As I am on this quest to a "healthy me" I wanted to resume my regiment of drinking green tea. Many have now heard that green tea among other benefits has the ability to burn fat and increase metabolism. But just recently I begin to hear some buzz about white tea. I went on a journey to my favorite tea shop in China Town picked up both green and white tea and begin to compare the two.

As I began researching the two teas I quickly discovered that all teas come from the same plant Camellia Sinensis tea bush. It is mostly the process that happens after the tea leaf is plucked that determines what type of tea it will be. There are four main types; white, black, green, and Oolong. What determines the tea type is based on an oxidation process the more oxidized the tea is the darker the color. Green tea does not go through an oxidation process so it retains more of its nutrients and antioxidants. The same is true for white tea however it is made from a more immature leaf. Silver needle is the best of white tea leaves and is made entirely from downy buds which are picked in early spring. White tea also undergoes even less processing than green tea. By leaving the tea so close to its natural state it has more powerful antioxidants than any other tea.

According to research it appears that White tea may be better for you. Some of the many benefits include:

• Increase your metabolism
• Increase energy
• Block fat absorption
• Boost the immune system
• Promote healthier skin
• Enhance focus and mental function
• Fight the aging process
• Promote oral health
• Protect the body against diseases
• Powerful Antioxidants
• Cancer Prevention
• Lower Blood Pressure
• Lower Cholesterol
• Heart Protection

After researching the teas I put the two to my own test. I like others did find the taste of the white tea to be lighter and a less harsh tasting. Additionally the brewing process for both of them seems to be a little easier with the white tea. By that I mean with green tea you have to be extremely careful on how long you steep the tea and to make sure you do not pour extremely hot water over the tea or you easily end up with more of a brown harsh tasting tea than a light green one. The white tea if you go with the silver needle it is even recommended that you steep the tea for up to 15 minutes. So far I have not had a bad tasting cup of white tea which is not the case for the green.

Tips on how to brew a good cup of white tea:

•  Start with using fresh cold water.

•  Don’t pour boiling hot water over the tea leaves. After the water comes to a boil let stand for at least one minute.

•  White tea is a little denser than green so you may need to use more tea leaves than you are accustom to.

•  The longer you steep it the better white tea can be steeped for up to 15 minutes.

Although there is no hard case evidence in weight loss with either the green or white tea there is enough evidence on all the other benefits of adding white tea to your daily regiment. Since this journey for me is about more than losing weight there is plenty of evidence to prove I would do myself a disservice by not incorporating white tea into my daily life. Life style changes are what I am striving for and for me this super tea is an easy way to increase my odds of getting to a healthy me!