Saturday, May 24, 2014

Healthy Living | #BEDM Day 24




Do you drink green tea? If not, have you heard about all the health benefits green tea can offer? I mentioned in a previous post that I love green tea and drink it on a daily basis. If you haven't heard, green tea is one of the healthiest teas to drink and has many health benefits. In this post, I am going to tell you some of the benefits that green tea provides.




Green Tea Benefits |

  • Weight Loss: it has been proven that green tea increases metabolism. Green tea works to increase the levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.
  • Diabetes: green tea helps regulate glucose levels, in return slows the rise of blood sugar after eating.
  • Heart Disease: works on the lining of blood vessels to help keep them relaxed and able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It also helps to prevent against the forming of blood clots.
  • Cancer: It is widely thought to kill cancer cells without damaging the healthy tissue around them.
  • Cholesterol: green tea helps reduce the bad cholesterol, while improving the ratio of good and bad cholestrol.
  • Alzheimer's and Parkinson's: It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
  • Blood Pressure: With regular consumption is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
  • Skin Care: Green tea helps with wrinkles and signs of aging because of the antioxidants and anit-infammatory activites. Also if applied topically it can reduce sun damage.

Risks or Side Effects |

Again, green tea is one of the healthiest teas to drink and has little to no known side effects.

My Thoughts on Green Tea |

I drink green tea every morning and most days I drink it throughout the day. Before I started drinking green tea, I always felt drowsey or just seemed to lag. After drinking green tea every morning I have found myself to have more energy, I feel great, and I noticed a slight change in my appetite. I don't get sleepy midway through the day anymore and I seem to have a smaller appetite then before. I totally recommend green tea.

When I first started drinking it, I was not a fan at all. It didn't taste that good to me and I had no idea how anyone could drink it all the time. I found out I was drinking it in the worse way possible. The first time I tried it I was drinking it cold, which I find a big no no for first time drinkers. The way to go if you don't drink a lot of "straight" tea, is to drink it hot or warm. I love it that way. Somedays, I add a teaspoon of honey to my tea also. I am not a huge sweets drinking type person, so I can tolerate no sugar in my drinks. But on the days when I feel like having something a little sweeter, I go for the green tea with a teaspoon of honey. Now that I have been drinking it for a while, I actually do like the cold version also. I wouldn't recommend drinking it cold for the first time, and only trying the cold version when you feel you are use to the bitter taste green tea can give.

How I Make It |

In my house we have two types of green tea; ones already in tea bags and loose leaf green tea. Both work just fine and taste the same.

Tea Bag Method:
Like any other tea that is already in a tea bag, you can either warm your water up in the microwave, stovetop, or in a tea kettle. Once you added the warm water to a mug, place your tea bag in the water and let it brew for about 5 mins. I like to let it brew for a while, so I can get the most out of the bag. The longer you let it brew, the more it will become bitter. So let the tea bag brew to your liking first. Once you are more familiar with brewing time, you can adjust then.


Loose Leaf Method:
For this method you will need to have a tea infuser of some sort. You can get tea infusers at most stores and come in different types. We have two in our home that came with two different tea kettles. What we do is warm our water up on the stove top in one of the stove top kettle. Once the kettle whistles (letting you know the water is ready) we pour the hot water into the tea kettle that has the tea infuser. Again, you let it brew for however long you like. We like to let it brew at the bare minimum 5 mins.

It is super easy to make green tea to drink at home. Most days I just use the tea bags and take tea with me to work and drink it while I am doing things around the house.

Let me know in the comments below if you have ever drank green tea. If you have did you like? If you haven't, are you going to try some? Share your thoughts on green tea with me in the comments below. I would love to hear what you guys think!


2 comments:

  1. I love my green tea i have been drinking it everyday for years now and I completely agree it's does a great job when you use it for ur skin �� great post btw xx

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    1. Thank you Varinder! Green tea is awesome. & once I got past the bitter taste, I can't get enough! haha :)

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