Green tea’s significance in promoting a healthy lifestyle has been discussed before, but not everyone comprehends its attributes fully. This article aims to elucidate the advantages of consuming green tea for promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Today, tea ranks as the second most consumed beverage worldwide, just after water, underscoring its importance in people’s daily lives. Consequently, if proven to be healthy, it can significantly impact consumer well-being. In recent years, the food industry has shown a growing interest in researching and developing beverages with high nutritional value. In this context, green tea becomes inevitable.
Like food conglomerates, the burgeoning consumer industry has exhibited a noticeable interest in green tea. The cultivation of green tea dates back over 4000 years in China, where it gained renown for its aroma, medicinal properties, and flavor. It has long been considered a popular luxury item by Asians. Despite decades of research on the health aspects of green tea, much is still to be discovered, especially regarding the connection between health and green tea. This article emphasizes this point and introduces various types of green tea.
Tea Cultivation
In recent years, there has been widespread interest worldwide in understanding more about the cultivation of green tea. Like other crops, green tea has specific growth conditions, such as requiring a minimum temperature between 12.5-13 degrees Celsius. Attention to temperature is crucial in winter to ensure it does not drop below -15 degrees Celsius. Another condition for successful green tea cultivation is ensuring a minimum of 1500 millimeters of rainfall annually. Additionally, soil quality and pH value are considered in these common cultivation methods.
While the taste of green tea receives praise, not everyone appreciates its herbal aroma. Therefore, there are numerous options for flavored green teas, such as pan-fried tea, matcha, Kukicha, Konacha, Shincha, Tencha, chamomile green tea, mint, Kamairicha, Fukamushicha, etc. They vary in taste from spicy to salty, herbal to floral, and robust to roasted.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
In traditional Indian and Chinese medicine, green tea has been used to provide a range of health benefits. Studies indicate significant health advantages of green tea, including:
Providing Antioxidant Properties
Green tea is one of the world’s most widely consumed health beverages, with a relatively rich antioxidant content compared to other forms of tea. One of its key components is catechins, making green tea a primary source of these chemopreventive properties.
Promoting Metabolism and Weight Control
The catechins in green tea play a vital role in controlling weight by enhancing metabolic processes. Several studies suggest a synergistic weight loss effect when catechins are combined with caffeine.
Improving Heart Health and Lowering Cholesterol
Regular consumption of green tea can lower the mortality rate associated with cardiovascular health. It can help reduce the risk of heart disease in the obese population and is also associated with lower cholesterol levels.
Cancer Prevention
In countries with high green tea consumption, there is a lower likelihood of cancer diagnosis, as green tea is known to prevent various cancers affecting different body parts.
Promoting Brain Health and Cognitive Function
Some studies suggest that green tea has a positive impact on protecting memory and enhancing other cognitive functions. It shows promise in treating diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s, improving memory.
Managing Diabetes
Green tea is known to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Its components can control your dietary patterns while lowering appetite.
Skin Benefits
Green tea offers a range of benefits to the skin, reducing wrinkles and increasing skin radiance. With its anti-aging properties, it helps minimize the appearance of fine lines.
Oral Health and Cavity Prevention
Promoting dental and gum health, green tea restricts bacterial growth and reduces inflammation. Apart from its anti-inflammatory properties, it is rich in antibacterial and antioxidant characteristics.
Green Tea in Traditional Medicine
Both traditional Chinese and most Japanese medical approaches extensively use green tea to treat various health conditions. Today, the benefits of green tea are widely known globally, prompting modern medicine to adopt a holistic approach to green tea. Several health supplements with green tea formulations are available in the market. These not only provide tea benefits but also assist in addressing various health conditions.
However, with the increasing demand for completely natural and pure green tea products, scientists have proposed a range of green tea herbal therapies for treating heart disease, weight loss, liver disorders, type 2 diabetes, cognitive support, and other health issues. While cancer patients are not advised to focus on these supplements, individuals can use them for preventing various types of cancers.
Popular Varieties of Green Tea
When it comes to flavored green tea blends, as mentioned earlier, there are various choices. However, here are some popular green tea varieties:
Pan-fried Tea
Unlike green tea powder, pan-fried tea uses rolled leaves. The leaves are steamed and dried before being rolled to achieve the desired flavor. They have a bright green color and a delicate sweet taste.
Matcha
Evolved from a beverage used by monks, matcha has a sweet tea soup, better-tasting than regular green tea. According to Japanese belief, matcha enhances meditation and improves cognitive function.
Dragon Well (Longjing)
To prepare Dragon Well tea, the leaves are picked, roasted, and heated to the right temperature. Originating in China, it has been enjoyed for its delicate chestnut flavor.
Gunpowder Tea
Originating from China, gunpowder tea is made by steaming and rolling the tea leaves into compact pellets while retaining the tea’s aroma and freshness. It has a misty green appearance and a smoky aroma, with a rich and roasted taste.
Jasmine Tea
As the name suggests, this tea incorporates jasmine flowers, imparting a jasmine aroma to the tea leaves. The tea leaves are placed with jasmine flowers overnight, repeating the process up to 10 times to achieve the desired fragrance. Jasmine tea has a high caffeine content, beneficial for health.
Beyond the Tea Cup
You’ve probably tried a cup of hot green tea, haven’t you? In addition to being a beverage, green tea is commonly used in various ways to enhance your health and address various health issues. As mentioned earlier, green tea is often used in dietary supplements. Since the true potential of green tea became known globally, people have been seeking ways to incorporate it into their daily lives. Besides green tea supplements, there are green tea skincare products, which you can use topically to improve skin appearance and health. Several facial oils and moisturizers contain high-quality green tea.
Conclusion
Green tea is considered a superfood and one of the healthiest beverages on Earth. With the ability to provide various health benefits, supported by proper scientific evidence, it serves as a treasure trove of antioxidants and is renowned for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Many health experts recommend drinking green tea at least twice a day or using products containing genuine green tea to improve overall health. Drinking green tea is one of the most affordable things you can do for your physical well-being, all thanks to the ancestors in China who discovered this herb from seemingly nowhere.
