Health Benefits of Green Tea | Weight Loss, Lower Cholesterol and More

Elevate Christian Network :: Health and Wellness

Health Benefits Associated with Green Tea:  It was used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine to control bleeding and heal wounds, aid digestion, improve heart and mental health, and regulate body temperature.  Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world behind water. However, 78 percent of the tea consumed worldwide is black and only about 20 percent is green.

Green tea is made from unoxidized leaves and is one of the less processed types of tea (with white tea the least) and therefore contains the most antioxidants and beneficial polyphenols. According to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols in tea have been shown to decrease tumor growth in laboratory and animal studies and may protect against damage caused by ultraviolet UVB radiation.

Green Tea Health Studies – Effects on Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease

In countries where green tea consumption is high, cancer rates tend to be lower, but it is impossible to know for sure whether it is the green tea that prevents cancer in these particular populations or other lifestyle factors.  A 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that green tea consumption is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes, including cardiovascular disease.

An analysis of published studies in 2011  found that consuming green tea, either as a beverage or in capsule form, was linked to significant but modest reductions in total and LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Drinking green tea or coffee on a regular basis is associated with a reduced risk of stroke, according to a study published in the journal Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.  Read the full story…. medicalnewstoday.com

 

Green Tea: Secrets to Flat Belly, Youthful Skin & More

(Joanna Soh) Discover the secrets of Green Tea, a super drink and why you should drink it everyday.  So let’s start with understanding the way green tea is processed and why it has more health benefits in comparison to black tea. Black tea is fermented to give it a dark colour.

On the other hand, green tea is made from unfermented leaves, which are simply heated after picking either by steaming or by dry cooking to minimize oxidation. As a result, green tea holds maximum amount of antioxidants and is highly regarded as a health drink.

Quality Green Tea

If you want to get the maximum benefits from your green tea and of course the best taste, try specialty grocery stores, like Japanese or Chinese grocers, that tend to carry better green teas and of course the health stores too. Go for powdered or loose leaf teas for maximum antioxidants over tea bags. Loose leaf teas are made from the whole tea leaves, large pieces of leaves and tend to be fresh with short shelf life.

In contrast, the tea found in tea bags usually consist of smaller pieces of tea leaves or tea fannings which may give a quicker brew, but lack the full flavor and health benefits of the larger loose leaf teas. Tea bags also tend to have much longer storage life, which means they will not be as fresh and have lost lots of nutrients, but of course, it will still have some benefits too.

So why should we drink it everyday and what are the benefits?

Green tea contains a potent plant nutrient known as epigallocatechin gallate (epi-galo-ca-te-kin ga-late) or EGCG, for short. EGCG has been studied to treat varies disease and is a powerful naturally medicine. Here are 10 reasons to start drinking green tea everyday.

1) Increases Fat Burning & Lose Weight

Green tea is known as a superb fat fighter. Studies have shown that its active ingredient, EGCG, increases the rate at which fat is burned in your body. Drinking 3 cups of green tea a day is recommended to raise our body’s metabolic rate.

However, it is important to note that green tea only accelerate metabolism by an average of 4%, which is about 80 calories a day. So drinking green tea alone will not help towards significant weight loss, it is a combination of regular exercises and a clean balanced diet.

Having said that, green tea can be used to maintain a healthy weight and why not burn additional calories even if it’s a small amount, because this will also contribute to your weight loss in long term.

2) Burn Belly Fat

You will be happy to know the 2nd reason. Green tea is known to target abdominal fat. The EGCG present in green tea activate fat-burning genes in the abdomen to speed weight loss by 77%. So drinking green tea on a daily basis will help with belly fat in long term.

3) Reduce Bloating & Aid Digestion

Green Tea helps to reduce bloating and improves digestion. Green tea is a powerful diuretic, so it can help to relieve bloating from excess fluid retention. By drinking green tea regularly, you will notice that you tend to visit the restroom more often to get rid of excess water in your body, which actually contributes to a flat tummy.
So if you experience feeling really bloated after a meal, having a cup of green tea after a meal is a great way to speed along digestion and help your body break down food easily.

4) Keeps you relaxed & focused

Theanine, an amino acid, found in green tea can help with relaxation and focus. On a personal experience, I have to agree with this. I drink my green tea every morning either before or together with my breakfast. It really keeps me calm and helps me to stay focus right from the start of the day. Green tea is also a great stress reliever. So when you are stressed out, instead of binging, try to drink a cup of green tea to calm you down.

5) Keep energy level stable

It keeps your energy stable by balancing our blood sugar levels. This will prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can result in fatigue, irritability, and cravings for unhealthy foods. Green tea drinkers tend to be more in control of their cravings, which can also help with binge eating. So if you are one person who’s constantly craving for more food even when you are full, try drinking green tea with your meals.

6) Longevity & Skincare

Regular consumption of green tea also help with longevity and looking young. EGCG is 200 times more powerful than Vitamin E to destroy skin-damaging free radicals. Hence, regular consumption of green tea will kill free radicals and prevent skin damage, wrinkling and other signs of ageing.

I believe this is one of the Asian secrets for youthful skin because most of us tend to consume green tea on a daily basis.

7) Improves Dental Health & Reduces Bad Breath

Unlike coffee ,which gives you bad breath, drinking green tea does the total opposite. The antibacterial and natural fluoride found in green tea kill the bacteria that causes tooth decay, cavities, gum diseases and bad breath. So if you have a busy day ahead with lots of meetings, you might want to consider swapping your coffee with green tea.

8) May Lower Your Risk of Cancer

Cancer is caused by uncontrolled growth of cells. It is one of the world’s leading causes of death. EGCG is known to prevent lung, prostrate, breast, esophageal, bladder and stomach cancer by suppressing cancer growing cells.
It has also been said that drinking green tea before and after cancer surgery significantly lowers the risk of its re occurrence. Multiple other observational studies show that green tea drinkers are significantly less likely to get various types of cancer. So let’s start drinking green tea because prevention is better than cure.

9) Reduces bad Cholesterol & Increases Good Cholesterol

Green tea reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol (HDL) to bad cholesterol. It prevents cholesterol build-up in arteries and helps prevent cardiovascular disease, which is currently the leading cause of deaths in America.

10) Lower the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels, slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. A study in Japanese adults revealed that drinking several cups of green tea per day lowered the risk of type-2 diabetes by a whopping 33%.  Learn more…Joanna Soh’s Green Tea Secrets

 

See also: Health & Wellness Channel | Health & Fitness Store on Elevate Christian Network

 

 

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