Green tea
Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have
undergone minimal oxidation during
processing. Green tea originates in China. and
has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally consumed.
Green tea has become the raw material for extracts which are used in various
beverages, health foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetic items.Many varieties
of green tea have been created in countries where they are grown. These
varieties can differ substantially due to variable growing conditions,
horticulture, production processing, and harvesting time.
Over the last few
decades green tea has been subjected to many scientific and medical studies to
determine the extent of its long-purported health benefits, with some evidence
suggesting that regular green tea drinkers may have a lower risk of developing heart disease and certain
types of cancer.[ Although green tea does not raise the metabolic
rate enough to produce immediate weight loss, a green tea extract containing polyphenolsand caffeine has been shown to induce thermogenesis and stimulate fat
oxidation, boosting the metabolic rate 4% without increasing the heart rate.
According to a survey released by the United States Department
of Agriculture in 2007,the mean content of flavonoids in a cup of green tea is higher than that in the
same volume of other food and drink items that are traditionally considered of
health contributing nature, including fresh fruits, vegetable juices or wine.
Flavonoids are a group of phytochemicals in most plant products that are
responsible for such health effects as anti-oxidative and anticarcinogenic
functions. However, based on the same USDA survey, the content of
flavonoids may vary dramatically amongst different tea products.
GREEN TEA BENIFITS
Green Tea's Powerful Antioxidants
Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free
radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer, blood clots, and atherosclerosis.
Grapes and berries, red wine, and dark chocolate also have potent antioxidants.
Because of green tea's minimal processing -- its leaves are
withered and steamed, not fermented like black and oolong teas -- green tea's
unique catechins, especially epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), are more
concentrated.
But there's still a question of how much green tea you need to
drink to reap its health benefits. EGCG is not readily "available" to
the body; in other words, EGCG is not always fully used by the body.
"We must overcome the issue of poor bioavailability [and other
issues] in order to get the most out of their benefits," says Tak-Hang
Chan, PhD, professor emeritus in the department of chemistry at McGill
University in Montreal. Chan has studied the use of a synthetic form of EGCG in
shrinking prostate
cancer tumors in mice, with success.
Green Tea vs. Cancer
Marji McCullough, ScD, RD, the American Cancer Society's
strategic director of nutritional epidemiology, says human studies haven't yet
proven what researchers like Chan have discovered in the lab: green tea's EGCG
regulates and inhibits cancer growth and kills cells that are growing
inappropriately.
"Epidemiologically, one of the challenges is finding
populations that drink enough green tea and have for a long time," she
says. "With cancer, it's always difficult to find the exposure time,"
or the point at which cancer cells begin to develop.
13 Reasons Tea Is Good for You
Tea can boost exercise endurance. Scientists have found that the
catechins (antioxidants) in green tea extract increase the body’s ability
to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved ·muscle
endurance.
The antioxidants in tea might help protect against a
boatload of ·cancers, including breast,
colon, colorectal,
skin, lung,
esophagus, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, ovarian, prostate and oral cancers. But don’t rely
solely on tea to keep a healthy body — tea is not a miracle cure, after all. While
more studies than not suggest that tea has cancer-fighting benefits, the
current research is mixed.
Tea ·helps
fight free radicals. Tea is high in oxygen radical absorbance capacity
(“ORAC” to its friends), which is a fancy way of saying that it helps destroy
free radicals (which can damage DNA) in the body. While our bodies are designed
to fight free radicals on their own, they’re not 100 percent effective — and
since damage from these radical oxygen ninjas has been linked to cancer, heart
disease and neurological degeneration, we’ll take all the help we can get.
Drinking tea is linked with a lower risk of Parkinson’s
disease. When considered with other factors like smoking, physical activity,
age and body mass index, regular tea drinking was associated with a lowered
risk of ·Parkinson’s disease in
both men and women.
Tea might provide protection from ultraviolet rays. We
know it’s important to ·limit exposure to UV
rays, and we all know what it’s like to feel the burn.
The good news is that green tea may act as a back-up sunscreen.
