Benefits of Green Tea

I wish that good iced green Japanese or Chinese tea was more readily available in the US.  I make it at home or pick some bottles up at the Japanese market.  I know that you can buy a popular western brand at Costco but believe me, it’s NOT THE SAME.  I can’t stand it.

I’ve mentioned this before but one of the things that I miss most about living in Hong Kong is popping into a 7 Eleven (yes, they exist in Asia) to grab and iced green tea and go.  Except over there, you’re walking everywhere (so easy to duck in and out) and it’s not like here where you drive there to get a Big Gulp.  They don’t have Big Gulps in Hong Kong, fortunately for them.  Hong Kongese drink soda, of course, but not like we do.  I drink far too much Diet Coke for my own good. I make Green Tea at home almost every day but am finding it a pain to make iced and it just doesn’t taste as good as the authentic, cold bottled type.  Like the cold bottled kind that has almost no English on the label. I’m drinking some hot green tea as I type this.

Green Tea has multiple antioxidants or catechins, however,  one called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) is what scientists are focused on.  These catechins destroy free radicals and have far-reaching positive effects on the entire body.  EGCG is the “super” antioxidant believed to be 100 more times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage.  That’s pretty powerful stuff.

This is a hand wrapped jasmine green tea called dragons tears. We used to drink this in Hong Kong. Green tea leaves go through less processing than oolong and black teas so it actually retains more antioxidants.   Oolong and black teas are fermented while green tea leaves are steamed.  If I would have known that while living in Hong Kong, I would have had La Jolla Dad drink less oolong and more jasmine or green tea.  He loves oolong tea.

Green tea also has an amino acid called theanine, that gives the tea its mellow taste.  It is helps deliver glucose to the brain and when the brain is lacking in glucose, that’s when we all get moody.  So this helps keep us calm and less stressed.  Most green teas sold in the US have lower amounts of theanine so there is some skepticism that you’d see too much benefit, though some people seem to believe it’s enough.

So here’s some other green tea benefits:

1. Helps with hangovers  - Ok, I know this from personal experience.  Probably due to replenishing depleted antioxidants.
2. Used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
3. Reduces risk of esophageal cancer
4. Helps with weight loss
5. Helps lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
6. Antioxidants serve as dialators which improve the flexibility of blood vessels and make them less vulnerable to clogging
7. Balances hormone levels resulting in lower stress
8. Helps prevent acne – Read more here.
9. May help prevent/slow Alzheimers and Dementia.  Read more about that here.
10. May lower risk of stroke (black tea too) – read more here.
11. May lower risk of diabetes (black tea too) and diabetic cataracts – read more here.
12. May help prevent hair loss, but data is sketchy

Here’s a National Cancer Institute article about green tea.  There’s a whole host of other benefits that I’m forgetting but isn’t the above list enough to make you want to grab a cup?

And if you find a COLD green tea you like enough to serve to a Japanese person, let me know!  :) You can definitely get some at Numero Water Boutique if you live in San Diego.

Tagged as: Food, Green Tea, Health