I am a green tea addict. It’s always the lure of a mugful (no weenie tea cups for me!) of hot green tea that gets me to roll out of bed in the morning. Truth be told: I used to buy expensive organic green tea at the health food store, but now I get the less expensive at Cost U Less. I’m hoping the health benefits outweigh the non-organic status.
My first brew of the day is a double-bag potful steeped for about five minutes, then poured into a huge latte cup and blessed with a spoonful of honey and a generous dose of soy milk. Yum. I toodle out to the front lanai trying not to spill, settle into the wicker chair, and read the morning paper.
So what’s so great about green tea? Well, it has amazing health benefits. Here’s a good description on The Miracle of Green Tea:
The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.
Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the “French Paradox.” For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.
Why don’t other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.
Bottoms up!
Photo by tim at Flickr, clockwise from bottom: Coco Mint green tea, Genmai Cha green tea, Citron green tea.
UPDATE Feb, 2012: I have eradicated caffeine from my diet as of last Oct, once I started the Gupta brain retraining treatment for MCS. I drink decaf green tea now.
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