A lot of people like to start off their day with a pick me up, which usually comes in the form of coffee here in western countries. However, eastern countries prefer to start their day with a cup of tea, most notably in the form of green tea. While green tea started gaining popularity in Asian countries many years ago, it has made its way across the world thanks to its awesome health benefits.
Green tea is a bit different from other types such as oolong tea and black tea since it goes through an alternate process of preparation. So why do so many people swear by green tea not only in the mornings, but throughout the day? Let’s take a look at all of the great health benefits that green tea brings to see why you should be adding it to your daily diet.
The Anti-Tea
We all know that water is good for us and we should be drinking more of it, and you can do that in the form of green tea since it is almost completely made of water. The trace portion that isn’t water is made of natural chemicals that contain benefits that include antioxidation and anti-inflammation. While the jury is still out on the benefits of these polyphenol chemicals, there is still evidence that it can aid your health.
The antioxidants that come in green tea are going to be good for your body as it helps to prevent free radicals. This can help you prevent several different diseases and the breakdown of cells. Your body will also see an enhanced ability to histamines that immunoglobulin, meaning that you can have reduced allergic reactions. Since so many people have allergies to things such as pets and pollen, that’s a huge benefit for a wide range of people.
Weight Loss with Green Tea
While green tea has a lot of fantastic benefits, one of the biggest reasons that people drink it here in the west is to try and lose weight. Since water tastes too plain for some people, they want something that tastes good and will satisfy their thirst. That’s where green tea can be a huge benefit since it will rehydrate you and only contains one calorie per serving.
There have been some studies that have shown replacing other drinks with green tea can lead to a small increase in weight loss. Though the evidence is not yet concrete, green tea has been found to have a slight boost in your metabolism thanks to its chemicals. This doesn’t mean that you can drink a lot of sodas in addition to green tea, but switching out your normal drinks will help you in a big way.
Inside the Veins
Green tea might not be the magic weight loss potion that some might think, but there are plenty of studies to show that your blood will benefit tremendously from the drink. Drinking one glass of green tea per day was found to help lower cholesterol, and in turn, improve blood flow to help increase energy and prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Of course, your brain is an essential part of your body that benefits from good blood flow. Without less blockage in your bloodstream, you are likely to prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Lastly, the sugar in your blood can be regulated from a regular glass of green tea, as studies have declared green tea to help those stabilize their diabetes and prevent complications from the disease.
Living Longer
It’s recommended that you have at least one glass of green tea per day to help with your health, but having three will give you the most benefit. One study concluded that those that drank their daily three glasses improved their lifespan by lowering their chances of death that is not caused by an outside source. This includes cancer, heart disease, stroke and other diseases.
Another study showed that the risk of death from only one glass per day lowered chances of deadly diseases by four to five percent. One common cause of disease is too much stress from our daily lives. Green tea contains theanine, which was discovered in green tea and found to have a calming effect. For roughly one to three hours, you will be able to feel more relaxed than usual.
Skin and Hair
You may have noticed an increase over the past several years of beauty products that include green tea extract. That’s because the chemicals within can help you prevent sun damage and reduce inflammation. That means that you will see a slowdown in the aging process as the free radicals are held at bay, helping to avoid dry and cracked skin.
As for your hair, you might notice that your hair doesn’t grow as fast or even falls out. This happens when you have too much DHT in your system, which can be combatted by green tea. Not only can you have healthier and shinier hair with green tea thanks to the vitamins, but it also reduces your chances of having scalp issues such as dandruff.
For Your Mouth
We’ve seen how you can look good, feel good and prevent diseases with green tea, and we round it out with its oral benefits. Green tea contains a catechin known as EGCG for short, which can kill the bacteria that is found in your mouth. Almost all oral diseases that you can think of stem from too much bacteria, so you can prevent tooth loss, decay and gum disease with green tea.
Even when it comes to your breath, green tea helps in that department. Thanks to killing bacteria that causes bad odors and improving your digestion, your breath should see a fresh increase. Plus, green tea smells minty and mixing it with lemon can make it feel like you just brushed your teeth.
Summing it Up
Green tea’s benefits cannot be understated, and drinking one to three glasses per day will help you find all of those benefits. However, you do not want to drink too many, as drinking more than five cups per day can lead to side effects that include insomnia and diarrhea. This is especially true for pregnant women.
You also don’t want to add too much sugar, and try not to drink too much if you get jittery from caffeine. Green tea also might react negatively to certain types of drugs, so make sure to speak with your doctor. Other than that, your daily source of green tea is going to go a long way, and you can start feeling better right away after your first glass.