About green tea

[sunnye]

About green tea

Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.

Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression.

Did you know people are taking green tea extract as an aid to weight loss? Scientific research shows us that this herbal supplement can actually help the body get rid of excess fat by revving up the its metabolic rate, the energy burning process.

Metabolism is a chemical process carried out by the body that creates the energy you need to live. Increasing the metabolic rate requires means more fuel is required to be burned and this is where the body will usually draw on its fat reserves to enable the process, this is how your overall weight is reduced.

The end result, as desired is of course, is achievement of weight loss. But naturally this only happens as part of an overall effective weight loss program. You still need to eat healthily and take regular exercise.Personally I prefer drinking green tea as it was meant to be and enjoying it that way! But if you do not like the taste then this is a good way to still take advantage of the health benefits.In a grocery store or in a convenience store in front of the beverage cooler you will see green tea this or green tea that. Green tea has turned up in all sorts of products. If you haven’t tried green tea, you might be wondering what all the to-do is about.

So now you may be asking what is the difference between green tea and the black tea you are used to drinking.

Both teas come from the same plant; the difference is the way the different teas are processed. The green tea in not fermented it has been dried. Because of the shorter processing time the green tea has a lighter flavor than the black tea. Green tea is good for you because the processing keeps all the beneficial elements left in the tea.

Green tea doesn’t taste anything like the tea you usually drink. Most green tea drinkers do not add milk or sugar, but you can if you like. Green tea has been described as having a light, fresh, green flavor. Some of the various green teas have just a little sweetness taste to them. Others are a little more astringent.

There are several different varieties of green tea each with its own flavor; however they all seem to have one flavor quality in common.

To try really good green tea you will want to look in a gourmet tea store rather than a grocery store. The grocery store doesn’t have the selection you will find in a gourmet tea store. You will find a good selection of green teas look in your local Asian food store. Some of the types you will want to look for is; Sencha, Gunpowder, or Dragon Well.

Green tea is brewed just like you would brew the tea you normally drink, except you will not want the water to boil. You will want to brew you tea when the water is on the verge of boiling. Green tea is a more delicate tea so you want to the water to be a little cooler.To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

[Lazylifter]

Thats a lot of info about green tea!
I find if I drink more than one cup of green tea I get very gittery and anxious.

[Victoria]

The green tea is very good for your body!

[ds1001]

green tea is one of the best things health wise for you. it has a bunch of antioxidants and also can get your metabolism to go a little faster.

[5kgLifter]

Although green tea is generally considered to be good for people, this is not always the case as kidney transplant patients must avoid green tea because it can be deadly to them. So, even things which are 'healthy' do have their drawbacks in certain circumstances, which should always be borne in mind. Hubby thought geen tea was beneficial until he read up that he shouldn't be drinking it at all due to his transplants. Things like this are worth keeping in mind because a healthy natural substance can be potentially fatal for some, and most people push 'healthy' products without realising they can be harmful at all.

[stikfigure]

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

Although green tea is generally considered to be good for people, this is not always the case as kidney transplant patients must avoid green tea because it can be deadly to them. So, even things which are 'healthy' do have their drawbacks in certain circumstances, which should always be borne in mind. Hubby thought geen tea was beneficial until he read up that he shouldn't be drinking it at all due to his transplants. Things like this are worth keeping in mind because a healthy natural substance can be potentially fatal for some, and most people push 'healthy' products without realising they can be harmful at all.

is it the diruetic properties? I'd love to see the science on this claim.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by stikfigure

is it the diruetic properties? I'd love to see the science on this claim.

No it's not the diuretic properties, it conflicts with the steroid medication they have to take. If you really want the scientific proof, I'm afraid you'll have to search for it...it isn't a claim, it's factual...so, you'll have to look through heaps of medical journals if you're lucky enough to have a subscription to them.

[stikfigure]

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

No it's not the diuretic properties, it conflicts with the steroid medication they have to take. If you really want the scientific proof, I'm afraid you'll have to search for it...it isn't a claim, it's factual...so, you'll have to look through heaps of medical journals if you're lucky enough to have a subscription to them.

just thought since your hubby had researched it that you might have easy source. no biggee.

I would imagine anything that boosts immunity is a problem with transplants but that goes far beyond just green tea then. I suppose if that's the reason (immune boosting properties) then all the more cause for non transplant patients to drink green tea!

[5kgLifter]

[quote=stikfigure;5912]just thought since your hubby had researched it that you might have easy source. no biggee.

I don't think it's as simple as coming down to its immune boosting properties, chemicals, good or bad, react with other chemicals and micro-nutrients and don't always react well. I was once informed that I could not eat grapefruit whilst on hayfever medication because I would end up in the graveyard, but that's not to say that grapefruit isn't good per se, it just depends what else is being put into your system...and sometimes these are things people can't avoid. I had to take the stuff, as I'd tried everything else, off-prescription and homeopathic, all to no avail...and there's just no way I would be able to sleep since I was having to keep clearing my nose, as if I was full of water...it was hell, and daytime wasn't any better...and it's not dustmites, that's been ruled out, it's only ever hayfever season related. But, others have the problem of meds that they must take, not even just to help them live, but to ensure they live and all these meds have interactions with other stuff going into their system...that's all I was trying to highlight, the fact that what may look good will not always be the case in every circumstance. Some babies, as we know, are allergic to their own mothers milk, and that's not normal, if you consider how many times people are saying drink milk it's good for you...but for them it's deadly, quite literally.

I hope that cleared up the pretty simplistic point I was trying to make about putting a foodstuff, herb etc under the umbrella of it being good for all no matter what...because there are always exceptions we should be aware of. Maybe I'm more aware because I do have food allergies, and know plenty of others who have intolerances and allergies to foods and other stuff...I mean, hubby can't eat Gallileo (??) melon because he gets a hangover, maybe it reacts with his meds, we have no idea, but even a 1 inch cube of it causes a mega hangover style headache for him.

[flight_of_fancy]

Green tea is one of my favorites, from drink to beauty product to scent..