There are several health benefits of drinking green tea. Green tea is considered by many to be the ultimate “anti-aging beverage.”
In Okinawa, Japan — one of the world’s “Blue Zones” that’s associated with longevity —drinking green tea daily is considered “essential.” A popular practice is sipping on a combination of steeped green tea leaves, jasmine flowers and a bit of turmeric (turmeric tea) throughout the day.
According to dozens of studies, green tea is considered one of the top healthy drinks. Regularly drinking this tea may reduce your risk of developing heart disease or Alzheimer’s, help you maintain better bone mineral density, ward off eye diseases that affect vision in older age, prevent strokes, and even extend your life.
What Is Green Tea?
Green, black and oolong teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant.
Green tea consists of leaves that haven’t been fermented so they contain the highest level of antioxidants. For example, flavonoid antioxidants account for about 30 percent of the dry weight of green tea leaves.
Some of the antioxidants and healing compounds found in green tea include polyphenols, catechins and various other types of flavonoids — the same anti-aging compounds found in things like red wine, blueberries and dark chocolate. Despite that it does contain small amounts of caffeine, green tea consumption has been associated with more health benefits than even many of the healthiest foods available to us.
Most experts recommend drinking about three to four cups per day for the most anti-aging benefits of green tea. But, even drinking one to two cups is a step in the right direction. There are some ways to spice up your green tea.
The standard way to brew green tea:
Place your tea bag or high-quality tea leaves (purchase organic from a reputable company for the best tea) in your teapot.
Heat or boil water, but don’t let it completely boil and become too hot, as this can destroy some of the delicate compounds found in green tea leaves. The “ideal” temperature for brewing green tea is between 160 degrees Fahrenheit to 180 degrees F (traditionally standard Chinese green teas brew at a slightly higher temperatures).
Pour hot water into the teapot to steep the leaves for only about 1–3 minutes. Larger leaves need more time to steep than finer, smaller leaves. At this point you can also add any fresh herbs you plan on steeping.
Once brewed, pour a little tea at a time into each cup in order to have the tea’s strength be evenly distributed. At this point, you can add some lemon juice or raw honey as the finishing touch.