Green Tea Packs a Majorly Healthy Punch
Drinking green tea is quite good for your physical health—so good for you that some doctors recommended drinking multiple cups a day! Can coffee say that?! (er, well, yes in some circles) Green tea is common in tea cultures around the world.
The list of body benefits backed by research is shockingly long (1)(2)(3)(4)(5).
Green tea has been shown to:
- Reduce the risk of cancer (including skin, breast, lung, colorectical, esophageal, prostate, pancreatic, stomach, bladder, liver, small intestine, and oral)
- Reduce blood pressure
- Weight loss
- Reduce bad cholesterol
- Reduce the risk of heart disease
- Improve skincare and reduce sun damage
- Help with diabetes by regulating glucose levels
- Protect Brain Cells and delay deterioration from Alzheimer’s
- Lower risk of Parkinson’s
- Prevent tooth decay
- Relieve stress and increase Relaxation
- reduced risk of arthritis
- Boost immune system
- Boost exercise endurance
- Reduces the severity of asthma
- Relieves allergies
- Improves bone density and strength
- Anti-viral and anti-bacterial
- Anti-inflammatory
- Possibly reduce the risk of HIV(6)
- Hydrate the body despite the caffeine
Not all of these studies are causational (as it is almost impossible to control for all variables in most cases), but the results are overwhelming positive for green tea: Drink it often.
Making Green Tea
Directions:
- Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes
- Drink it freshly brewed (but let it cool).
- Drink between meals, or add lemon or milk to counteract the effect of impeding iron absorption from fruits and vegetables. (1)
(1) http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefit_of_drinking_green_tea
(2) http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea?page=1
(3) http://healthland.time.com/2012/09/04/13-reasons-to-love-tea/
(4) http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-of-green-tea-that-you-didnt-know-about.html
(5) http://www.thirdage.com/cholesterol/25-benefits-to-drinking-green-tea
(6) http://www.webmd.com/hiv-aids/news/20090518/green-teas-egcg-blocks-hiv-infection