Top Health Benefits of Green Tea

When it comes to diets and fads, there are always products that are touted as being the next big thing or miracles. However, while there are plenty of times that these miracles turn out to be duds, there are also products that do end up working, especially when properly added to a person’s diet.

One product that has been hailed as a real miracle for people looking to cleanse their systems, lose weight, and even help to boost a person’s immunity is green tea. However, while there are plenty of supposed benefits of green tea, the real question becomes what is the story behind this tasty and supposedly miraculous beverage that has everyone so enamored with adding it to their diet.

Besides learning what the real benefits of green tea are, we plan to share with you some of its other uses, as well as any side-effects you may have to deal with once you incorporate this particular product into your routine.

Healthy Heart

For many people, heart health is especially important, as it should be. One benefit of green tea is that it is actually quite beneficial in aiding heart health. With the help of the antioxidants in green tea, many people who incorporate it into their diet find their cholesterol is lowered. On top of lowering a person’s cholesterol levels, green tea also helps in preventing high blood pressure, as well as improving overall blood flow.

Metabolism Booster

Green tea is often hailed as a miracle when it comes to losing weight, and while no product can really help a person in preventing weight gain, one of the benefits of green tea is that it actually does help aid in one’s weight loss. While it may not be as much of a miracle as many people believe it to be, if you add two or three cups of green tea to your everyday diet, the active compound known as EGCG can in fact help in aiding weight loss, because it actually acts to boost your metabolism.

Perhaps the main reason that green tea is hailed as a weight loss miracle is that because of its metabolism boosting properties, most people who substitute green tea for other sugar-laden beverages will find that it does actually help in losing fat around the abdominal area.

Stress Levels Lowered

Stress is something everyone deals with, and while there are plenty of products out there that can help with reducing one’s stress levels, including lavender, green tea is also considered a stress reliever. Rather than eating junk food to deal with stressful situations, people looking to calm their minds should reach for green tea instead, because of the chemical known as theanine, which is found in the beverage.

It is the theanine which actually helps to calm the stress, so instead of grabbing something like chips or cookies, make a cup of green tea, empty your mind, and drink the stress away.

Diabetic Health

Perhaps one of the least known benefits of green tea for many people is the fact that it can actually be quite good for diabetics. Green tea helps people when they try and regulate their glucose levels.

The polyphenols that are present in green tea can help people who deal with problematic glucose levels to reduce the spikes they often see in their blood sugar levels, after eating products that are high in sugar or starch. After eating a meal that is high in either sugar or starch, it is good for diabetics to have a cup of green tea, as it will counteract the negative effects of these foods.

Other Uses for Green Tea

When it comes to green tea, there are certainly other uses besides being a tasty and healthy beverage of choice. If you have ever looked at the beauty aisle in any grocery or drug store, you have likely seen products that advertise the inclusion of green tea. This is because green tea is also very good for the skin and hair.

Among the other uses for green tea, it can be used to help tone one’s skin, especially when used weekly. Not only will it help to unclog your pores, but it also soothes the skin and even cleans away the grit and grime that accumulates over time. Due to the fact that green tea is actually a more acidic product, it helps to reduce oils found on the skin, especially for people who suffer from oily skin, to begin with.

Using a green tea based scrub is also good for one’s skin. Adding green tea will not only help soothe skin but as part a scrub, it will help slough off dead skin.

Perhaps my favorite uses are for my hair, as well as eliminating puffiness around the eyes. When it comes to using green tea for cleansing the hair, this is a product that keeps the hair clean and healthy, while also helping to promote growth. Plus, everyone wants to know how they can eliminate that puffiness from their eyes, and green tea is a great solution.

Just applying green tea bags, which have been heated in water and then cooled to puffy eyes, can help in eliminating that puffy, swollen appearance. If you don’t want to use tea bags, the liquid itself can also be used. Use a cotton ball to apply it to the area and leave it on for at least 10 minutes before washing your face.

Some of the Less Happy Effects of Green Tea

Much like coffee and regular tea, green tea can also cause stains on your teeth. The tannins in the tea, unfortunately, attack the enamel of your teeth and can leave them looking grey and dull.

The tannins in the tea can also be bad for iron absorption. Make sure you pay attention to your iron intake when you incorporate green tea into your diet because the last thing you want is an iron deficiency when you are trying to improve your health.

Finally, green tea is in many ways just like coffee, in that it too contains caffeine. Although it may not contain quite as much as a standard cup of coffee or even regular black teas, if you are sensitive to caffeine it can still prove disruptive to your sleep. This could mean avoiding drinking green tea close to bedtime or even making sure not to exceed two cups of it per day.

While there are certainly plenty of amazing benefits to green tea, it is important to remember two important things, moderation, and simplicity. Not only do you not want to overdo it when it comes to consuming green tea, but you also want to remember that adding things like sugar or milk can actually eliminate the benefits that you gain from adding it to your diet, to begin with. Even honey can be a bad thing, but if you can’t stand the flavor straight up, raw honey is perhaps the best option.

Image by Liao Zi via Flickr