Benefits of green tea can be achieved if we consider it as part of our diet meal plan. Nowadays, a variety of teas are available to us that come from various herbs, fermented, dried leaves and even fruits. And our tea times have never been more flavorful.
Benefits of green tea come in purest form from the fresh green leaves of the tea plant or the tea shrub. It still considers Camelia Sinensis or green tea as the tea of all teas. It has better tastes than the fermented ones, and even better than the other tea substitutes or herbal teas.
So, what is amazing about the health benefits of green tea that many are rejoicing about?
Green tea has been known as the secret of longevity for most East Asians for several centuries ago. But, researchers and scientists are still debating about the real health benefits of green tea. They all agree that green tea is better than the fermented ones. It has a higher number of polyphenols or micronutrients that we get from plants.
Best Tea for Weight Loss
So, you want a weight loss tea? The first in the long list of green tea health benefits is its ability to aid in weight loss.
Many fitness experts claim that drinking green tea can increase one’s metabolism. When it combined with exercise, it can help burn more fat compared doing regular exercise alone.
Some studies reveal that green tea may help suppress cravings while speeding up fat and calorie burning in our bodies. So what is in green tea that may trigger weight loss? Green teas have the right amount of caffeine to activate and suppress our appetite. Some researchers are also pointing to its high level of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG has a nutritional compound found mostly in green tea. It increases the level of fat oxidation in our body to the point that it can turn food into calories.
Unlike the other fermented teas—black, white or red—green tea which comes from the fresh young sprouts has more concentration of EGCG and other antioxidants.
Many pharmaceutical companies have already been investigating the many benefits of EGCG in green tea. These include its suitability fitness and slimming drink because of its high metabolic rate. Also, it has efficiency in reducing bad cholesterol.
Want to experience the best green tea drink?
When having a hot green tea during meals, scientist’s advice that it is best to add green tea leaves to about 70 degrees Celsius water, it is not advisable to have the boiling temperature at 100+ degree Celsius. It will destroy the catechins it carries.
Still, if you don’t have an active lifestyle, green tea is not the miracle drink that would give you a fit and slim body that you are aiming for. But if you want to have a green tea weight loss program, consult your physician first. It can have side effects if you are taking other medications.
Because of the high concentration of EGCG, you can still consider green tea as the best slimming tea for those who want to burn those love handles or the unsightly fats around the abdomen area. It is the best tea for weight loss.
Green tea has high antioxidants
Also, one of the known green tea health benefits is its ample amounts of antioxidants.
According to scientists, green tea is a potent antioxidant that prevents diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, various cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, periodontal diseases and dental cavities.
Green tea with antioxidants helps our body stays healthy as it scavenges the various free radicals that may cause cancer cells and other diseases. Doctors have observed that many green tea drinkers are less likely to develop several types of cancer such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.
Studies have revealed that the catechin in green tea is the key component that may delay and prevent the onset of cancer cells in our bodies.
Unlike herbal teas, green tea may have more caffeine, but it also has more certain antioxidants.
The best way to get the benefits of green tea is to add lemon and not dairy. Ascorbic acid helps catechins easier to absorb in our body.
Some researchers argue that the nutritional content of green tea may vary, depending on the conditions of the soil, climate and harvest time.
The best green tea
In Japan, you can have several types of green teas such as Sencha, Gyokuro, Tencha, Matcha, Funmatsucha, Konacha, Shincha, Bancha, Fukamushicha, and Kukicha. The varieties depend on the location, schedule of harvesting and its method with processing.
Still, these varieties of green tea leaves come from Camellia Sinensis. Japanese have really pushed the boundaries of having the best green tea drinks in the world. According to Japanese experts, the many green tea benefits a person with enjoyment is dependent on the variety of processed green tea leaves.
Sencha + Gyokuro
Sencha is one of the many green teas varieties. It is the most popular tea drink in Japan. It comes from green tea leaves exposed to sunlight. These are high in Vitamin C content.
