10 Health Benefits of Matcha Green Tea
Do you want to lose weight, be calmer, more focused and have more energy? Matcha Green Tea is a great health booster if you are balancing your hormones naturally with progesterone.
As my regular readers will know, I am a great fan of green tea and if you want the absolute best for your health then you need Japanese matcha which is a very rare and special green tea. It is full of antioxidants, helps raise energy levels, elevates mood, lowers cholesterol, is anti-ageing, can help with weight loss, help prevent heart disease and boost your metabolism by up to 40 per cent!
What more could you want? The thing I particularly like about green tea is that it is both energising and calming and because matcha is a fine powder that you mix with hot or cold liquid there is no waste as you have the whole leaf in powder form. Matcha can be drunk like any normal green tea – with hot water – though I prefer to start the day with it on an empty stomach and mix it with juice or a smoothie. It feels odd to be glugging down a green liquid, but the result is worth it.
Top 10 Health Benefits
When supplementing with bioidentical hormones you can help maximise the benefit by adding this amazing green powder to boost its effects.
1. High in Antioxidants which are the magical nutrients and enzymes responsible for fighting against the negative effects of UV radiation, giving us younger-looking skin, and preventing a number of life-threatening maladies. You find them in raw fruits, green vegetables, and dark chocolate. Matcha Green Tea provides over 5 times as many antioxidants as any other food – the highest rated by the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) method.
2. Loaded with Catechin, EGCg and this is good because not all antioxidants are created equal. Green tea contains a specific set of organic compounds known as catechins. Among antioxidants, catechins are the most potent and beneficial. One specific catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) makes up 60% of the catechins in Matcha Green Tea. Out of all the antioxidants, EGCg is the most widely recognized for its cancer fighting properties. Scientists have found that Matcha Green Tea contains over 100 times more EGCg than any other tea on the market.
3. Enhances Calm and has been doing so for hundreds of years as a means to relax and meditate while remaining alert. This is due to the amino acid L-Theanine contained in the leaves used to make Matcha. L-Theanine promotes the production of alpha waves in the brain which induces relaxation without any drowsiness.
4. Boosts Memory and Concentration as a side-effect of L-Theanine is the production of dopamine and serotonin. These two chemicals serve to enhance mood, improve memory, and promote better concentration – something that can benefit everyone whether you meditate or not.
5. Increases Energy Levels and Endurance and was used by the Samurai before going into battle because of the tea’s energizing properties. While all green tea naturally contains caffeine, the energy boost received from Matcha is largely due to its unique combination of other nutrients. The increased endurance can last up to 6 hours and because of the effects of L-Theanine, Matcha drinkers experience none of the usual side-effects of stimulants such as nervousness and hypertension.
6. Burns Calories and helps you lose weight as it has been shown to increase metabolism and help the body burn fat about four times faster than average. Again, unlike many diet products, Matcha causes no negative side-effects such as increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
7. Detoxifies the Body because of its very high levels of chlorophyll which not only give the tea its green colour but makes it a powerful detoxifier capable of naturally removing heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body.
8. Fortifies the Immune System due to the catechins in the tea which have been shown to have antibiotic properties which promote overall health. Also it provides substantial quantities of potassium, vitamins A & C, iron, protein, and calcium.
9. Improves Cholesterol as studies show that people who drink Green Tea on a regular basis have lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol while at the same time displaying higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
10. Amazing Flavour is not something that you may associate with green tea, but in this powder form you can make it into an amazing, healthy and energy boosting drink. This delicious smoothie recipe for breakfast recipe was devised at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurant in London.
In a blender put the following:
2g (approx 1/2 teaspoon) matcha
1/2 apple
1/4 stick celery
2 sprigs mint
1/2 banana
1/2 pear
Blend and drink for a delicious start to the day.
