I Love Green Tea

Green tea has been prized since ancient times as a traditonal beverage that's good for the body and soul. I started drinking green tea a couple of years ago as a healthier alternative to coffee. One thing that really sparked a desire to drink more green tea was when I read The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno. He suggested drinking a cup of green tea with each meal to aid digestion and help with weight loss. I'm always looking for easy ways to help me maintain a healthy weight.

Health Benefits of Green Tea

• Antioxidants- Green tea is full of them and they are good for your body. They help protect the skin from free radical damage which lessens the likelihood of wrinkles.

• Cancer Prevention- Animal studies have indicated green tea protects against the start & growth of cancer and this is believed to be due to its antioxidantive properites. Green tea has also been shown to ease the adverse effects of cancer therapies, such as radiation and chemotherapy.

• Longevity- Green tea is linked to having a strong immune system which helps you live longer.

• Better Memory- A study done in 2010 found that people who consumed tea had significantly less cognitive decline in their senior years than non-tea drinkers.

• Improved Digestion- Green tea drinkers have a decreased risk of ulcers and green tea is thought to help maintain a healthy weight.

• Prevents dental cavaties and gingivitis. Green tea is an antiplaque agent and good for preventative dental care.

• Lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. It increases HDL cholesterol levels.

• Reduces blood pressure and acts as a blood thinner.

• Reduces the risk of heart attack and lessens the likelihood of death from heart attack.

A note of warning before you go out and start drinking 8 cups a day.  An article from the journal Nutrition (1999, pp. 946–949) states

"Caution should be applied, however, in the use of high concentrations of tea for disease prevention. Ingestion of large amounts of tea may cause nutritional and other problems because of the caffeine content and the strong binding activities of tea polyphenols, although there are no solid data on the harmful effects of tea consumption. More research is needed to elucidate the biologic activities of green and black tea and to determine the optimal amount of tea consumption for possible health-beneficial effects."

So how much green tea should you drink each day? In Asian countries the average amount is 3 cups a day.  I often drink 2 and sometimes 3 if I'm especially tired.  I'm sensitive to caffiene so I don't drink any after 2pm to be sure I can fall asleep at bedtime.

To make green tea: Heat water in a tea kettle on the stove until 80 to 85 °C (176 to 185 °F) which is before boiling temperature is reached. The hotter the water the more bitter the tea will taste. Place a tea bag into your favorite mug and pour the hot water in.  Let it steep for 1 minute. Most teas you can steep for a long time but green tea gets bitter if you leave the bag in the water more than a minute or two.  Enjoy!




The majority of my information came from The Green Tea Book by Lester A. Mitscher, Ph.D. and Victoria Dolby