Learn all about the health benefits of drinking green tea for skin, weight loss, anti-aging, and more. Here’s why green tea is so unique, how to brew it properly, and which green tea is best for flavor, energy, focus, and antioxidants.
Green tea has been popular throughout the East, especially in China, for centuries. It is now one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and it’s easy to see why. The antioxidants in green tea make it one of the healthiest beverages you can drink. The copious benefits of drinking green tea have been proven by science, not only for health but also for skin, weight loss, and anti-aging.
While it’s true that oolong, black, and green tea all come from the same plant, called Camellia Sinensis, green tea is made through a process that preserves more of its natural antioxidants. Let’s discuss the many health benefits of drinking green tea and which ones are my favorites.
Why Green Tea is so Unique
Green tea contains several bioactive compounds that are beneficial to our health, including Vitamin K, caffeine, polyphenols, and alkaloids. While the caffeine in green tea is mildly stimulating, it also contains an amino acid, called L-theanine, which has a relaxing effect on the body.
The powerful antioxidants in green tea, called polyphenols, are known to reduce the effects of free radicals in the body, which means it also has anti-aging properties. Not only that, but it also contains a specific antioxidant called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) that has been shown to provide many fantastic health benefits.
The Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea for Skin, Weight Loss, Anti-Aging, & More
The harvesting and roasting process of high-quality green tea preserves its beneficial compounds and antioxidants. When brewed correctly, these benefits remain in the finished beverage.
Here are the proven benefits of drinking green tea for health, weight loss, skin, and anti-aging:
- Healthier, Younger Looking Skin: Green tea contains antioxidants that fight free-radical damage, which helps to prevent the premature aging of the skin. Green tea’s anti-inflammatory effects are also beneficial for people who suffer from psoriasis, rosacea, and acne. Green tea has also been shown to boost the skin’s defenses against damage from the sun.
- Strengthen Your Ability to Fight Illness: Green tea can kill bacteria and viruses in the bloodstream and throughout the rest of your body. It can strengthen your body’s ability to fight off illness and disease, including colds, flu, and much more.
- Improved Dental Health: Not only can green tea kill bacteria in the body and bloodstream, but it can also improve dental health by killing the bacteria that contribute to tooth decay, cavities, and plaque.
- Lowers the Risk of Certain Cancers: Several studies suggest that the antioxidant properties of green tea could reduce the risk of certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and breast cancer.
- Improve Physical Endurance: Green tea can help to improve your physical endurance during your workouts. But it goes further than that! That antioxidants in green tea can prevent or decrease damage to muscle tissues, speeding up recovery times so you can get back into the gym sooner.
- Lessen the Risk of Heart Disease: The antioxidants in green tea protect the LDL cholesterol particles in your blood, preventing or slowing their oxidation, which is one of the major contributors of cardiovascular disease. It may also help to lessen the risk of stroke, reduce high blood pressure, and prevent blood clots.
- Reduces Blood Sugar: Green tea can significantly lower your risk of developing Type II diabetes by reducing and stabilizing your blood sugar levels.
- Boost Your Metabolism: Green tea can boost your metabolism and help you burn excess fat, supporting your weight loss efforts. It can also help you maintain steady energy levels and fight cravings.
- Improve Mental Focus: The caffeine in green tea is enough to provide a boost in mental focus, but it doesn’t have enough to give you the crash or jitters that come with coffee and energy drinks. The L-theanine in green tea also provides a calming effect, which further improves mental focus and productivity.
- Protect Brain Health: Not only does green tea improve mental focus, but it’s also been proven to protect your brain health from the inevitable effects of cognitive decline due to age. According to some studies, it could even prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Tips to Brew Green Tea for Maximum Health Benefits and the Best Taste
If you want to retain the maximum health benefits of green tea, you have to brew it correctly. The correct brewing process will also ensure that your tastes delicious, not bitter. It’s worth a little extra effort to ensure that you end up with a healthy, flavorful cup of tea.
First, it’s essential to realize that green tea is much more delicate than black tea, so it can’t be brewed the same way. Always start with the freshest tea possible and use fresh, cold, filtered water. Since green tea is so delicate, the water should never be heated to boiling… turn the heat off when the water is just barely simmering.
When steeping your green tea, use only non-reactive stainless steel, china, or porcelain to avoid off-flavors in your tea. If you are using loose tea, you’ll need about one heaping teaspoon of tea for eight ounces of water. You may need to adjust the amount of tea you use according to your taste and the tea itself, so a little experimenting will be required.
Steep loose-leaf green tea or a teabag of green tea for about two to four minutes. Longer steeping times may be required due to the lower temperature of the water, but higher temperatures will result in bitter tea. Most importantly, remember that it’s better to adjust the amount of tea or steep the tea longer than it is to use hotter water. Boiling water not only makes your tea taste bitter, but it also destroys the beneficial antioxidants found in properly brewed green tea.
The Best Green Tea to Drink for Energy, Focus, and Antioxidants
Replacing coffee, energy drinks, or soda with green tea is good for both your physical and your mental health. However, all green tea products are not created equal. The growing, harvesting, and processing procedures used can have a significant effect on the taste of your tea and how many benefits remain in the finished product. Here are the best green tea products to help you get your boost of antioxidant-rich, plant-based energy any time you want it!
· Jade Leaf Organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea Powder
This is an authentic Japanese green tea powder sourced from organic farms in Uji Japan. The quality of this shade-grown matcha tea can’t be beaten. Their growing, harvesting, and processing practices are right on point. I am very impressed with this company’s openness about the potency and purity of their tea. I love having green tea in a powder form because it can easily be added to smoothies, lattes, or used in recipes. Click here for more details about Jade Leaf Organic Japanese Matcha Green Tea Powder.
· The Oriental Organic Jasmine Premium Loose-Leaf Jasmine Green Tea
This is my favorite Chinese loose-leaf green tea. It is organically grown and sustainably harvested on pristine mountain farms in China’s Yunnan province. It has the delicious, delicate flavor we all love about green tea, and it’s rich in health-boosting antioxidants. You can easily get a second or even a third cup of tea from each batch, and the second cup tastes even better than the first. Click here for more details about The Oriental Organic Jasmine Premium Loose-Leaf Jasmine Green Tea.
· The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha Organic Green Tea with Matcha Powder
This is my favorite green tea that comes in a tea bag form. It has a delicious spring-time flavor and all of the antioxidants you want from a cup of green tea. This tea is never bitter, and I often brew a second cup with the same teabag. I have a full review of this tea here.
I love all of The Republic of Tea’s products, so be sure to check them out if you enjoy other flavors of tea. Click here for more details about The Republic of Tea Double Green Matcha Organic Green Tea.
Green tea is a delicious beverage that I love to drink on its own or add to smoothies for added focus and energy. The scientifically proven health benefits of drinking green tea make it a much better choice than soda or energy drinks, and the anti-aging benefits are an added bonus. If you haven’t gotten into the habit of drinking green tea every day, give it a try. I promise you’ll be glad you did!
