Beauty Bit: Drink Yourself Beautiful

The Amazing Green Tea

It is simply amazing how nature is filled with so many delicious, extremely nutritious and beneficial foods and drinks. One such drink is green tea. 

Green tea is proven to be one of the healthiest drinks out there. The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is a powerful antioxidant. It combats cancer cells and prevents their growth, and lowers LDL cholesterol levels. Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, but the difference lies in the fact that green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. Black and oolong tea leaves are fermented, and the EGCG is turned into compounds that are not as beneficial as the untouched ECGC in the green tea. Although it contains caffeine (in truly low amount compared to coffee, or even black tea), avoid decaffeinated versions; they are not as beneficial as the regular green tea is. 

Here is a list of some of the benefits of green tea:

- green tea reverses endothelial dysfunction in smokers

- it lowers bad cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduces harmful liver enzymes

- it could help stave off cancer, with a study showing just four cups of green tea a day reverses cell damage in heavy smokers that might lead to the development of tumors

- green tea is beneficial for heart, and overall cardiovascular system's health

- regular intake can help easing menstrual pangs

- it is good for healthy teeth and gums

- it slashes the risk of stroke

- according to one research, green tea could even preserve your brain power as you age

- it helps regenerate impaired immune system

- it prevents arthritis

- it helps reduce inflammation

- it clears the skin, due to its detoxifying properties

And if all of these health benefits didn't convince you, maybe this will; researches have shown that green tea can help with weight-loss and weight maintenance . Green tea is filled with anti-oxidants, and will boost your metabolism and suppress appetite, thus supporting your weight-loss plan. 

Hope you will find this helpful! :)

xoxo,

Iskra

p.s. While doing this research, I consulted several articles, including those from http://www.dailymail.co.uk, http://altmedicine.about.com, http://chinesefood.about.com, http://arthritis.about.com.