{Please welcome Angela Parker from Grass-Fed Mama. She is sharing the benefits of green tea with us today. This topic is very fascinating to me, as I lived in Japan for a year, plus spent a bunch of time when I returned to the U.S. in the Japanese community. I drank a lot of tea and loved the taste of matcha especially. Read on and see how good this tea is for you! The post talks mainly about Matcha green tea, but almost all of the benefits of matcha appear to be found in green tea as well.}
I just recently learned about Green Tea (and Matcha green tea) and its health benefits. I am so excited to add this into my diet and reap from its amazing properties.
What is Matcha?
Matcha Green Tea is pretty unique because it is only grown in Japan (green tea is grown outside of Japan as well). It is a traditional tea that was consumed by Monks to improve mental clarity.
The Matcha plant is grown in the shade and contains high amounts of chlorophyll which is good for natural detoxification. The leaves are then harvested and ground into a powder.
The tea is special because the powder is mixed into water and not brewed like most teas. This way you get all extra the health benefits from the leaves and fiber too.
One Cup of Matcha Green Tea has 10 times the nutritional value of one cup of regular green tea.
Just like regular green tea, Matcha Green tea does contain caffeine. The actual caffeine amount will change based on how much powder you use. Your cup could contain from 34 to about 68mg, whether you use ½ tsp or 1 tsp. {From Adrienne: Because of the calming effects noted below, however, some say you don’t get that “caffeine crash” after consuming green tea.}
What does it taste like?
It has a several layers of flavors from a sweet to a bitter, and a rich “healthy” taste too.
You want to make sure you get a good quality brand because the quality will change the flavor. Usually you can get the best price in your local Asian markets.
Benefits of Green Tea
1. High in Antioxidants
Matcha is a great source for catechin polyphenols. Catechins are the most potent and beneficial. These are special antioxidants that aren’t found in any other foods . Antioxidants are known to help protect us from cancer, cardiovasular disease, and keep us looking young and beautiful. The more antioxidants you eat, the better prepared your body can be to fight off infections and diseases.
Check out the amount of antioxidants in Matcha vs common antioxidant “superfoods”:
6.2 times more antioxidants than Goji Berries
7 times more antioxidants than Dark Chocolate
17 times more antioxidants than Wild Blueberries
60 times more antioxidants than Spinach
2. Calming and Improves Focus
Matcha contains the amino acid L-theanine that is known to relax the mind and improve focus. L-Theanine helps in the production of dopamine and serotonin. These two work together to enhance mood, improve memory, and promote better concentration.
This tea can also be a great way to start your day with a focused mind ready to tackle the problems of the world. Drinking this may help you focus for a big test or presentation at work.
Instead of drinking a cup of coffee in the afternoon, this would be a great drink to grab to push you through the rest of the day.
3. High in Fiber
Matcha is high in fiber. Fiber helps you stay full between meals and can help stabilize blood sugars. Fiber can also be a good thing to help you stay regular and keep your bowels moving.
4. Helps us Detox
Because Matcha tea is high in chlorophyll, it is a great way to detox naturally. Natural detox is a great way to keep our liver healthy and working properly. We try to avoid toxins in our environment and foods, but you just can’t avoid everything. I like to take chlorophyll tablets too to increase my intake.
5. Helps Burn Calories
Matcha tea is considered a thermogenic food which can improve your resting metabolism and help speed up your metabolism naturally. Just like how coconut oil can increase your BMR and help you lose weight naturally. This tea is great because you can burn calories without even trying.
6. Increases Energy Naturally
Drinking Matcha increases your energy naturally because of all the vitamins and minerals that help your body function at its best. This is what makes it the perfect drink to get you going in the mornings and keep you going in the afternoon. It does have some natural caffeine (less than a cup of coffee). The extra vitamins in the matcha tea also helps increase your energy levels.
7. Helps Stabilize Blood Sugar, Lowers Cholesterol and Improved Blood Pressure
A preliminary study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food in 2009 showed in tests on rats with type 2 diabetes that the rats receiving matcha demonstrated decreased levels of cholesterol and blood sugar.
The matcha also seemed to protect the rats from liver and kidney damage.
How to Use Matcha
Because it is a powder that you just mix into water, it is very easy to fix.
Just mix a couple a teaspoons into a warm cup of water and add stevia, lemon or honey to taste.
If you can’t find it locally, you check out my Product I Love Page to see where to buy it. Matcha Green Tea
As always, Angela and I (Adrienne) are not health professionals. Please consult your physician before making changes to your diet or supplement routine. Thank you!
Do You drink Matcha Green Tea or Regular Green Tea?
How do you like it?
Sources:
http://www.matchasource.com/about-matcha-s/19.htm
http://www.matchasource.com/v/vspfiles/new-to-matcha-tea/index.html
http://altmedicine.about.com/od/greentea/a/Matcha.htm
http://www.drlisawatson.com/matcha-superpowdered-green-tea
Angela Parker, SLP, CCC is head writer of GrassfedMama.com. She was born and raised in Louisiana, but moved to Richmond, Va recently for a new adventure. She has been married for almost 10 years to her high school sweetheart and has two little girls: Aidalyn and Annaleigh. She’s a speech therapist by trade, but decided to be a stay at home mom while her girls are little. Her passions include health, wellness, healing through nutrition, natural medicines, cooking with whole foods, and natural parenting. Check her out at Grassfed Mama. Follow her on Pinterest, Google +, Instagram, Twitter and Face
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