Personally, I became interested in Matcha Green Tea after I saw on a tea bag its level of antioxidants. I was speechless. Blueberries and broccoli were insignificant compared with a teaspoon of green tea matcha. If you’re fine with the usual green tea, you’re in for a lucky one.
If you are like me and you do not like the taste, you might still be happy since the antioxidant effects of this super food are outside of this world. Take a look below:
Matcha Green Tea is a highly concentrated green tea and is used in Japan in the tea ceremony for hundreds of years. Being a powerful antioxidant, it helps in burning fat and keeps cancer away. Several studies have demonstrated the anti-carcinogenic quality of Matcha Green Tea, also helping the body’s natural detoxification process.
Of course we know that green tea has antioxidant effects, but when you consume Matcha green tea, you consume its benefits in the most concentrated form and the health benefits are enhanced. The secret behind this type of tea is found in the amount of polyphenols called catechins, a type of antioxidant that we find in cocoa and apples, but in a smaller amount.
Benefits of Matcha Green Tea
Matcha tea can prevent cancer
Research shows that a constant consumption of green tea reduces the risk of cancer. Some of the cancers studied which saw a reduction are bladder cancer , breast cancer , colon cancer , prostate cancer.
According to the National Cancer Institute in the USA, catechins in green tea are so powerful that they can help prevent cancer. Green tea chemicals have the ability to fight against free radicals. It has also been clinically proven to protect cells.
Laboratory and animal studies have shown that tea polyphenols inhibit the growth of tumors and induce the destruction of cancer cells. Green tea catechins activate detoxifying enzymes, such as glutathione, the enzyme known to prevent tumor growth (glutathione is also an active substance in garlic, certain mushrooms, onions). Additional info here.
Matcha tea helps in weight loss
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that green tea extract rich in catechins has thermogenic effects and promotes fat oxidation. According to the study, consumption of green tea has increased thermogenesis (body burn rate) from 8-10% to 35-43% of daily energy consumption.
Another study has shown that training performed immediately after the consumption of green tea matches resulted in fat burning by 25% more during training.
Both studies suggest that green matcha tea can increase basal metabolic rate and increase fat burning. Not bad, is it?
Matcha tea helps in sport recovery
Clinical tests show that it can speed up the recovery of athletes doing high intensity training (HIIT, Tabata, Crossfit etc). It has also been shown to stop cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. This imbalance can lead to destruction of cells, prevents their repair, and ultimately leads to various diseases.
Matcha tea calms and improves concentration
Also it does not give sleepiness. Due to the L-theanine amino acid and the combination with caffeine, green tea improves concentration and gives a calm state without the excitement of coffee. It has been shown that L-theanine helps patients diagnosed with anxiety by increasing the levels of dopamine and GABA in the brain.
GREEN MATCHA TEA CONTAINS 5 TIMES MORE L-THEANINE THAN REGULAR GREEN TEA (20 MILLIGRAMS VERSUS 4 MILLIGRAMS).
Matcha tea reduces the risk of heart disease and hypertension
According to few Harvard studies, green tea could lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and therefore reduce the risk of death from heart disease and heart attacks.
Green tea antioxidants can help block LDL “bad” cholesterol oxidation and increase HDL “good” cholesterol. Studies confirming the above can be read here and here.
Matcha tea reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how the body processes blood sugar or glucose. Consumption of green tea and coffee has been associated with a decrease in the risk of diabetes. You can read more about it here.
Matcha tea detoxifies the body
The intense green color of Matcha tea is due to the high level of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a plant pigment that is responsible for the absorption of light in the photosynthesis process. The fact that matcha tea is grown in the shade makes this tea much richer in chlorophyll than any other tea.
Matcha Green Tea is a very effective detoxifying agent and can help eliminate toxins, chemicals and heavy metals in the body. Chlorophyll increases the ability of the blood to transport oxygen and other nutrients to cells, which helps the body regenerate and detoxify at the cellular level.
How to Choose and Use Matcha Green Tea
Choose a tea that has only Matcha green tea. I know it seems redundant but many teas have ingredients in the composition and other ingredients that make it “drinkable” (sugar, noxious sweeteners, flavors, flavor enhancers etc.)
Personally, I do not mind with the intense taste of green tea but I add it in protein shakes or oatmeal. If you like the taste of green tea, you can make coconut milk latte or any other milk you like, put it in shakes like me or just drink it with water. I usually buy this tea from Amazon:
Watch out: It seems that the best matcha green tea is Japanese and not Chinese. It has been shown that the Chinese is much more contaminated with pesticides and heavy metals. Also, if you want the best kit to make this tea, again, Amazon is your best friend:
Side effects of Matcha Green Tea
It has a considerable amount of caffeine, so be careful if you have a caffeine sensitivity or health problems that do not allow you to drink caffeine. If you have anemia, green tea may decrease your body’s iron absorption, so take care of supplementing with iron and eating foods rich in iron.
It is naturally contaminated with a fairly large amount of lead that the plant takes from the soil and because tea leaves are consumed as such (the leaves are powdered), the ingested level is much higher than the green tea bags. For this reason drinking should be limited to one cup per day. More information here .
Also, drinking green tea could interact with certain pills. If you are under certain treatment, consult your doctor before, to be sure that you do not do much harm than good.
So there you have it, folks! This was a long read but hopefully worth it! Let me know how you like your matcha tea!