Green tea might be less popular as compared to black tea, but scientists and researchers found it more beneficial as it comes with so many health benefits.
Fact:- Approx 78 percent of the tea consumed worldwide is black and only about 20 percent is green.
From young celebrity like Shraddha Kapoor to old and gold Shilpa Shetty all are green tea lovers and leveraging the benefits of green tea.
When one should drink green tea
Before you start sipping the green tea, I will tell you about when to drink green tea, and if you follow correct timing then you could be more benefited.
Green tea, fully loaded with antioxidants and number of polyphenols. So should not be taken more than three times a day, as it still contains caffeine though the amount is less as compared to black tea.
According to a Delhi-based nutritionist, Alka Kapoor, green tea should be taken either in morning around 10 to 11 (as in morning, your metabolism is at its peak and thus green tea will boost it) or in evening when your metabolism starts diminishing. so green tea will help you to prolong the process of metabolism diminishing.
Points to be noted:
- People facing sleeping issues should avoid drinking green tea after evening as caffeine present in it may cause the problem in their sleep.
- It should not be taken as an early morning cup. If taken empty stomach, it may damage the liver.
- It should not be taken with meals as it will prevent the absorption of iron present in your food. You should maintain a gap of at least two hours in between your meal and green tea.
How one should drink green tea
how to drink green tea is again one of the confusions in the mind of beginners. To enjoy its flavour you should ensure that its flavour is equally distributed in all the cups if you are making more than one cup.
- Use cycle pouring process: Firstly, fill each cup one-third and in next round fill another one- third of each cup and finally other one-third. This is the best way of enjoying its real flavour and equal distribution of flavor.
- Avoid additives: Green tea has its own delicious flavour, avoid adding additives such as sugar, milk etc. to leverage its actual flavour and the maximum benefits. Additives may reduce the power of antioxidants present in the green tea.
How to make green tea
Do you know the right way to brew green tea? While brewing it, you need to pay extra attention.
Steps to follow:
- Boil the water and let it be cool for near about 10 minutes.
- Add green tea and brew it at least one-two minute before serving it.
Note: Brew time can be increased or decreased as per your taste.
The thumb rule is 1 tablespoon of tea leaves to 1 cup of water. If you are using teabags, then only 1 teabag per brewed cup is good enough.
Health benefits of green tea
Green tea comes with so many health benefits that all black tea lovers are moving to green tea. Here are some of the major benefits:
1. Weight loss
One of the biggest concern of today’s generation is to lose the excessive weight and green tea is proved to play a major role in weight loss. According to a scientific study, green tea helps to increase the rate of fat oxidation.
2. To cure some types of Cancer
Green tea, filled with so many powerful antioxidants, help to reduce the risk of cancer such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer. An analysis of 20 studies has proved that people who drink green tea are at lower risk of above-mentioned types of cancer.
3. Prevent Alzheimer and Dementia
Various bioactive compounds such as catechin found in the green tea provide various protective effects on neurons found in test tubes thus, lower the risk of Alzheimer and Dementia.
4. Lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Researches and studies are going on and proved that green tea helps to improve the insulin sensitivity and helps to reduce blood sugar levels. This way, green tea helps to lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
5. Heart diseases
Catechins, polyphenolic compounds found in the green tea are proved to have various protective effects on the cardiovascular system. Thus, green tea is very effective to lower the risk of heart diseases.
Please also check some Negative effect of green tea so you can prepare yourself accordingly.
Green tea extract
Nowadays green tea extract are available in the market. It is basically the concentrated form of the green tea. Its one capsule consists of the same amount of ingredients found in a single and an average cup of green tea.
Same as green tea, green tea extract is also fully filled with so many powerful antioxidants and consists of as many health benefits as of green tea.
Its extract is available in capsule, powder or liquid form. You can chose any of its form according to your comfort. A Delhi- based nutritionist says that you should consume 250-500mg of green tea extract a day.
Best green tea available in India & worldwide
Are you confused to see a lot of brands available in the market selling their green tea and all are saying that they are best? Want to know which one is best or pure one? Here, I will tell you about some of the top brands available in the market.
- Organic India
Organic India is one of the top brands famous for its numerous quality organic products.
They offer green tea in the form of flavored tea bags and also in the form of loose leaves.
Green tea offered by Organic India is considered to be a unique one as they offer green tea infused with tulsi and basil.
2. Lipton
Lipton is a very well-known brand of green tea. Easily available and cheap Lipton green tea is made up of young tea leaves. One of the biggest positive perspective of Lipton green tea is that it does not contains any additives. However, if it is steeped for a long time, it may taste bitter.
3. Tetley
If you are fond of green tea, you might know that Tetley was the first brand that launches green tea in India. Slowly the number of brands comes in the market with lots of variations in green tea. Though it comes with a very few variants, still people are preferring Tetley green tea.
4. 24 Mantra Organic Green Tea
Compare to Organic India, 24 Mantra Organic Green tea is a newer brand that produces organic green tea. They are claiming that they are using sustainable farming practices to produce green tea and is totally free from any pesticides.
5. Basilur
Imported from Sri Lanka, Basilur is one of the luxury brands of green tea. Boast of beautiful packaging and exotic blends, their green tea is 100% Ceylon and comes with a variety of premium flavors. However, it is quite expensive.
Does green tea have caffeine or how much caffeine in green tea
With all the powerful antioxidants, polyphenols, green tea consists of caffeine. Though the amount of caffeine is low, it may cause some side effects. These side effects may range from mild to serious which include sleeping problems, vomiting, diarrhoea, nervousness, heartburn, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, tremor etc.
No doubt, green tea’s benefits overvalue its side effects still you should take care about its quantity intake and the time at which you are drinking it. To lower the risk of its side effects and leverage the power of antioxidants found in green tea, you should consume only 2-3 cups a day.
Green tea really helpful in losing weight
Thanks to the cleansing and diuretic properties of green tea that it is proved to be helpful in losing weight. Number of vitamins and minerals found in green tea helps to improve the metabolism and the body’s ability to oxidise the fat.
- People who consumed green tea are more likely to lose their weight provided they follow regular exercise and healthy food. One study reported that at an average a person can lose 2.9 pounds during a 3 month period.
- However it is not so that more the green tea you consume, more the weight you lose. Its weight loss benefits use different science and you can utilize it by consuming only 2 to 3 cups a day.
- Varieties of green tea are available in the market. For a successful weight loss mission, you should go for Matcha green tea as it is the richest source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Compared to other green tea, whole leaf of Matcha green tea is grounded and consumed as a beverage, whereas in other green tea, leaves are steeped and consumed.
Where to purchase Green tea online
Amazon: Amazon is the best place to buy green tea online. It provides you green tea from the leading brands such as Typhoo, Tetley, and Lipton. Thus choose your flavour among the various variants available and receive the box of health sitting home.
Are you trying to live a healthier life but could not give up your cup of black tea? It’s the time you should move to green tea to exploit its health benefits. Just be careful not to consume more than 3 cups a day.
Lady GaGa recently give credit to Chinese green tea brand Kusmi Detox Tea for helping her to quit smoking. She even also getting her own Starbucks drinks “Matcha Lemonade” ( iced green drink made with matcha green tea)/
Other celebrities like Kendall Jenner,Jean Paul Gaultier and Varun Dhawan love to drink green tea.
There are so many reasearch happend on green and one of the most authentic information related to beneficial effects of green tea, you can found at US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.
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