Blue Brain

Alright, hear me out. I’m not saying you should give up coffee completely. I love coffee, and switching was not easy. There are just too many compelling health benefits to not consider the switch. Like most people I need cream and sugar to drink my coffee, which might not seem like a big deal. The truth is that high sugar and fat amounts in our diet is a main contributer to obesity and health problems in North America.

I understand that the large kick of caffeine is what is appealing about coffee. But, when all that caffeine and sugar starts to wear off it can leave you feeling drained. And most people’s solution to the coffee crash, more coffee of course. People with long work days find themselves ingesting a lot more caffeine (and sugar and fat in some cases) than is healthy for a single day. An 8 oz cup, coffee can have about 100 mg of caffeine where green tea only has about 20 mg of caffeine. The FDA suggests you keep from having any more than 200 – 300 mg of caffeine per day, depending on what report you find. Two cups of coffee gets you to that limit where as several cups of green tea still keeps you far from the limit and allows you to drink it all day.

Green tea is an amazingly healthy drink. It is full of flavonoids called polyphenols, which are antioxidants. A subgroup of these antioxidants, called catechins, are also abundant in green tea. One catechin in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), is found only in tea and is one of the most powerful antioxidants known. They are 20 times stronger than Vitamin E.

- An article in New Scientist magazine mentions that numerous studies suggest that green tea protects against a range of cancers, including lung, prostate and breast cancer.

- Another study from the Life Science journal Carcinogenesis demonstrated that green tea, in combination with tamoxifen, is effective in suppressing breast cancer growth.

- Clinical trials indicate that green tea raises speeds your metabolism, fat oxidation and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance.

- There is also a suggestion that it can increase endurance in exercise by improving fat metabolism.

- There is also evidence that drinking green tea and black tea may help prevent diabetes.

- A 2006 study showed that elderly Japanese people who consumed more than 2 cups of green tea a day had a 50 percent lower chance of having cognitive impairment, in comparison to those who drank fewer than 2 cups a day, or who consumed other tested beverages.

- University of Louisville researchers report that green tea polyphenols may stave off the cognitive deficits that occur with obstructive sleep apnea.

- The research, conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), found that drinking green and black varieties of teas has a significant impact on the risk of stroke.

Green tea is also considerably cheaper than coffee, and in these hard economic times not everyone can afford that pricey cup from Starbucks. Some people complain that they find the flavour of green tea too bland. This is not completely true,  because there are a hundreds of different varieties and flavours (vanilla, citrus, apricot, blueberry, etc..) of green tea to choose from. My suggestion is to try loose tea (not in a tea bag), the quality and freshness is generally better. There are tea shops everywhere and variety of online tea store options. A few sites I would recommend are Adagio, Samovar & Steeps Tea. Most shops and online retailers offer some sort started kit and a wide variety of teas.

The health benefits of tea are not limited to green alone; blacks, whites, and oolongs are comparable in their benefits. So what are you waiting for? Try tea today.