Mmm, Green Tea

I've been used to drinking all types of teas throughout my life, especially at Chinese restaurants and at home. I didn't think too much about green tea until I started living with my roommate. She drinks 3-4 cups of tea a day! I decided to follow suit, since I don't drink enough water anyways. It's been about two weeks since I started drinking green tea every day. I feel somewhat "cleaner" on the inside because tea detoxifies all the bad chemicals eaten from unhealthy foods or chemicals that linger in the air. 

Green tea is well-known for numerous health benefits. Here's a few interesting facts I've found:

• Green tea has a role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia.

• Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer, blood clots, and atherosclerosis

• A study conducted in Japan that involved nearly 500 Japanese women with Stage I and Stage II breast cancer, found that increased green tea consumption before and after surgery was associated with lower recurrence of the cancers.

• Studies in China have shown that the more green tea that participants drank, the less the risk of developing stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.

There are also many different types of green tea: powdered, loose leaf, green tea with brown rice, etc. Every brand of green tea I've tried so far tasted different. I have yet to find my favorite one. 

My challenge for you? Drink more green tea than my roommate! Just kidding. Seriously, a cup or two a day won't hurt.

While you're at the store, pick up some green tea ice cream too. Yum, my favorite!

Source: WebMD

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