What are the health benefits of Green Tea? Green tea was first grown in China. Most of the green tea grown today is grown in China and Japan, which is also where most of the world’s green tea is consumed. However, it has gained a great deal of popularity in other parts of the world, primarily because we now better understand its health benefits.
Green tea has been the most popular drink in Asian countries for centuries. Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea leaves are plucked and laid out to wither for about 8 to 24 hours.
This lets most of the water evaporate. Next, to prevent the oxidation (fermentation) process, the leaves are steamed or pan fried. Finally, the leaves are rolled before a final drying takes place. After this final drying, the leaves, which still look green, can now be sorted, graded and packaged.
Green tea been shown to aid in weight loss by speeding up the metabolism and increasing the oxidation of fat cells in the body. For years it was assumed that green tea’s caffeine was responsible for this ability to aid weight loss.
However, more recent research has shown that green tea is more effective at speeding weight loss than other beverages with higher caffeine contents. Researchers have concluded that it is the caffeine in green tea combined with green tea’s anti-oxidants that make green tea a better weight loss supplement than other caffeinated beverages.
Additional Benefits Of Green Tea
Green Tea Health Benefits #1 – Green Tea and Cancer
Studies have found that the antioxidants found in tea may inhibit the growth of cancer
Green Tea Health Benefits #2 – Green Tea and Diabetes
A study on rats have shown that tea may be a simple, inexpensive means of preventing diabetes.
Green Tea Health Benefits #3 – Green Tea and Bad Breath
Did you know tea is tooth friendly? A cup of tea not only warms the heart and soothes the soul, it may also freshen your breath.
Green Tea Health Benefits #4 – Green Tea and Acne
If you are interested in a safe and inexpensive cure to acne, try Green Tea. The antioxidants contained in green tea have been shown to be beneficial to acne prevention and it can reduce the inflammation associated with acne.
Green Tea Health Benefits #5 – Green Tea and Alzheimer’s
Antioxidants found in green tea may protect the brain and fight the memory-robbing effects seen with plaque deposits in Alzheimer’s disease.
Green Tea Health Benefits #6 – Green Tea and Cholesterol
Studies show that tea reduces blood cholesterol and blood clotting and lowers blood pressure. Tea also has the ability to combat heart disease and reduce the risk of strokes.
Green Tea Health Benefits #7 – Green Tea and HIV
A study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology stated that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) found in Green Tea can help to boost one’s immune system, therefore helping to prevent HIV.
How To Make Green Tea
There are a few factors that you need to keep in mind when you want to brew your green tea.
· The Quality of Water
· The quality of Green Tea
· Water temperature
· And the time needed to steep
If you change any one of these factors, you will have to make adjustments to the others. Or you could end up with a very bitter cup of Green Tea.
The water quality is a major issue. Tap water is generally not considered pure enough. There are very many chemicals in normal tap water that alter and influence the flavour of tea. I highly recommend pure spring water at best, heavily filtered water at worst. And stay away from tap water.
The lower the quality of Green Tea, the longer you have to steep, and the higher temperature water you need to use.
As a rule of thumb, never, ever use boiling water. I usually let my boiling water cool down for a few minutes before adding the loose leaf teas. I follow a few simple steps:
1. Boil the water. Some people say that boiling water that has cooled down makes tea taste better than water that has not yet been boiled. I have found no differences in taste, but find it easier to let boiling water cool down than trying to gauge the water temperature without a thermometer
2. Pour the boiling water into your empty Green Tea pot and let it stand for a minute. The cold Tea Pot helps in cooling the water down, while the hot water also warms up the tea pot.
3. Pour out the water from the tea pot into your drinking mugs. This helps cool the water down even more, and warms up the cups. The warm cups help retain the heat in your cup of tea while you are drinking. Let the water stand in the mugs for about a minute. The added advantage of this, is that you now have the exact amount of water you need for your brew
4. Discard the remaining water in the tea pot. The exact amount of water is in the drinking mugs. Green Tea can be steeped multiple times, but if you leave the tea to steep in the little bit of extra water, you could get very bitter tea.
5. Add your Green Tea Loose leaves to the pot. A good indication is about a teaspoonful of tea per cup that you are planning to brew.
6. Empty the water from the mugs into the tea pot and let brew for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Pour out the green tea to fill a quarter of the drinking mugs and rotate or swirl the tea pot gently.
8. Fill the mugs to half, and gently rotate the tea pot again.
9. Finally fill the drinking mugs making sure that no water has been left in the tea pot.
1. Allergic reactions
People can be allergic to green tea ingredients such as the tannins or caffeine, identified through unexplained skin rash, hives, itching, swelling of the mouth or throat, wheezing, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.
These exceptional allergic reactions are similar to, say, a peanut, bee sting, or shrimp allergy.
2. Health issues
Some health issues may occur when drinking green tea, such as:
* Iron deficiency anemia. Polyphenols (mainly tannins and catechins) found in this type of tea bind to non-heme iron. Although this anti-oxidative effect is desirable in the fight against cancer, this mechanism may impair the utilization of dietary iron. In other words, polyphenols lower the iron availability and absorption from foods; tea extract decreased non-heme iron absorption by 28%.
Two independent studies involving children from different ends of the world (Great Britain and Saudi Arabia) found they may optimize their iron status by avoiding tea with (or after) meals. The interaction between tea and iron can be mitigated, however, by the addition of high sources of vitamin C or consuming tea between meals.