Drinking green tea, and its cousin black tea or oolong tea, has been a custom in many countries for thousands of years. The tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Everyone world wide enjoys a good cup of tea, however the benefits of drinking tea are not as wide- spread as they could be. Tea is without a doubt good for your health, helps with high blood pressure, keeping your heart ticking, aids in blood flow, keeps your bones strong, reduces your waist line, gobbles up belly fat and helps clean your kidneys plus a few more but I think you get the drift.
There is a difference in color between teas. This is a by-product of production. Green tea is the same as black tea however black tea is left out to ferment while drying. This process changes the color to black. It is a milder tasting tea and I would assume why it is a bit more popular. Oolong ferments about ½ the amount of time black tea ferments. Green tea is steamed and then let dry to keep the flavor intact. Green tea has nutrient rich properties that other beverages do not possess. It is rich in certain phytonutrients called catechins. This nutrient contains many different compounds but in an average cup of tea it provides about 125 mg of catechins.
Green, black and oolong tea possess health benefits as stated above. The phytonutrients or catechins found in the teas act to eradicate free radicals from your body. These free radicals are believed to be precursors to many health problems in our society. Green tea is however more powerful in this area than the other two, because the amount of catechins in green tea is more then double.
Teas do have a positive effect on reducing high blood pressure. Drinking just one cup a day can reduce your chances of high blood pressure by 80% according to a new Chinese study.
Your heart also benefits from tea consumption. Tea helps keep arteries clear and reduces cholesterol. Both have an enormous impact on longevity. Studies show that drinking 2 cups of tea per day can extend your life by 40%. Now that is worth thinking about.
For the women out there reading this you will also enjoy the simple fact that drinking tea strengthens and increase bone density. This really helps postmenopausal women. Just make sure you get your calcium and vitamin D everyday in addition to drinking green tea.
Now the best part about green tea, or all teas mentioned above in my opinion, is their ability to reduce your belly line. The least appreciate value of green tea is its catechins ability to interfere with fat digesting enzymes in the stomach and small intestines. This results in incomplete digestion of fat lipids.
This leads to fewer fats absorbed by the intestinal tract and more elimination of fat lipids. It has another benefit as a fat storage inhibitor. It also helps the body transfer from sugar burning to fat burning. This improves the belly line as you use more fat for energy. The increase fat burning is contributed to “thermogenisis” or heat production by your body. You can lose over a pound a month just by drinking a cup or two of tea per day. Now couple that with a good nutrition plan and exercise plan and you are in business.
There is evidence that stress and depression are associated with increased abdominal fat. Stress and anxiety plus depression increase the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone aids in the collection of body fat in the abdominal region. Green tea seems to have amino acid, which counteracts cortisols effect. The amino acid is called L-theanine.
The benefits of drinking tea are documented and more studies are in progress to help us understand the great benefits of the wonderful drink. Tea helps with all kinds of ailments and should be part of anyone’s overall health plan. If you want to know more about how to reduce your body fat level and improve your abdominal muscles, look to:
There are a few times in my life that I consider “… next to God experiences” and when I found out about oats and began eating them, this was one of those times. I had been vegetarian for a few months at least, maybe a year, eating nothing but raw veggies, salads, fruit and fruit juices. I took a course on “whole foods” and learned about Steel Cut Oats. I began eating them and everything just “straightened out” in my life. Blood sugar was more balanced, I became even more regular and I began to put on some muscle. I began with… Continue reading