Many cannot start their day off until they have had a cup of coffee. As for me, I always start my morning with a cup of hot green tea.
Green tea is a drink that is produced from the fresh Camellia sinensis leaf. It is rich in phenolic compounds that act as antioxidants and nutrients. It provides various health benefits for the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
The content of flavonoids and catechins provides various properties to green tea, providing antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antidiabetic effects. It also shows anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral effects. Moreover, it has cancer-preventive properties. This tea can be obtained in soluble powder, sachets, or capsules and purchased in supermarkets, online stores, and natural product stores.
In this article you will learn
- Amazing benefits of green tea
- How to take green tea
- Astonishing advantages of green tea
- At what time of the day should you drink green tea
- Green tea before bed
- Green tea and mint leaves
- Adding lemon to green tea
- Possible side effects of green tea
- How to make green tea
- Best green tea
| Attention all men over 40 who are committed to living their best lives! Join my Best Men’s Health and Lifestyle email community today and gain access to exclusive content on topics such as nutrition, fitness, heart health, lifestyle and more. I will provide you with the latest research, tips, and tricks to help you optimize your life. Don’t wait any longer to start living your best life. Read more of my blogs at Best Men’s Health and Lifestyle and take the first step towards a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life. |
If you’re interested in checking out some of the great products that I use and recommend, click on the links below to find some amazing deals! Please note that if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!
Amazing Benefits of Green Tea
Green tea is well known, especially thanks to its beneficial effects on our health. It is the tea that undergoes the fewest transformations and therefore retains the most virtues. It is not fermented nor is it oxidized.
This famous drink helps us fight the dreaded free radicals. Surprisingly, it also keeps our immune system healthy and strong. Today, we are exposed daily to free radicals. These radicals also accelerate our aging and increase the risk of developing cancer and other serious diseases.
The body naturally produces antioxidants, but it is not enough for all the things to which we are exposed. So complementary defenses are needed, and what is better than green tea. It is an exclusive, unique, and very powerful drink if taken correctly.
Antioxidant molecules are formed in response to:
- Excessive exposure to UV rays
- Contamination
- Smoking
- Eating an unhealthy diet
- Excess exercise
- Certain medications and/or treatments
- Foods with preservatives
- different chemicals
Green tea and its antioxidant properties will help complement and deal with these effects.
How to Take Green Tea?
There is nothing better than well prepared tea. To have all the benefits of green tea, you should take 3 to 4 cups a day. In the case of capsules, one capsule of green tea should be ingested 30 minutes after meals. You can also take it 2 or 3 times a day or as indicated by your doctor or nutritionist. Green tea should be drunk between meals because it can decrease the absorption of minerals such as iron and calcium.
Astonishing Advantages of Green Tea
There are countless benefits of green tea, which you cannot even imagine. In this section, I will go through all the major possible benefits of green tea that I have learned.
1. Green Tea is a Natural and Healthy Energizer
Green tea is said to be effective in fighting off different diseases. That is why it is a gift from God for our health. Green tea has always been used for its stimulating and energizing powers. Starting the day with a cup of green tea will help you fight fatigue. This is due to its high level of caffeine and vitamin C.
2. Antioxidant Powers
It is composed of catechin, a molecule of the flavonoid’s family with strong antioxidant powers. Green tea acts on the free radicals present in the body that are harmful to our health. The catechins present in 50% of the beverage reduces or blocks the oxidation of certain chemical substances.
Thanks to this cardio-protective action, drinking green tea regularly reduces the risk of contracting cardiovascular disease. Regular consumption of 3 cups a day would reduce the risk of contracting a heart attack by 11%. The antioxidant effects of green tea are also believed to prevent aging and osteoporosis.
3. Antitumor and Anticancer Functions of Green Tea
The catechin also has an antitumor action. This compound is the most potent in preventing the growth of neo-vessels that cancer cells secrete.
These catechins promote the proper functioning of the aggregation of blood platelets. Also, it prevents the formation of clots that block the arteries. The consumption of tea would reduce this platelet aggregation by about 15%.
4. Promotes Kidney Functions
Green tea is a powerful diuretic that has the benefit of helping the digestive system work well. Also, drinking this tea allows us to protect and promote kidney function to eliminate bad toxins. All of this helps to cleanse the body.
5. Stimulates Metabolism and Helps you Lose Weight
Have you let yourself go, and little extra pounds have accumulated over the years? So, drink green tea! Incorporating the drink into a slimming diet will help you get rid of the extra pounds.
Research has shown that green tea’s fat oxidation power has helped to lose weight. It also stimulates metabolism, which improves the ability to burn calories. The good thing is that it also acts as a cardioprotective and a powerful natural diuretic as long as you make a change in your diet and combine it with exercise.
Are you wondering how this is possible? The theine and polyphenol that the drink contains help decrease the absorption of calories. It also promotes carbohydrate absorption and promotes fat burning.
6. Green Tea Regulates the Cholesterol Level in the Blood
Green tea is very helpful in lowering bad cholesterol levels and increasing the good cholesterol levels. Regular drinkers of green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol levels. It is not surprising that some research mentions that those who drink green tea have a 31% less chance of some cardiovascular disease.
Studies show that regular consumers of green tea have lower total cholesterol levels by lowering bad cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol levels.
7. Green Tea Awakens the Taste Buds, Delights the Palate
Its good taste stimulates and awakens our senses. As tastes are natural, be aware that there are many green teas and ways to prepare the drink.
