If you haven’t made the switch yet, you might like to try Green Tea because not only is it a delicious alternative to traditional tea and an excellent replacement for coffee, it has a huge amount of incredible health benefits as well.
We at UEndure have been drinking Green Tea for a while now, and we wanted to share why it’s one of our favorite teas.
A Brief Green Tea History
Green Tea has been around for centuries, in fact for hundreds of years it was the only tea available. Ancient Green Tea came from far Eastern culture and was made using the leaves from camellia sinensis plant and topped off with steaming hot water. Many people today still drink it in its raw state.
All those years ago, it was the Chinese drink of choice and we know this thanks to a very old document written in 600AD by Lu Yu who explained how to make the perfect cup of Green Tea. This ancient tea in its purest form made way for other Green Teas including Oolong and Black Tea (the latter is a fermented Green Tea whereas Oolong is only partly fermented). Both of these teas appeared around the 1600’s.
Years ago it was also extensively used in Chinese medicine to treat many ailments, including depression, headaches and the common cold. It’s no co-incidence that the Chinese still drink Green Tea religiously to this day.
Today, Green Tea is still favored in the East, especially Japan and China, but as Asian food grows in popularity so does its tea. It is sweeping through the Western world bringing with it all its extraordinary health benefits.
Antioxidants
Just a couple cups of Green Tea a day can make a huge difference to your health. Green Tea is packed full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, all of which are vital for the body’s healthy functions. Antioxidants (or polyphenols) are known to protect the body and skin from free radicals. These free radicals come from the atmosphere around us and include cigarette smoke, pollution, the sun’s harmful rays, petrol fumes and more. These free radicals enter our body and can cause it to break down, leaving it at risk of premature aging and cancer. One polyphenol in particular that is known to play an important role in fighting these free radicals and disease, is the catechin epigallocatechin-3-gallate, also known as EGCG.
A Superfood
You might even hear of Green Tea as being referred to as a super food and here are the reasons why. It contains:
- Vitamin B
- Folate (folic acid)
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Caffeine
The Numerous Benefits
If you’re desperate to shed those extra pounds then drinking Green Tea could assist in your journey. Adding a couple of cups a day to your diet should help you see a difference.The antioxidants and caffeine found in Green Tea will boost your metabolism and make weight loss a little bit easier.
Additionally it’s known to lower cholesterol and it’s all natural too! If you suffer from high cholesterol and even cardiovascular disease try Green Tea. It’s soothing, relaxing, delicious and may help to reduce risk of heart disease.
Can Green Tea prevent cancer? The truth is we don’t know for sure, but the antioxidant properties it contains can only help and definitely won’t do you any harm. Laboratory studies show that the polyphenol, catechin EGCG, may disrupt cell replication and tumor growth.
Alzheimer sufferers may benefit from drinking Green Tea as well. Catechin EGCG is also believed to reduce the degeneration of brain neurons. Although studies are inconclusive, there is some great hope in this regards.
Additionally, the catechins in Green Tea are believed to help to reduce blood pressure, control diabetes and benefit the healthiness of your teeth.
Those of you who suffer with zits might be interested to know that a cup of Green Tea purifies and cleanses, ridding your body of impurities and flushing through your system. Regular Green Tea drinkers do seem to have clearer skin and a brighter complexion and also better hydration. If you’ve looking for an anti-aging cure then this could be it.
So it will come as no surprise that we at UEndure drink multiple cups of Green Tea a day. We challenge you to drink Green Tea for the next 30 days and post your results below.