Many Benefits of Green Tea

After hearing about all the benefits of drinking green tea, I finally added it to my diet about a year ago. It took a while for me to find the flavors I like, and I'm still experimenting, but I'm loving it.

Some of the benefits of green tea that are being reported are:

1. Antioxidants - green tea is high in antioxidants, particularly EGCG, which hunt down and destroy free radicals that lead to cancer, blood clots, heart disease and other illnesses.

2. Weight loss, blood pressure, LDS - green tea has been reported to be a contributing factor in weight loss. The weight loss in turn lowered blood pressure and the bad cholesterol, LDL.

3. Fits almost any diet - green tea (when you find the right flavor) is a tasty drink with no calories, no carbs, no fat, and no sugar. For a sweet flavor, add your favorite artificial sweetener or a natural sweetener like Stevia (which I love).

4. Green tea with a purpose - with all the flavors out there, you can find one tailored for your specific needs. For instance, chamomile tea is touted as helping people sleep. Chamomile is known for relaxing the body, preventing muscle cramps and menstrual cramps, alleviating inflammation and arthritis. Mint tea is soothing for the digestive tract by alleviating stomach aches, nausea and indigestion. Cinnamon tea is said to improve circulation, eases cold symptoms and helps lower blood sugar. Whatever ailment you want to treat, there's probably a tea for that.

My endocrinologist actually recommended cinnamon and green tea to help lower my sugar. And I've found several teas that contain cinnamon. My favorite is the Stash Green Chai tea in a green box. I tried their Spice Chai tea in a red box, but it was too "spicy" (too much ginger I think) and it burned my throat. The Green Chai is very soothing, relaxing, and I love it.

I don't like most teas and was never an iced-tea (black tea) drinker. So switching from water to green tea was an adjustment. But I do reap some of the rewards listed above. I don't think it's entirely from drinking green tea, but rather from a lifestyle change--better eating habits and more exercise. In a year, I lost 40 lbs, lowered my cholesterol from 199 to 137, lowered my sugar and my blood pressure, and I feel much better.

I start each day with decaffinated green tea. If I don't get my tea, I don't feel as well, as alert. I often wake up in pain, but it subsides throughout the day--whether from the green tea or just from getting active, I can't say.

Do you drink green tea? And if so, what are your favorite flavors? I recently tried blueberry green tea and it's one I'll be adding to the cupboard. I bought a variety pack so I could try raspberry, peach and some other fruity flavors. I have some lemon-ginger tea, but I don't particularly like it. What flavors would you recommend?

NancyAnn