The boiling temperature and the time spent steeping will noticeably change the flavor of the tea. You can drink green tea hot or cold, sweet or not, the choice is yours.
8. Reduces the Risk of Arthritis
Green tea has great analgesic and anti-inflammatory power, which makes it an aid for the treatment of arthritis and inflammatory diseases.
9. Help Strengthen Bones
Green tea has the benefit of strengthening and protecting the mineral density of the bones of the spine and the hip sector. It is one of the properties of green tea that would be highly linked to the presence of fluoride. It also has properties to help bone formation.
10. Good for Diabetes and Helps Lower Blood Glucose
Green tea helps in regulating glucose levels by slowing the rise in blood sugar after eating.
As we all know that type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in recent decades. It now affects around 300 million people worldwide. It involves having high blood sugar levels with insulin resistance or the inability to produce insulin. Many studies show that green tea can improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.
11. Strengthens the Memory
Green tea has the benefit of improving cognitive function, which helps generate neuronal cells. It is a process known as neurogenesis that focuses on the area of the hippocampus. Keep in mind that the hippocampus is the area where the long and short-term memory information is processed.
12. Helps Protect Against Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease
Green tea improves brain function in the short term and may also protect the brain in old age.
In a study by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “results showed that each standard deviation increase in green tea intake was significantly associated with slower progression to dementia.”
“Consistently, green tea intake was nominally associated with a lower risk of dementia at baseline, suggesting a protective role of green tea against cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease. In addition, nominal association was observed between green tea intake and slower progression to depression, and lower risk of depression, hyposmia and insomnia at baseline.”
I told you number 12 would shock you.
At What Time of the Day Should You Drink Green Tea?
It is not recommended to drink green tea on an empty stomach as it could impair digestive functions. It is best to consume green tea around meals, about half an hour before or after. If you want to benefit from green tea’s slimming properties, it will help the body burn fat and get rid of toxins.
If you consume green tea before a meal, it will allow you to enhance the absorption of magnesium, catechins, vitamins C, and E.
Green Tea Before Bed
However, it is not recommended to drink green tea before bed as it may cause insomnia or impaired sleep. Caffeine can indeed cause sleep disturbances and could disrupt your night. To benefit from green tea and avoid the harmful effects, it is recommended to take breaks in your consumption of green tea, drink it for ten days, then take a break a few days before returning to it.
If you experience one or more of the side effects mentioned, you should probably reduce your green tea consumption. Your best bet if you find yourself having bad side effects is to see your doctor. It is recommended not to consume more than 3 to 4 cups per day because of its caffeine content. But this varies according to the resistance of each person.
Green Tea and Mint Leaves
Perfect for Digestion!
Green mint tea is a mixture of green tea and mint leaves and also contains many antioxidants. Mint leaves contain vitamin C, a lot of iron, and manganese, which gives mint antiseptic and digestive powers.
Adding Lemon to Green Tea
Adding lemon increases its antioxidant properties. A study on catechins found that lemon promotes the absorption of antioxidants and vitamin C from green tea.
In a normal tea, 80% of the catechins would not pass into the blood after passing through the digestive system.
Also, the combination of green tea and lemon would multiply the slimming virtues of the drink. The lemon being a fat-burner accelerates the fat burning process.
Possible Side Effects of Green Tea
In case of side effects, you should regulate your tea consumption or
choose teas lighter in caffeine such as Bancha or Genmaicha.
In case of sensitivity to caffeine, it is recommended to reduce the infusion time at first and gradually increase it to let your body get used to it.
To minimize the side effects, you should probably drink a glass of cool mineral water after drinking your tea. It is important to remember,
these side effects do not make tea an unhealthy drink. This is when the
recommended dose is exceeded that adverse effects may occur.
How to Make Green Tea
- Bring fresh water to a boil and let it cool for a minute or two to a temperature appropriate for the type of tea you’re using. Different teas require different water temperatures, so be sure to check the recommended temperature for the tea you’re using. For the best tea, Art of Tea is best in class.
- Place the loose tea leaves in the infuser. The amount of tea leaves needed depends on the size of the infuser and your personal taste preference.
- Put the infuser into the cup or teapot and pour the hot water over the tea leaves.
- Steep the tea for the recommended time, typically 3-5 minutes depending on the type of tea and your preference.
- Once the tea is steeped to your liking, remove the infuser from the cup or teapot and discard the used tea leaves.
- Enjoy your freshly brewed tea as is or with your preferred sweetener or milk.
To learn more about teas, read my blog, 10 Teas That You Should Try Because of Their Enormous Benefits. And for the best teas, hands down, it’s Art of Tea.
Check out this great video, 7 Health Benefits of Green Tea & How to Drink it | Doctor Mike
Key Takeaways
- Green tea is said to be effective in fighting off different diseases.
- Drinking green tea regularly reduces the risk of contracting cardiovascular disease.
- Research has shown that green tea’s fat oxidation power has helped to lose weight.
- Green tea improves brain function in the short term and can also protect the brain in old age.
Go to the comment section and let us know your thoughts.
Subscribe, like, and share my blog and begin living your best life now.
Follow Earnest and Best Men’s Health and Lifestyle on
Website: BestMensHealthandLifestyle.com
Pinterest: @BestMensHealthandLifestyle
Facebook: BestMensHealthandLifestyle
Twitter: @BestMensHealth1
Leave a Reply