Green tea, delicious and healthy

Green tea has been around for at least 5000 years they say. It was first discovered in ancient China.

It is said in legends that an Emperor first discovered green tea when a tea blossom accidently fell into his cup of hot water but we can't really know for sure unless we can go back in time and witness this for ourselves (where is Bill and Ted when you need them)

In the Tang Dynasty between 600 - 900AD a man by the name of Lu Yu wrote a book about tea called Cha Jing (Tea Classic). It describes how they grew the plants, processed and prepared the tea to be made into the beverage.

Green tea eventually made it's way across the ocean to Japan around 800AD and from there the famous Japanese teas Sencha, Matcha and Batcha were introduced.

Eventually green tea was introduced in the West around the 1600's and has since grown in popularity. Even today we still enjoy a cup of green tea and the benefits it has.

Why is green tea so popular you may ask? Well tea does have quite a few health benefits to us such as boosting our metabolism, increasing our energy, boosting the immune system, giving us healthier skin, improving our oral health and much more!

They say drinking green tea hydrates you and is healthier to drink than water. (Although I of course still drink water throughout the day). It also has disease prevention benefits and that green tea may play a part in preventing cancers of the esophagus, stomach, bladder, colon, rectum, pancreas, liver, lung, and prostate. Studies show that green tea protects the heart by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, and reducing the risk of heart attack. The antioxidants in green tea may reduce heart attacks and strokes by reducing clotting.

Well as I mentioned before green tea boosts metabolism and energy. Green tea contains antioxidants and one in particular epigallocatechin gallate along with the caffeine in green tea, stimulates the central nervous system and causes fat to be released into the blood stream for the body to use as fuel. This process of fat being used for energy is called “thermogenesis”. It provides extra energy, sheds excess water, and also helps to burn body fat.

This doesn't mean you can stop exercising however drinking green tea will help you burn more even if you are only doing light exercises. Even a nice brisk 30 minute walk.

Yes I do. I like to drink Jasmine green tea. It is a little bitter so I like to add a touch of honey to sweeten it a bit. I find that I feel more relaxed after a nice cup and have it before bedtime.

Also during the summer months I like to make green iced tea with Japanese matcha which they say is one of the best green teas. Instead of honey for that sweetness though I use fruit teas. I enjoy a bit of berry flavour with mine but you can always experiment until you find one that tastes good for you.

I hope this has encouraged you to look into drinking more green tea and hope you enjoyed this hub :)