Who doesn’t want to be that little bit healthier? Especially if improving your health involves minimal effort. With this in mind we’ve made it our mission to bring you news each week of a product, a foodstuff, an exercise technique or a pill that promises potentially magical health-giving properties.
This week’s magic ingredient: Green tea.
Not to be confused with: Green WKD.
Is this normal tea with green food colouring in it for St Patrick’s Day? No, green tea is tea made solely with the leaves of the tea plant which have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. In layman’s terms, it’s like a fresher, un-fermented version of the black tea you get in your Barry’s tea bags.
I fear change. I’m not sure if I can switch to this stuff from the normal gear… The Chinese have spent the last 4,000 years road-testing this stuff for you. They haven’t suffered any ill-effects as yet so now might be the time to take a gamble.
Isn’t it just leaves and water? Yes and no. It is made up of leaves from the Camellia sinesis (tea) plant and you make it by adding hot water, but there is a bit more to it than that. Green tea contains salubrious polyphenols, particularly catechins, the most abundant of which is epigallocatechin gallate. Green tea also contains carotenoids, tocopherols, vitamin C, minerals such as chromium, manganese, selenium, zinc, and certain phytochemical compounds. Basically lots of fancy stuff with long names. It is also a more potent antioxidant than black tea.
Sounds dangerous. Can I die from drinking it? Yes. But only if you slip and break your mug and then accidentally slash your throat with it. Studies have shown that green tea can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, dental cavities, kidney stones and cancer while improving bone density and cognitive function. It can reduce cholesterol, has fat-burning qualities, helps fend off Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, depression and improves liver function.
So where do you get it then? In supermarkets and health food shops. In the tea section.
So it’s the same deal as normal tea then? I wouldn’t throw in three sugars and half a mug of milk. Dunking half a packet of Hobnobs into it is probably a poor idea too.
Sold. How do I take the stuff? It comes in teabag form or loose – just get the teabags. There doesn’t appear to be any added benefits to go with the loose version and you get gritty bits of tea in the end of your cup.
Does it taste nice? Not really, but neither did black tea the first time you tasted it. Both are an acquired taste, so you’ll grow to love it.
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