That's right. The allstar of beverages, Green Tea. I do not want to exhaust you with research, but here are some interesting facts about Green Tea and its amazing health benefits:
- Green Tea contains a record breaking amount of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant.
-Because of those antioxidants, this tea improves a plethora of health conditions: inflammation, arthritis, reduces rick of cancer, lowers cholesterol, increases immunity, speeds metabolism, and even spurs bone growth up to 79% (lucky for me, because I don't drink milk).
Now for the drawbacks:
-Oh wait... There are none.
Coffee also has some positive health benefits and antioxidants that aid with Alzheimers, Gallstone disease, Parkinson's, and cancer. However, it also has a number of drawbacks:
-The high acid content in coffee leads to gastrointestinal problems, acid reflux, etc.
-Coffee has over 100 mg of caffeine in an 8 oz. cup; green tea has a healthier level of 30-60 mg per 8 oz.
-It contains an unkown chemical agent that stimulates your body's production of cortisone and adrenaline...which leads to increased anxiety....and stress...and inflammation...and high blood pressure...and coronary artery disease...you get the point.
Now, I am not going to sit here and tell you to give up your morning cup of coffee. That's not my point. However, I encourage you to consider the health benefits of green tea. If you are one of those people who simply cannot function without 4 cups of coffee in the am, well then maybe you should consider switching one or two of those to Green Tea.
"Everything in moderation. Even moderation." I don't know who said it, but I try to live by it. I used to be addicted to coffee. I had to have at least 2 cups in the morning and by mid-day I had splitting headaches which I temporarily cured with my afternoon espresso. When I woke up each day, my mind was a pure fog until the caffeine in my coffee woke me up. Then I realized that I shouldn't have to depend on anything to wake me up. My body is naturally equipped to do that. So...I quit cold turkey and was miserable for about 2 days, but then I started to feel more energy and more alive in the morning and throughout my day.
So now, even when Starbucks calls my name or the smell of coffee beans entice me, I choose Green Tea instead. A healthier addiction. And a great way to start the day...here's how I am starting mine:
OK, Tee. You know I love a couple of cups of coffee in the am, but you have me totally convinced that I need to include green tea at some point. I just have to get used to the change. I took a seminar class at UAB where the topic was about how the body naturally fights cancer (immune response), and green tea was consistently researched and proven to reduce cancer incidence, especially of breast and prostate cancers, by increasing the immune response to the presence of cancer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us informed and aware!
I LOVE Versana's mango green tea! Sometimes plain green tea isn't interesting enough for me, but if I can get some fruit flavor in there and a pinch - literally a pinch - of Stevia or some other natural sweetener, I am a happy camper. Starbucks green tea kind of sucks, esp. orange blossom and china green (it's lemony...) Zen is the way to go there, or calm (good tea, but not green). Two cents! Green tea also helps rev metabolism, right? The ECGC stuff? Not sure... you'd know!
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