From coffee to tea, we all know we should be drinking more green tea instead of the caffeine found in our favorite drinks. But just because we’ve been hearing for years that caffeine is bad for us, doesn’t mean we have to cave in and start drinking those shakes, powders or cup after cup of coffee.
Remember how the heavy drinkers in your office often appreciated the Jamba Juiceests for their good reputations? Six cups of coffee and 2-3 cups of tea daily was considered the norm back in the day. Many of us remember fondly those days of long coffee jags.
The thing is, caffeine is a drug. Our government tells us it is okay to consume 5-10 cups of coffee a day. But it’s not a right, it’s not something we are born with. Like alcohol, we are addicted to it at an inborn way. No wonder so many of us struggle with cravings throughout our lives.
Green tea is a natural drug. You can’t easily toss a teaspoon of sugar into your cup of tea and expect it to be okay. Remember how you felt after having a little too much milk the night before? The thought of another cup of coffee didn’t even cross your mind.
Green tea is also packed with powerful antioxidants called ‘catechin polyphenols’ (see chart for reference). These antioxidants have been shown in various studies to help the body burn more fat by increasing metabolism. The studies go back to the 1980s, but some more recent research websites, such as windsongv.com, present newer, more impressive research findings.
unstated, green tea helps your body burn more fat
When you look at the green tea benefits, almost conjuring up images of an old oriental medicine cabinet filled with plants and fungus, you might get the idea that this tea is a drug, full of fungus. This is so far from the truth!
There are several different types of plants used in the making of the tea. Infusions, which use the whole plant leaf, back in ancient times were the most common. People who made their own infusion Serious lived well into their eighties without the crutches, and only saw their health decline with age 9 or 10 😉
Tea leaves come from the plant camellia sinensis. This family of plants is known for having many beneficial effects. It contains things such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and alkalizing abilities. The difference between the Chinese and American plants are:
Liness of the leafLumber of the leafoldservative
Because the tea plant infuses as itW Peakyl Q10into the body so quickly, there was very little threat of over stimulating the immune system. With caffeine as a stimulant, you would not have been able to tell the difference between the energy brought on by the caffeine and the energy brought on by the plant. Since caffeine amounts are so high, one would not have to be at high risk of a severe reaction in order to receive the benefits.
Coffee has been useful in helping to ward off seasonal affective disorder, drowsiness, and menstrual cramp for many women. With green tea you get the benefits of those symptoms plus the stimulant ability. How many of those women get headaches at various times of the month?
Because I drink coffee to get my morning fix, and green tea helps curb my cravings, I have found I don’t need a whole cup of coffee to get the pick me up I need. Adding this tea to my routine has been a welcomed and even downsizing kind of addition. My favorite is adding both of them together, for example, in a delicious roasted coffee with a teaspoon of ground Grindrass and Sugar substitute and a half of a cup of hot water, and a little honey to sweeten.
Another way would be to blend the ground coffee for a proper filter coffee, using a French press or similar, and sweeten with honey. There are still many recipes I want to try for this drink. As I get used to this find, I may expand on the ways I can use it.
Recipe for the Traditional Chinese Green Tea
Drink all you can of this hot tea.
1 tablespoon of finely ground whole awake ground coffee or your preferred decaffeinated brew.
2 teaspoons of honey (or a little honey)
1 or 2 teaspoons of finely ground ground /herbal tea leaves. (preferably from your local health food store)
