Detoxing,  Healthy Eating

Green Tea – here’s a great tasting way to enjoy it!

green teaGreen Tea

Green Tea tastes terrible!  Or at least that’s what a client of mine told me the other day.  So…I decided to write a post and share it with all of you about how I used to agree with her, but now I’ve learned to make a delicious rich hot cup of green tea that you just might love!

I’ll tell you how I do it in a minute, but first, I want to extol the virtues of green tea.

It’s amazingly good for you.  Did you know that arthritis doctors say one serving of green tea can help ward of an attack of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?  In fact, if you drink green tea, Dr. Mark Wiley, a foremost authority on arthritis, says it may actually help you from getting RA in the future!  That’s a huge benefit right there.

Green tea is loaded with anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.  These anti-oxidants help prevent free radicals from forming in your system.  Free radicals are key in damaging our cells and molecules, and they play a key role in premature aging and disease.

Unless you’re drinking decaffeinated green tea, it does contain caffeine although less than you find in coffee.  For most people, it’s not enough to give you the jitters.  It also contains the amino acid L-theanine which increases the activity of GABA which is a neurotransmitter and the production of dopamine.  Together, the moderate amount of caffeine and the L-theanine have been shown to improve brain function… we all use a little of that!

Green tea may protect your brain as you age, and is considered to be effective in reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.  My father had Parkinson’s and having lived with him while he went through that is reason enough for me to drink green tea.

Green tea, again because of its anti oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits has also been shown to be effective in reducing your risk of certain cancers; key among them include breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer.

Green tea may lower your risk of Type II Diabetes!  Great news as this disease has reached epidemic proportions in our current population.  It has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels and even improve the effectiveness of the insulin our bodies produce.

This tea can improve your cholesterol; your overall cholesterol, your LDL levels and triglycerides.  Keeping these cholesterol levels under control is key in staving off cardiovascular disease which include heart attack and stroke, the number one killer disease worldwide.

Green tea can help you reset your hunger hormones and can step up your metabolism so it can be a great friend to you if you’re trying to drop a few pounds!

Now that we know many of the virtues of drinking this amazing tea, how can we make it taste better for those who just can’t find a way to love it?  Tea in general can give me a wonky stomach, but I know it’s good for me…especially the green tea.  Here’s what I’ve learned to do to make a great tasting hot drink; one that I’m enjoying as I write this post!

I buy Equal Exchange Organic Green Tea which I find has wonderful flavor. You want to avoid the cheaper brands as it is of inferior quality.  I brew a cup and add a scant teaspoon of xylitol and then add some So Delicious Lite Culinary Coconut Milk.  (Try to avoid using regular milk as it reduces the anti-inflammatory benefits of the green tea.)  This hot drink does not make my stomach off and has a wonderfully rich flavor.

I hope you’ll try it to reap the many benefits of regularly drinking this very healthy tea.  And remember…if you need or want to avoid caffeine, you can get decaffeinated green tea as well.

Let me know how you like it or if you come up with any other version of this very healthy beverage!

Helping You Achieve Major Wellness!

Cheryl A Major, CNWC

Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant

Cheryl A Major, CNWC

5 Comments

  • Steve Lundborg

    Thank you Cheryl! I know green tea is good for you, but did not know about the RA, Parkinson’s and the other benefits.I started drinking green tea daily when I gave up coffee ten years ago. Six years age I went to work for Traditional Medicinals where I discovered their Green Tea with Ginger. The Ginger not only spices up the cup of tea but has been used for certain types of nausea according to the Merck manual.

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