Green Tea: Learn To Brew It The Right Way For Maximum Health Benefits

Today's generation is a health conscious lot and wants to find healthy alternatives to everything.

The regular tea was found to be too fattening with its milk and sugar content. A cup of it added to a dieter's woes. But a day is incomplete without a comforting cup of tea.

Then, how do we drink tea without worrying about the calories?

Worry not! Your prayers have been answered. The solution - green tea. It is a much healthier alternative to tea but without the sugar and calories.

It works just like your tea, but with much more health benefits. Get ready to compromise on the taste part, though!

Green tea has been going around as a health drink for quite some time. It has a host of benefits from fighting cancer to aiding in weight loss.

It began its journey in the market by claiming to be a magical tonic of sorts for smokers, but slowly became popular for the amount of antioxidants it contains.

The medicinal properties of green tea were first discovered in China and spread throughout Asia. It is known to contain the highest amount of catechins, an antioxidant which can destroy bacteria and viruses and shield the body from any infections.

It helps regulate glucose levels in the body and prevents diabetes. It reduces bad cholesterol in the blood. It kills the cancer cells in the body and inhibits their growth. It regulates blood pressure. Amino acid present in them reduces the chances of depression as well.

All the above-mentioned diseases are quite common in today's world. Hence, a simple solution to all these problems, green tea is finding a lot of takers in the market.

Although green tea is derived from the same plant as regular black tea, the leaves are less processed, which helps give it colour and prevents the loss of nutrients. Black tea's leaves are allowed to ferment, making it lose all its natural goodness.

Like all things good, green tea is extremely beneficial if taken the right way. Just because black and green teas are relatively brothers from the same mother, you cannot prepare green tea the way you prepare black tea.

It is very important to brew the green tea in the right way to derive maximum benefits from it. Here are a few things to remember in order to brew a perfect cup of green tea-

1) Type Of Green Tea Leaves
The correct method of brewing depends on the type of green tea leaves that you bought. Larger leaves take more time to brew. Smaller leaves take less.

Also, try using green tea which is mostly unprocessed. Like, loose leaves instead of green tea bags. Sometimes, tea bags may restrict the release of nutrients into the water. Loose tea leaves will ensure maximum benefits.

2) Storage
After you have purchased your green tea, learn to store it right. Use a clean and dry air-tight container for storing your tea. Keep it in a dark container away from sun-light. The container should be air-tight to avoid loss of nutrients. Also, buy smaller quantities to retain freshness.

3) Brewing
Green tea is prepared to consume without sugar and milk. Therefore it has to taste just right. Too much brewing will leave it bitter. Also, the temperature of the water has to be right. Too hot and there is loss of nutrients.

If it is lukewarm, there are chances of no release of catechins into the water. The temperature of water for brewing has to be around 160F. A teaspoon of green tea leaves is enough for a cup.

Here is a step by step procedure-
1) Boil a cup of fresh water till the first boil and let it cool for a minute.
2) Add a teaspoon of tea leaves and let it stay for 2-3 minutes.
3) Strain and enjoy your health-in-a-cup.

If you find the taste not to your liking, do not hesitate to experiment with the quantity of tea leaves. You can also add honey for taste. Most brands do have the right brewing procedure mentioned in the packaging as well.

Drinking your green tea at the right time is as important as making it. Here are a few pointers.

-Never drink your green tea in the morning on an empty stomach even to lose weight. The caffeine can lead to dehydration.

-Green tea should not be consumed with meals as it leads to less absorption of macro-nutrients.

-Never consume green tea along with milk items. There will be a reaction with green tea and make it less effective. Also, it leads to less absorption of calcium.

-The ideal time to consume green tea is at 11 in the morning or 4 in the evening to derive its maximum benefits.