Benefits of Drinking Green Tea
Ever wonder what the hype about green tea is? Green tea has become one of the go-to drinks among many individuals. It has become very popular because of all the health benefits the green tea leaves provide. The next time you decide to have a cup of coffee, reach for green tea instead. Not only is a nice cup of tea warming for you on a nice chilly day, but you are giving your body the nutrients it needs.
Medical News Today, states “People used green tea in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine to control bleeding and heal wounds, aid digestion, improve heart and mental health, and regulate body temperature. I used to be one of those individuals where I had to have my cup of coffee to start my day, add some creamer and a little bit of sugar. But after doing some deep research about the benefits of green tea, I swapped out and eliminated coffee from my morning and afternoon routine. When I would drink coffee, 1 to 2 cups a day, I always felt the afternoon sluggishness after the caffeine wore out. Now, with my morning cup of decaf tea, I don’t have the sluggish feeling in the afternoon, and I noticed I feel more alert. I use green tea to help with other cravings during the day, that around 2:00 in the afternoon, I have my second cup of green tea to sip something nice and warm into my body.
Some additional health benefits of drinking green tea include:
positive effects on weight loss
Liver disorders
Cancer
Memory impairment (Medical News Today).
As a health and wellness coach, I always educate my clients; if you want to help with not feeling tired in the afternoon, they have the option to remove coffee from their daily regime. Some studies suggest coffee is good for you, while others contradict this research. From personal experience, many clients, and friends who have made the switch, I have noticed a difference in how they feel. It was not an easy thing for me. I suffered for two weeks, headaches, fatigue, hard feeling of sluggishness during the day, and just wanted to sleep. It was the worst two weeks of my life. But after the withdrawals of the caffeine, I started to feel so much energized in my day.
With green tea, in countries that consume a high amount of green tea, cancer rates are much lower than in those who do not. Another great benefit of green tea is the protection of cells from damaging free radicals that lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In a 2011 test tube cell study, researchers tested the effect of a component of green tea, colon-available green tea extract (CAGTE), to see how it affected an essential protein in Alzheimer’s disease (Okello, McDougall, Kumar, & Seal, 2011).
You might be asking yourself, what is green tea? It is made by steeping the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush. All non-herbal teas are from leaves from this same bush. The only difference between teas (for example, black tea versus green tea) is the level of oxidation of the leaves before they are dried. Green tea is from unoxidized leaves, which makes it particularly rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, and one of the minor processed forms of tea available. The next time you wake up, sip a cup of hot green tea and reap the health benefits.
References
Medical News Today (n.d). What are the health benefits of green tea? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269538#cancer-prevention
Okello, E. J., McDougall, G. J., Kumar, S., & Seal, C. J. (2011). In vitro protective effects of colon-available extract of Camellia sinensis (tea) against hydrogen peroxide and beta-amyloid (Aβ((1-42))) induced cytotoxicity in differentiated PC12 cells. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology, 18(8-9), 691–696. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2010.11.004
