I received a ton of questions about Green Tea, so here I go into the details of Green Tea - what kind is best, how to make it, adding flavor, super cool benefits, etc.What Kind? Homemade, natural green tea beats convenience, bottled green tea each and EVERY time!
Freshly brewed green tea has up to 95 percent higher levels of the antioxidant EGCG than bottled tea.
A bottle of Lipton Iced Green Tea (made from Green Tea extract) boasts that it contains 170mg of flavonoids per 16 oz. bottle. BUT you’ll get about 700mg of flavonoids from the same quantity of freshly brewed Green Tea.
Antioxidants in green tea are sensitive to heat, oxygen, sweeteners and other additives and can easily be destroyed during processing, transportation and storage of bottled tea.
***Pre-Made Bottled Green Tea is just another type of soft drink****
For example, take a look at the ingredients in Regular Lipton Iced Green Tea:
“Water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, green tea, sodium hexametaphosphate, ascorbic acid, honey, natural flavors, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, calcium disodium edta, caramel color, tallow 5, blue1.”
With 200 calories, 13 teaspoons of added sugar and a long list of artificial ingredients…you know this is not so good and if you compare the two - they really are not much different that drinking a bottle of coke or pepsi!
~DIET Green Tea~So what about DIET Lipton Green Tea?
“WATER, CITRIC ACID, GREEN TEA, NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), PHOSPHORIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND POTASSIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVE FRESHNESS), ASCORBIC ACID (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), ASPARTAME, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), CARAMEL COLOR, YELLOW 5, BLUE 1.”
How many of these ingredients do you know or can you pronounce???
Not good either…especially when you know it contains Aspartame!
Check out the ingredients of the tea you make yourself….Green Tea: Green tea.
Raspberry Gardens: Green tea, hibiscus, blackberry leaves, natural raspberry flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin), roasted chicory and raspberries.
Pretty obvious - the closer something is to all natural - the better it is for your body and your fat loss efforts.
Pretty obvious - the closer something is to all natural - the better it is for your body and your fat loss efforts.
How to Make Your Own Freshly Brewed Green Tea
I personally keep it super simple:
1. Boil water in a tea pot2. Pour into cup3. Add tea bags4. Steep for about 3-5 minutes5. Drink and Enjoy!
Tips for the tea enthusiast
~ Loose Leaf vs. Teabags Loose leaves are preferable to teabags. A teaspoon of leaves is enough for an eight-ounce cup. In order to increase the extraction of polyphenols, teabags should be continuously dunked in the teapot rather than left to float on the water.
~ Water Temperature Catch your water at a pre-boil, when the air bubbles start to rise, or if it is already boiling, let it cool for 30 seconds to 1 minute before pouring over the tea leaves.
~ Steeping Times Steeping too long will result in more bitterness and a less balanced flavor. Japanese green teas generally taste best at 1 - 2 minutes while Chinese green teas seem to prefer 2 - 3 minutes (the smaller leaves of Japanese teas will extract faster than the generally larger leaves of Chinese teas). Steeping time should be balanced with water temperature: the lower the temperature, the longer the tea can be steeped.
~~~~ You can also try these brewing methods! ~~~~~
The Coffeemaker TeaBrew the same way you would coffee, except replace the ground coffee beans with tea leaves in the filter. Use double the amount of tea leaves than what you would use if you were making hot tea.
Overnight TeaUsing cold or room temperature water, add 2 tsp of tea per cup of water and allow it to stand in the refrigerator overnight, then strain into a second jug or pitcher in the morning or after at least 6 hours.
Making Green Tea Yummy:
Often times green tea is thought to taste bitter for it is simply brewed incorrectly. Following the tips above can help you to experience what green tea really tastes like.
Now do not defeat the purpose of drinking green tea by adding sugar, milk or honey. One of the great benefits of green tea is that it is a calorie-free beverage.
You can still add flavors to your tea and make it fun and interesting without adding calories.
Often times green tea is thought to taste bitter for it is simply brewed incorrectly. Following the tips above can help you to experience what green tea really tastes like.
Now do not defeat the purpose of drinking green tea by adding sugar, milk or honey. One of the great benefits of green tea is that it is a calorie-free beverage.
You can still add flavors to your tea and make it fun and interesting without adding calories.
- Choose a flavored green tea- Brew your green tea with a flavored herbal tea- Add fresh lemon and/or orange- Add ginger- Add fresh mint leaves- Add cinnamon- Add dried peppermint leaves
Green Tea Benefits
Studies have shown that antioxidants in green tea help with weight loss, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, stress, slowing the aging process and boosting your immune system.
Green tea contains antioxidations, polyphenols, theanine, as well as a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
Studies have shown that antioxidants in green tea help with weight loss, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, stress, slowing the aging process and boosting your immune system.
Green tea contains antioxidations, polyphenols, theanine, as well as a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
Polyphenols–Polyphenols are a class of phytochemicals that have been associated with heart disease and cancer prevention.
Catechins–Catechins are a category of polyphenols. In green tea, catechins are present in significant quantities, more specifically; epicatechin(EC), epigallocatechin(EGC), epicatechin gallate(ECG) and epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG). EGCG makes up about 10-50% of the total catechin content and appears to be the most powerful of the catechins.With antioxidant activity about 25-100 times more potent then vitamins C and E. A cup of green tea may provide 10-40mg of polyphenols and has antioxidant activity greater then a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.
But What about Fat Loss????
Sure there are studies that show that the catechin polyphenol compounds can boost your metabolism, increase the rate of fat oxidation (the burning of fat calories) and help regulate insulin levels. These small changes in our body take place over time and with consistency.
The most immediate effect comes from switching out the unhealthy food and drink for green tea, in essence going from unhealthy, fat storing calories to a healthy, calorie-free, metabolism boosting options - such as Green Tea!
As busy individuals, we are all reaching for something that gives us a caffeine kick. BUT the majority of what we end up drinking is high calorie coffees.
You can still enjoy a boost of caffeine but without all the fat storing calories by simply switching to brewed Green Tea!
Your Green Tea Action Plan
1. Make a list of all the calorie containing beverages you drink a day
2. Add in all the diet drinks too
3. Cut this number in half this week by substituting Green Tea
4. Leave a Reply below sharing the differences you notice
Your Friend and Coach,
Marty
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