Okay fine, that headline was a little cheesy. But we couldn’t resist, because we’re about to be talking about one of our most favorite subjects – Tea.
Green Tea Fields. Even the image is soothing!
You see, we here at the studios LOVE tea. Steaming in the winter, iced in the summer, caffeinated, fruity, or herbal; we can talk about tea like Steve Martin can talk about banjos. To put it simply, we love it.
Lately, though, there’s one particular kind of tea that we’ve been delightfully re-obsessed with; green tea. For you see, green tea is like the perfect crisp white button-down shirt; you might overlook it for its basic status, but you only need to rediscover it to remember how great it makes you look and feel. So here is a little reminder list of why green tea should be a regular part of your diet, ESPECIALLY since it’s so delicious cold in the stinky hot summer we’ve been experiencing lately.
1. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, and since green tea is minimally processed (unlike other forms of tea, which also have antioxidants), they are more concentrated.
2. Green tea and it’s nifty antioxidants have been linked with lower cancer risk. The facts here are so cool I’m just going to quote webMD:
“Studies in China have shown that the more green tea that participants drank, the less the risk of developing stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer.
Finally, a recent analysis of 22 studies that probed the correlation between high tea consumption and reduced risk for lung cancer concluded that by increasing your daily intake of green (not black) tea by two cups may reduce the risk of developing lung cancer by 18%.”
3. Green tea can improve the flexibility of blood vessels, which brings down the risk of heart disease and attacks.
4. Studies have shown that green tea can also reduce cholesterol and obesity rates.
5. Mindfully preparing and drinking a glass of green tea, then focusing on the subtlety of the flavor, can act as a meditation, and bring your stress level down. Buddhist tea ceremonies can be elaborate, but you can benefit from the same calming results by simply allowing yourself to focus entirely on the tea that you are drinking. It may seem simple, but trust us, a few minutes of clearing your mind and sipping can make a big difference.
6. Besides all the health benefits, you can also make something that looks like this out of it:
Yum.
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