Credit: Free pictures from acobox.comMy first experience with green tea was about 25 years ago. My husband and I had volunteered to host two high school exchange students from Japan for three weeks one summer. Our children were in elementary school and we thought it would be a great learning experience for them.
After they had been with us for a few days, one of the boys, Yukichi, brought out a beautiful tea set and told us that he wanted to do a traditional Japanese ceremony with us. He put four pillows on the floor and had me and my husband sit down. He and the other student, Kazuhiro, also sat down on the pillows. Yukichi told us that our children were too young but they could watch. He said that this was a very serious ceremony.
He took out the directions that his mother had written for him and began carefully putting a green powder into the pot and adding the hot water. He poured some of the brew into a cup and ceremoniously turned the cup in his hand and passed it around the circle having us do the same. Then with a very solemn look on his face, he put the cup to his lips and took a sip. His eyes bugged out and his tongue thrust out of his mouth and he made a loud “UGH!” We laughed so hard we were all lying on the floor. He didn’t know what he did wrong, but it definitely didn’t taste like his mom’s green tea!
I stayed away from this strange colored tea for the next 20 years. That is about the time that its nutritional benefits began to be touted by health experts. I decided to give it a try and found that it is really a very pleasant tasting drink. Its health benefit claims couldn’t be ignored, either.
I discovered that fresh brewed, green tea is one of the easiest ways to deliver energy and health to your body. Green tea has so many health benefits it would be hard to discuss them all here. I will very briefly explain some of them and then refer you to some great books that go into more detail and have tasty recipes too!
Once you see the many different areas of the body that green tea effects, you will want to begin incorporating this liquid health into your daily diet.
While on the topic of diet, if you are trying to lose weight, it is good to know that green tea actually speeds up the metabolism. And you know what that means…the higher the metabolism, the more calories you burn. Isn’t this a rediculously easy way to help you attain your weight loss goals?
Green tea also has high levels of polyphenols like you find in wine and berry juices which are proven to boost the immune system. Some say they slow the aging process. Who doesn’t want to discover the fountain of youth?
For anyone who is pre-diabetic, diabetic, or who’s family has a history of diabetes, green tea helps lower blood sugar. How’s that for a pleasant way to help keep those numbers down?
Green tea also has been shown to lower blood pressure and helps stop the formation of blood clots. Anyone want to join me in trying something this simple to help prevent the possibility of stroke?
The antibacterial and antiviral properties of green tea help speed up recovery of colds and flu, and have been shown to kill seven different strains of food poisoning bacteria. I think I will order green tea with every meal I eat at a restaurant in the future. You know, you can’t be too careful.
It also kills the bacteria that forms plaque and that causes bad breath. Sounds like a great tasting mouthwash to me. Move over Listerine!
Lastly, green tea detoxifies the liver. Did you know that by the time you are 40 your liver is getting clogged with toxins? Our bodies are so bombarded with environmental poisons these days that it is beyond wise to do anything you can to help strengthen this vital organ.
Here are some great books to check out for more information on green tea:
Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats
Lose Weight with Green Tea: A Safe Weight-Loss Method That Works
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