Green Tea - Why You Should Be Drinking It
For me, there is nothing quite as satisfying as sipping a steaming, hot cup of green tea after a meal or while taking a break. It is a soothing experience and I enjoy it as a hot beverage more so than coffee. Green tea is a great supplement to any clean eating diet and here’s why:
Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
Green tea contains polyphenols which are antioxidants that help fight against free radicals. It also contains a compound known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which helps protect against various forms of cancer.
Tea itself is a low calorie beverage so having it on a regular basis isn’t really an issue. While most teas have healthy benefits in general, green tea outranks them all in terms of benefits. This is because unlike other teas such as oolong, black, etc., green tea is unfermented leaving its healthy ingredients untouched from processing.
Here are some of the known health benefits of green tea:
- Lowers bad cholesterol and increases good
- Lowers blood pressure
- Known to fight certain types of cancer
- Boosts immune system
- Aids in weight loss by stimulating metabolism
- Improves digestion
What to Be Aware Of
If you are sensitive to caffeine you should be aware that 1 cup of green tea contains about 30 mg of caffeine. Also be aware that while it is generally a healthy beverage, too much of anything can cause harm. Drinking more than six cups of green tea per day may cause headaches, dizziness, sleeplessness, irregular heart beat, diarrhea, and vomiting. Opinions vary but I’ve found that 2 - 3 cups per day is the daily recommendation to obtain the health benefits.
The best way to drink green tea of course is by itself but if you must use a sweetener, you can opt for honey or stevia. If the taste of tea is not your thing but you want the benefits, you can also purchase green tea in pill form.
