The Matcha Craze – Health Benefits of Matcha Tea

If you have any interest in health or if you’re a foodie, then you’ve probably heard of matcha tea. It seems to be everywhere! So, what exactly is the matcha craze, what are the health benefits of matcha tea and how much should you be drinking?

Let’s find out together!

Understanding The Matcha Craze

Matcha tea is a type of green tea that has been ground into a fine powder.

It originated in Japan and has actually been drunk for thousands of years. There are records indicating the Tang dynasty enjoyed a cup or two!

It has an earthy taste which some may find a little bitter.

The main difference between matcha tea and standard green tea is that matcha tea leaves are ground.

As you can understand know, you’ll actually consume the leaves when drinking matcha tea.

This means the health benefits of matcha tea are multiplied.

Join The Matcha Craze And Access The Health Benefits Of Matcha Tea

You may be surprised by just how good matcha tea is for you. Here are some of the amazing benefits!

Boosts Your Metabolism

Each cup of matcha tea contains approximately half the amount of caffeine as a standard cup of coffee. But it also has the same thermogenic effect as green tea.

A “thermogenic effect” means that your body burns more calories processing, digesting and storing this food (or in this case liquid).

Your metabolism is made up of 3 things:

• Your basal metabolic rate – this is determined by your size (height/weight), body composition (fat/muscle), gender and age;
• Physical activity – how many calories you burn by exercise or moving around in the day;
• Thermogenesis – how many calories you burn digesting food (i.e. this is why some foods can boost your metabolism)

So by eating foods that have a higher thermogenic effect, it can help you burn more calories and this can help you lose weight!

If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, check out these blog posts.

Adds Antioxidants

Because the matcha tea still has the green tea leaves in it, you can get as much as 10 times the number of antioxidants that you would get in a standard cup of green tea.

Antioxidants are compounds that occur naturally. And they have been linked with a variety of health benefits including reducing the effects of aging and likelihood of chronic disease. 

In short, antioxidants will help you to stay young and healthy, and there is plenty of them in your matcha tea!

Helps Detoxify Your Body

Many people claim that matcha tea will detoxify your body. However, it is important to understand that the matcha tea itself doesn’t actually detoxify your body.

Instead, it supports your body’s natural detoxification process.

This is because it is full of substances called polyphenols. These substances react with your liver to improve its function and they fight free radicals in your body.

Your liver removes toxins from your body, and matcha tea helps it to do this more effectively. The fact that it destroys free radicals is also beneficial as these are the cells that are unstable and can damage your healthy cells.

And, if you want to help your liver to get rid of toxins even more effectively, read this blog post.

Improves Your Mood

Matcha tea contains L-Theanine which is known to activate the alpha waves in your brain. This should give you a feeling of calmness.

L-Theanine combined with the caffeine in this drink means you’ll feel calmer but more alert.  So you’ll be ready to tackle anything!

Adds Vitamins & Minerals To Your Diet

Because this tea uses all of the leaf, you’ll get far more nutrients than you would from a standard cup of green tea or coffee.

Just 1 cup of matcha tea will give you vitamin A, vitamin B1 & B6, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and a little copper.

Also, all of these vitamins and minerals will help a LOT if you’re having problems with your thyroid or hormones.

That’s quite an impressive array of goodness from one drink!

Lowers Cholesterol

This type of green tea contains a high volume of catechins. Research shows that these catechins can help to reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in your body.

This is the ‘bad’ cholesterol which is a major risk factor for heart disease. So, you could say matcha protects your heart.

However, it is not yet certain how matcha tea reduces cholesterol. One theory is that it simply blocks the absorption of cholesterol into the blood.

And another is that it prevents the LDL cholesterol from oxidizing.

This is the process in which cholesterol becomes sticky and starts to clog your arteries. Preventing stickiness helps it to move along to the liver and be removed from your body. 

The Bottom Line – Should You Join The Matcha Craze?

The bottom line is that drinking matcha tea can really benefit your health!

The fact that it uses the whole leaf makes it far more potent than any other drink currently available.

You can buy matcha tea from your local store or at most coffee shops, and enjoy its array of health benefits.

Who else drinks matcha?! ☺