Lifestyle Chat: Green Tea

Hello lovelies, today I am going to chat a bit about lifestyle and how one simple change in your habits can do you the world of good. I'm thinking of doing a little series on this, but for now, this is my first one.

Today I want to tell you about green tea. You may automatically go 'ugh no, I hate tea' and close this page, but I urge you to keep reading because it will amaze you how much good green tea can bring. 

Now for starters, I am one of those people, I don't drink tea, coffee or hardly any hot drinks at all, and like everyone else I thought green tea was disgusting. It wasn't until I read somewhere that honey is a natural sweetener and a lot of people put it in their green tea to make it taste nicer but in a healthier way. This is when I thought, yeah that could actually be nice, so sure enough I went down to my local supermarket and bought green tea and some honey. I was actually impressed with how nice it tasted considering how everyone I know has literally been like 'oh my gosh, it is the worst thing I have ever tasted'. At first, granted, I did put quite a bit of honey in there, but you slowly reduce that as you get used to the taste.

So now you've got over the fact of it being 'horrible', let me tell you why it is amazing!

• Green tea contains some Bioactive Compounds that have been found to improve your health

The green tea leaves contain large amounts of important nutrients and many of these still make it into the final drink. It contains (being all sciencey now) polyphenols, which function as powerful antioxidants and these can protect your cells and molecules from damage, which can help prevent disease. As well as this, green tea also includes minerals that are important for your health.

Do try and avoid the cheaper brands however because a lot of these nutrients may have been lost.

• Green tea can make you smarter 

Now, no promises here, but green tea has been proven to improve brain function.

One of the key ingredients is caffeine, which is known as a stimulant. Although it doesn't contain as much as coffee, it does have enough to produce a response in your body without causing the side effects people associate with too much caffeine. 

Caffeine actually increases the firing of neurons and the concentration of neurotransmitters (if you did psychology like me you will know these) like dopamine and norepinephrine, and so therefore improves your brain function and could potentially make your smarter.

• Green tea increases fat burning and improves your physical performance, helping you lose weight

Yes, the one you've all been waiting to hear, it can indeed help your metabolism. Studies have shown that green tea can boost your metabolic rate and increase fat burning in the short term. 

• It may lower risks of cancer & diabetes

Some studies have shown that green tea can reduce chances of you getting certain types of cancer because of the powerful antioxidants it contains. 

Here are some studies results:

1. Breast Cancer: A study found that women who drank the most green tea had a 22% lower risk of developing breast cancer.
2. Prostate Cancer: One study found that men drinking green tea has a 48% lower risk of developing prostate cancer.
3. Colorectal Cancer: A study of 69,710 Chinese woman found that green tea drinkers had a 57% lower risk of this cancer.

It has also been known to reduce risks of type 2 diabetes, as it can cause mild reductions in your blood sugar levels.

• Green tea may protect your brain in old age

The bioactive compounds in green tea have been known to have various protective effects on neurons and could potentially reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

• Green tea can kill bacteria

Green tea can kill the bacteria in some of your body and help with dental health and lowering your chances of infection against disease. 

So what is everyone waiting for? Make a small change in your lifestyle by drinking 2 cups of green tea a day and see the differences for yourself. I personally love drinking green tea, I feel a lot better for it. Go and grab your favourite mug, some green tea and honey (or without the honey if you are hardcore) and enjoy! 

Credit to all the sciencey bits here if you want to read up more.