Once the first flush has been harvested for Sencha and then regrown, the Japanese will have Bancha green tea leaves. It has a more bitter taste as compared to Sencha. Bancha’s bitterness is from its high fluoride content, which is good for the teeth and gums.
Gyokuro, on the other hand, has a sweet flavor that comes from the tea leaves shaded from sunlight. You will need to shelter three weeks before harvest time. The sweetness comes from the amount of theanine it has. The highly preferred green tea is high in caffeine and chlorophyll for tissue growth and healthy skin.
Konacha is the filtered-out dust and tea bits from the processing of Gyokuro and Sencha. You can have Konacha green tea at an affordable price than most green teas usually served in restaurants. Also, you can use it for cooking due to its strong aroma and flavor.
You can have Kukicha from the leftovers from Sencha, Gyokuro and Tencha, including the twigs, stems, and stalks. The process made after the harvest. This green tea has a light flavor and still has a lot of nutrients because it is still the byproduct of the best green tea processes.
Tencha becomes Matcha
Tencha has the same green tea leaves before being ground to become Matcha. These tea leaves have packed with nutrients that will increase our metabolism and energy. Also covered for two weeks from sunlight, unlike Gyokuro, the tea leaves known as Tencha are not rolled during its process.
When grounded, Tencha becomes Matcha, the green tea used for Japanese formal tea ceremonies. Many have considered Matcha green tea as the best green tea. Some researchers found out that it contains ten times more antioxidants than other green teas.
Matcha has also become a favorite among tea drinkers in coffee shops and tea houses. The enjoyment can have both as a cold and a hot beverage.
Funmatsucha
Although Funmatsucha is also in powdered form, it is different from Matcha as Funmatsucha comes from any variety of green tea. By making green tea into powder, you can easily drink all the contents of the green tea just by adding warm to hot water. Much Japanese drink these to recover from common colds, flu and headaches.
Shincha
The most expensive green tea, Shincha comes from the very first green tea harvest. After harvesting during Spring, you need to flash-steamed the budding green leaf of Camelia Sinensis. It will maintain a vibrant green color. This green tea has a bitter taste and is rich in amino acids. This fresh green tea is also low or sometimes has no caffeine.
Fukamushicha
On the other hand, the Fukamushicha green tea leaves are steamed for many times longer as against the Sencha leaves. The process gives the leaves a darker color with the removal of moisture and oxidation and gives off a rich taste that is still gentle in the stomach.
Coming from the same Camelia Sinensis plant, the Japanese have diversified the green tea for various leisure and health purposes. It is good to know that from these we can get a variety of green tea nutrition, just by sipping and enjoying it.
The green tea vitamins are excellent to combat different illnesses from various bacteria and viruses and even due to the changing of seasons.
Green tea benefits for men
Preventing prostate cancer is one of the many benefits that men would really love about green tea. According to statistics, prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer. It is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in men worldwide.
Prostate cancer has been the bane of most men. It strikes the least you expect it, having to find out of this malignancy during the third or fourth stage.
While cancer prevention is genuinely remarkable, green tea is also being studied for its hair loss prevention properties. Some research had shown that some components of green tea keep the amount of testosterone in the blood remains balanced. It prevents too much production of Dihydrotestosterone, which causes hair loss. And with green tea benefit for hair, let’s say hello to a better and more youthful you. Men can defy the process of ageing.
Another green tea benefit for men is its caffeine content—which many agree is just the right amount to give the necessary boost for physical activities without having the usual coffee jitters. Also, the catechins in green tea have been found to increase one’s endurance.
And because green tea has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, having some green tea in your meals may help prevent erectile dysfunction. It can boost your sexual health as well.
Many do believe that green tea is also one of those hangover cures. Studies have shown that drinking the right amount of green tea may detoxify your liver and bid goodbye to those nasty hangovers. Do not just overdo it, as the reverse might happen.
