Green tea seems to have become wildly popular overnight! I was at a popular coffee shop chain recently and found a green tea latte and a matcha smoothie. I love it when healthy products hit the mainstream market!

Green tea is not just a fun-colored drink at a coffee shop though. It has amazing benefits for our health, including antioxidant support, disease prevention, supporting metabolism, and boosting our detoxification!

BRAIN HEALTH:
Studies have shown that green tea can boost memory, brain function, and attention/focus, while reducing anxiety. This is due to the amino acid, theanine, found in many types of teas. Theanine is a wonderful stress-reducer.

ANTIOXIDANTS:

Green tea is full of phytonutrients called catechins. Catechins are antioxidants. These protect our body’s cells against free radical damage. Free radicals are produced through normal energy production, as well as through a poor diet and high stress. It’s important to eat a variety of plant-based foods in order to daily replenish the antioxidants you need.

DISEASE PREVENTION:
Green tea can also prevent against many types of disease, including breast cancer. The odds of getting cancer reduces as green tea consumption increases. Green tea also increases glucose metabolism, helping to control blood sugar spikes and prevent type 2 diabetes. Lastly, green tea helps lower the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It does this through the catechins mentioned before. These phytonutrients are a type of flavonoid and they help control blood pressure, and lower LDL cholesterol.

WAYS TO GET GREEN TEA:
There are so many benefits to green tea, the best way to start is to jump right in! Green tea is available as tea bags or loose leaf, and also has matcha powder. If drinking green tea is a bit too strong for you, you can also try supplementing with EGCG. This stands for epigallocatechin gallate and is the common ingredient in green tea extract. Lastly, green tea does contain caffeine, albeit much less than your standard cup of coffee. Green tea has between 25-29 mg of caffeine compared to 95-165 mg in a cup of coffee.

Make green tea a part of your daily ritual and enjoy these amazing health benefits!