Why You Should Drink Matcha Tea
Matcha is a plant that is common everywhere in the world. The shoots, roots, and desserts, and tea is available in many stores in the world. Just like green tea, matcha tea and some other teas are made from camellia Sinensis. However, matcha tea is different from green both in nutritional profile and in taste.
Matcha tea farmers always cover their tea plants one month before harvesting them in order to reduce the quantity of sunlight that reaches it. According to them, covering the plants few days before harvesting can help increase the production of chlorophyll. In addition, they believe that it could also give the plant a dark color and boost the level of amino acids in the plant.
After harvesting on the 30th or 31st day of covering, they pluck out the leaves from the stem, take out the veins and grind the leaves into a smooth powder. This powder is what people now refer to as matcha tea.
Some of the nutritional benefits of matcha tea include; higher antioxidant and caffeine contents compared to the ones found in green tea and other kinds of tea.
Research has uncovered the numerous health benefits of matcha tea. Some of the health benefits of matcha tea include the protection of both the liver and heart health as well as the promotion of weight loss.
The following are the 7 health benefits of matcha tea.
High Antioxidants Amount
Matcha is a brand of tea that is rich in catechins. Catechins are a plant compound that functions as an antioxidant, a natural antioxidant.
One of the things antioxidants are known for is the stabilization of free radicals, which are compounds that are harmful to the body. Free radicals are focused on the destruction of the cells and organs in the body, such that chronic and severe illnesses begin to surface.
Adding matcha powder in hot water to make the tea can provide you with all the health benefits therein, as it provides more catechin and antioxidant amounts compared to when you merely steep green tea leaves inside water.
According to research, matcha tea has over 130 catechin amounts or contents higher than green tea and every other kind of tea in the world. Drinking matcha tea regularly can help in the reduction of damages to the cells and organs by reducing the amounts of free radicals in the body. In addition, it could also increase the amounts of antioxidants in your body, thus reducing your risks of developing chronic diseases.
Protects the Liver Health
All the organs in the body are vital and should be treated with care and caution, and the liver is not exempted. One of the major roles the liver plays is the elimination of toxins from the body. The liver is also known to process nutrients and mobilize drugs.
Experts have shown that the daily consumption of matcha tea in moderate amounts can help protect liver health. Sometimes, the protection can extend itself to the kidneys as well.
People who were diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and were drinking 500 mg of green tea regularly for 3 months recorded a reduced risk of both kidney and liver diseases.
However, there are other factors that enhanced the speedy improvement of the health of that group of people. Some of the other factors include; dietary and lifestyle changes.
Improves the Brain Function
Matcha plant is rich with compounds that are healthy and effective in boosting the functions of the brain.
The research was conducted extensively on people who drink matcha tea regularly and those who do not. When the two groups of people were given intellectual tasks to complete, it was discovered that the group of people who drink matcha tea on a daily basis completed their tasks faster and more intelligently than the other group. In fact, the former group experienced a higher attention span, higher memory retention, and reaction time compared to the latter group.
Further studies found that taking 2 g of matcha tea every day for 3 months can greatly improve the brain function of aged people, reduce the rate at which their brains and other vital organs decline due to old age, and improve underlying health conditions.
In addition, matcha has been found to contain higher amounts of caffeine compared to green tea. One spoon of matcha powder contains 35 mg of caffeine.
Many researchers have linked the drinking of matcha tea with the improvement of brain functions, improvement of reaction time, enhanced attention, and memory.
Coupled with all of these, matcha also has L-theanine contents, which is effective at interrupting the full manifestation and effects of caffeine, therefore, improving alertness, preserving energy levels.
The relaxation of the brain and the reduction of stress Impact on the body and brain can also be triggered by the substance called L-theanine.
May Improve Cancer Conditions
Many studies have linked the drinking of matcha tea on a daily basis with the prevention and improvement of cancer patients’ conditions. Thus, it is due to its health-promoting compounds.
Comparing matcha with green tea, green tea has been discovered to help in the inhibition of the growth of tumor cells and reduce your risks of developing cancers like breast cancer.
Matcha tea, on the other hand, is packed with epigallocatechin-3-gallate, which is a type of catechin, a compound that is understood to have anti-cancer compounds.
Research has found that matcha tea has helped eliminate prostate cancer risks. Other researchers have found that matcha can help in the reduction of other cancers like lung, skin, and liver cancer.
Protects Heart Health
One of the principal reasons for death in the world is heart disease. In fact, according to statistics, 1/3 of the deaths in the world are heart disease-related, particularly in people over the age of 35.
More research has shown that drinking matcha tea can help protect the heart against diseases. It has also been affirmed to reduce the level of bad cholesterol in the body, including triglycerides.
The oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the body is prevented by the nutrients in matcha tea. This LDL cholesterol has the tendency of increasing heart disease risks as well as stroke.
Drinking matcha tea regularly can help protect your heart and prevent you from falling sick.
Helps You Lose Weight
One of the predominant ingredients in most weight loss supplements is green tea. Teas are essential in the reduction of weight. Matcha tea helps speed up the level of metabolism in the body and increase your energy levels while boosting fat burning in the process.
When you drink matcha tea in moderate amounts, you would realize that you will begin to lose weight in the right places and in regulated ways. In other words, merging your exercise routine with matcha tea can help improve your weight reduction regimen. It helps in the reduction of body weight and enhancement of weight loss.
Although, most researches about teas are focused on green tea than matcha tea. However, since they both stem from the same plant, they can have the same effect. It is just that matcha has more and higher nutritional profile.
Easy to Prepare
As much as matcha tea adds a lot of health benefits to the body, it takes little or no time to prepare and is quite easy to make into tea. All you need to do is sift about 2 tablespoons of matcha powder in a cup and add little hot water, then mix the combination together. You can add as much water as you want to be based on your taste. That is, if you want a more concentrated tea, add little water to the sifted powder.
If you want to further boost the nutritional profile, you can add protein smoothies to it. Notwithstanding, it is very important to note that moderation is key.
There is no recommended daily intake amount of matcha. It is best to take 2 cups or less per day.
In conclusion, although the matcha team stems from the same plant as green tea. However, matcha tea is more nutritional than green tea. It is packed with essential plant nutrients like antioxidants that help combat free radicals that are capable of damaging the cells and vital organs in the body. Matcha tea is easy to prepare and can protect your brain, kidneys, and liver health.