Indeed, green tea is the best tea or even the elixir that boosts men’s well-being as it defies and combats most of the men’s health problems.
Green Tea benefits for Women
Aside from its breast cancer prevention, green tea also promotes good skin and lustrous hair. You can achieve these benefits of green tea because it has high nutrients and anti-ageing properties.
Women would also love the benefit of having a better aptitude during office hours. Green tea gives the necessary boost not only in the heart but also in the brain. As a result, you can have better blood flow and circulation.
Green tea’s right amount of caffeine is a better choice for pregnant women against coffee. However, doctors still advice pregnant to keep the intake of green tea to a minimum as it may cause miscarriages and premature birth.
Aside from a great beverage, you can use green tea for skin care remedies like acne and sunburns. Many companies have already been adding green tea extracts because of its anti-ageing properties in their skin care products such as in crèmes, lotions, shampoo and conditioners.
Even after drinking green tea, the used tea bags remain valuable. Most beauty consultants and dermatologists consider it as a useful treatment against puffy eyes and dark circles.
Also having the proper amount of green tea in our body can prevent tooth decay, bone degeneration and boost muscle growth.
Green tea, because of its amino acid and L-theanine, can prevent depression. L-theanine helps in the release of chemicals like serotonin and dopamine to fight depression symptoms.
Green tea side effects
Green tea side effects can occur if we consume too much green tea. Like other foods, if we drink it over the recommended daily serving, the side effects can be fatal over time.
One of the causes of green tea side effects is the caffeine that we absorb from it. Caffeine is not bad for our health if we just consume it properly. Otherwise, it can be risky to our health. High-level consumption of caffeine can be found from other types of green tea except for black tea. Too much caffeine consumption can give you an anxiety attack, abnormal heart rate, and increase in blood pressure among others.
However, some people have caffeine sensitivity that even a small amount of caffeine can cause side effects on them. In this case, before drinking green tea to help lose weight, there is a need to consult a doctor for professional medical advice.
Other than people with high sensitivity for caffeine, one with ulcer or digestion health problems should investigate the side effects of drinking green tea. Tannins, as one of the green tea’s chemicals, can trigger your stomach to produce more acid. Therefore, green tea should be avoided by people with stomach problems to prevent a severe further health problem.
Some other side effect of too much green tea consumption is congenital neural disabilities during pregnancy. Caffeine is one of the contributing factors for congenital disabilities. Most doctors do not provide advice to pregnant women to take any food with caffeine.
These side effects can be treated if early signs have been detected. With each symptom that we will experience due to over-consumption of green tea, it can be addressed quickly. Drinking alone with an adequate amount of green tea daily and moderately will prevail over the benefits of green tea.
Our Insights
Indeed, the benefits of green tea can be achieved if we are going to consume green tea adequately. If the consumption of green tea is over the recommended serving in a day, you can alter the effects by drinking lots of water.
Choosing green tea with less caffeine is one of the choices you have for you to be able to drink green tea. Decaf or brewed green tea is also an alternative to reduce caffeine consumption. Other opted to have teabags to measure the flavor of green tea to achieve the calming effect in our body.
If you have decided what green tea you will intake daily, it is significant that you should know the right time that you should be drinking your green tea. The best time to drink your green tea is after you eat your meal. Preferably, you can drink your green tea if your stomach is half full. It is not advisable that you will drink caffeine products if your stomach is empty. Moreover, to appreciate the goodness and benefits of green tea, you can add a drop or two of lemon or grapefruit to have a twist and aroma in your drink.
Buying fresh green teas have more health benefits than those who have been processed and bottled. Green tea stored in a box or bottle but not completely sealed can ward off the freshness and flavor of the tea.
Also, most health advocates may consider green tea as a great health companion. But as always, the best way to reap the benefits of beverages such as green tea is to drink it in moderation to avoid liver problems.