Tea could keep waist circumference in check. In one
study, participants who regularly consumed hot tea had lower waist circumference
and lower ·BMI than
non-consuming participants. Scientists speculate that regular tea drinking
lowers the risk of metabolic syndrome (which
increases the risk of diabetes, artery disease and stroke), although it’s
important to remember that correlation
does not equal causation.
Regular tea drinking might also counteract some of
the negative effects of ·smoking and might
even lessen the risk of lung cancer (good news, obviously, but not a
justification for cigs).
Tea could be beneficial to people with Type 2 diabetes.
Studies suggest that compounds in green tea could help ·diabetics better
process sugars.
Tea can help the body recover from radiation. One study
found that tea helped protect against cellular degeneration upon exposure to
radiation, while another found that tea can ·help
skin bounce back postexposure.
Green tea has been found to improve bone mineral density
and ·strength.
Tea might be an
effective agent in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases,
especially degenerative diseases (think Alzheimer’s). While many factors
influence brain health, ·polyphenols in
green tea may help maintain the parts of the brain that regulate learning and
memory.
TEA RECIPES
MASALA CHAI
Tea can be brewed in water or directly in milk. Skim milk is
delicious for chai. Tea may be brewed in skim, 2% or whole milk.For a more
intense flavor,
grate fresh ginger into chai as it brews.
Ingredients
- Water by 2/3 cup per person
- Milk (whole or skim) by 2/3 cup per
person
- 1½ cups Dried tea leaves (or tea powder) 1.5
tsp. for first person and then 1 tsp. per person. More than 5
persons reduce per person tea to 3/4 tsp.
Methods
- Boil the water in a saucepan.
- Add the tea spices by a pinch per person or
whole spices as explained above. More if you want it more robust in
spices. Experiment for personal taste.
- Add the tea leaves.
- When the concoction starts boiling, Add milk.
- Boil for about a minute.
- Strain the tea into the cups.
- Remove strainer add sweetener as per taste
and stir the tea well.
ROMANTIC CHAI
- Put 2 ilaichis (cardamom) in water
- Put one thin slice of ginger
- Let it boil
- Add Waghbakri black tea
- Add milk (or microwave it separately)
Timings:
1.
When it is raining. Place yourself
at place from where you can see shafts of water connecting sky with earth.
Play the song or sing if you can: "Rim-jhim gire sawan..."
2.
When you're snowbound. Light the
fire (in fireplace) Once again watch the earth getting dressed in fresh cotton.
NONFAT MASALA CHAI (MAKES 3 CUPS)
- 3 cups of water (please, not hot!)
- 1 teaspoon Chai Masala (recipe given below) 2
to 3 teaspoons loose tea Leaves (or 3 tea-bags) 1/4 cup (or more)
Evaporated Skimmed Milk (more information given below) Sugar (or Equal or
Nutrasweet) to taste
- Place the water and chai masala in a saucepan and put to boil
over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover the saucepan and simmer
for 5 minutes. Add the tea leaves (or tea bags). Please note that the
amount can be varied
depending on personal preference. Continue to boil for about 1 more
minute. Add the evaporated skimmed milk (directly from the can).
Boil once more.
- Strain and pour into individual cups or tea
kettle. Serve with sugar (or Equal/Nutrasweet) on the side.
LEMON TEA SLUSH
Start with
- 5 cups water
- 2 WaghBakri Tea Quik tea bags
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 can (12 oz) frozen lemonade, thawed
- 1 cup vodka
- 1 bottle sparkling water, chilled Lemon
slices, if desired
Directions:
1.
Heat one cup of water to boiling.
Pour water over tea bags; let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags; cool tea.
2.
Heat remaining 4 cups of water to
boiling. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Remove
from heat; cool 20 minutes.
3.
Mix tea, sugar water, lemonade
concentrate, and vodka in 3 quart plastic
container. Cover and freeze at least 24 hours.
4.
To serve, place 2/3 cup slush in
each glass and fill with 1 cup sparkling water; stir. Garnish with lemon
slices.
