Health benefits of green tea

Switching sugary drinks or cups of tea loaded with sugar and milk to plain green tea can help you to lose weight. As you will be decreasing your calorie intake, as long as you burn more calories than consume you will be able to lose weight. You might have seen matcha green tea on a lot of coffee shop menus or recipes; matcha is specially selected green tea leaves in a powdered form. It has the same health benefits as green tea, however it is more commonly drunk with hot milk and sugar or added into cakes, these can be high in calories and not such a healthy choice compared to traditional green tea.

Many weight loss teas and drinks, such as Miss Fit Skinny Tea contain green tea extract amongst other ingredients such as lemongrass to help you lose weight and detox. You can also take green tea capsules and tablets to help boost your metabolism and increase your intake of beneficial antioxidants. However supplements and weight loss teas are not a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise plan. Find out how you can healthily lose weight here. 

Regularly drinking green tea has been said to have many health benefits, including protection from cancer, cutting cholesterol levels and lowering high blood pressure, however there is very little evidence to support these claims. As long as you don’t exceed the recommended upper daily limits of 400mg of caffeine for adults, then drinking green tea won’t do you any harm.

As with most health drinks, green tea is best drunk in moderation, especially if you are sensitive to caffeine. If you’re looking to stay hydrated drinking plenty of water throughout the day is best and limiting caffeine drinks to before lunchtime can help to limit the effect caffeine has on sleep. Some studies have explored whether green tea may reduce the body’s ability to absorb iron from the foods you eat, this may be something you consider when drinking green tea.

Green tea does contain caffeine, however how much is dependent on the amount of leaves you use or the brand of tea bag you make your tea with. Green tea is said to slowly release its caffeine content, allowing for a steady level of stimulation and increased concentration. Green tea contains less caffeine than black tea and coffee, making it a good choice if you’re trying to cut down on caffeine but still need a little pick me up.

The manufacturing process and taste tend to be the main differences between green tea and other teas such as black and oolong. Traditionally fresh leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant are steamed to create green tea, while other types of tea are produced by fermentation.

Yes, as long as you are drinking green tea without any added milk or sugar. If you add sugar or milk to your hot green tea then you will need to count the calories.

Green tea does contain caffeine, so if you are sensitive to caffeine you may want to avoid having a cup of green tea after 4pm as this could affect how well you sleep. You may also notice that you have diarrhoea and headaches which can be caused by the caffeine content in the tea. If you notice any of these side effects it is advised that you cut down your caffeine consumption.