It’s (green) tea time!

I started drinking green tea a few years ago and have grown to enjoy drinking a cup at least once a day. It tastes a bit bitter and is definitely an acquired taste.

Green tea contains a powerful plant compound called Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which is meant to fight cancer cells. Japanese green tea (Sencha,  Gyokuro, Matcha) is richer in EGCG than Chinese green tea. Green tea should be steeped for at least 8-10 minutes to release these compounds.

Green tea is known to have many other possible health benefits:

• It boosts your metabolism
• Can improve cholesterol and maintain your blood sugar levels
• It is a detoxifier
• It relaxes you. An amino acid in green tea called theanine is said to promote relaxation.
• It is rich in antioxidants

To boost the benefits of green tea, add a squirt of lemon juice to your cup. Research has demonstrated this increases the amount of antioxidative ingredients absorbed into your body.

As an anticancer treatment it is recommended to drink about 6 cups a day.

Tea-riffic!