
- Promotes healthy gums, one study found helps prevent cavities
- Metabolism booster/ helps burn fat
What about the caffeine in green tea?
The only drawback for some people may be that green tea contains caffeine. Green tea has about half the caffeine as coffee. People with heart palpitations may want to avoid caffeine. However, below I tell you how you can reduce caffeine when you make your tea.
How to reduce the caffeine
According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, most of the caffeine in green tea is extracted into the water the first time the bag is infused. So in order to reduce the caffeine, let the bag infuse once and make your tea from the second steep.
How to make green tea to get sufficient health benefits
The BBC reported that tea that is steeped for 7 minutes has 3 times the antioxidants than tea that has been steeped only 30 seconds. However, many people would not like the strong taste of tea that has been steeped for a long time. But a study has found that steeping 3 minutes gives you double the antioxidants from a 40 second steep. This is why the ideal time to steep your bag would be at least 3 minutes. (Here’s an informative video about steeping tea)
Green tea sold In bottles
But, is green tea good for you when you buy it in a bottle? Be careful if you buy green tea in bottles! Don’t forget to check the label for sugar which is often present in many products.
Why you should give up coffee and drink green tea:
Drinking green tea is a much better health choice than coffee which has many negative health implications. According to Dr. Mercola, coffee, which has no nutritional value, not only increases your risk of stomach cancer and leukemia, but promotes fluid loss, creates out of control insulin levels, stimulates your adrenals, damages blood vessels and increases the risk of heart disease. Also, you are probably exposing yourself to pesticides and ingesting significant caffeine which can cause heart palpitations, insomnia and a rise in blood pressure.
Can you think of more reasons for the question, why is green tea good for you?
I have been a long time tea drinker,green tea being my absolute favorite. I completely gave up coffee a little over a year ago in favor of green tea. I have always been concerned the flouride in teas,I am still on the fence as to whether or not it is harmful like the synthetic sodium flouride in toothpastes and drinking water. Do you have any light to shed on this matter at all? All reports I have read conflict each other.
Cold steeping is a good way to reduce caffeine but still retain most of the antioxidants. I looked over some studies on this recently and cold-steeped tea has up to 60% less caffeine than green tea steeped in hot water. Ever since reading that I’ve steeped all my tea in cold water. Cold-steeped green tea also tastes better than traditionally made tea – it’s not as bitter.
To make tea in cold water just dump the leaves into a bottle and put it into fridge for 8 to 12 hours.
Great info! Thanks for sharing.