Question about GREEN TEA
 

I have a question about the use of green tea, has anyone else tried it to help with their motabolizm? I have been having a couple of cups a day but I don't know if I should just drink it whenever I want it or do I need to drink it with my meals???? Any suggestions?

Zack

Zack, Green Tea will indeed help raise metabolism - it's been proven. It will also help keep you healthy. GT lowers cholesterol, it's a powerful anti oxidant, anti arthritic, anti fungal and anti carcinogenic.

To get the metabolism boosting effect you do need to drink between 7 -10 cups a day, and that is of the caffinated variety. You should double that if you're using decaf (a lot of tea, I know). You can add splenda to your tea, or lemon if you like, but if you use milk it will negate a lot of the teas' benefitical properties.

If the idea of 10 cups of tea is too much for you, you can take the extract of the tea in pill form. 1 pill usually equals 7-10 cups, and the bonus is the extract doesn't have to be caffinated. You do have to ensure that the pills are standardized to 60% polyphenols, however.

There are many posts about the benefits of GT in the Nutrition / Supplements forum if you're interested.

Cheers,
Nat

Hi Zack,

I've been drinking green tea daily--chinese green tea, the strong bitter ones to be precise.

From what I've read, green tea is supposed to not only speed up metabolism, but also boasts a plethora of nutrients reputed to ward off various diseases, most notably coronary ones.

I drink tea liberally, and it has never stalled in any way. Anyway, the caffeine further helps mobilize the burning of fat cells more efficiently during vigorous cardio excercise.

In my view, drink up!

Best of luck,

Frederick

thanks
 

Thanks, I guess I will have to try the GT extract, after my last heart attack my doctor told me to stop drinking anything with caffine in it. I do really enjoy the flavor of the DeCaff GT that I have been drinking.

Zack

I drink green tea also. I buy the really good..loose leaf stuff from a place online. I usually have 2 cups a day..I don't drink coffee often.
The tea I buy is a Japanese green tea with a cherry blend..it's really good :)

Has anyone heard of or uses "Arizona Diet Green Tea"? It comes in a gallon container. My sister drinks it all the time with ice.

Hi!

Oriental grocery stores often carry bottles of brewed green tea without sweetener from Japan. (In the Boston area, Super88 stores have several varieties.) It's preserved with a little vitamin C and is very refreshing as a cold drink in the summer.

- Rich

Fishburg: The Diet Arizona Green Tea that comes in a gallon is not only sweetened with Splenda, but also with honey. I'm not sure how much, but I do know it is in there. I checked out a smaller bottle of Arizona diet green tea and it was made with Aspartame. I have tried the Green tea made with Splenda and honey and it is really good, but I try to limit it. I am not doing Atkins, but am doing SugarBusters, but honey is high on the GI list and therefore a no-no, so I try to avoid it as much as possible.

Take care.

Thank You for the warning about the honey Pancho!!

I was just about to leave for LC Shopping in a few minutes and that was on my list!!!

Thanks Again!!

These are the 2 places I get my green teas from

www.harney.com
www.peets.com

I love Jasmine green tea. It's expensive though to get the good stuff (ie $42 for 4 oz :cry: ). When I head to asia I usually try to buy loads of it.

I found some green tea extract pills at Walgreen's but the bottle states that it's only 50% standardized. Is this even worth taking??

this is what i've purchased too, kknocarbs. I was wondering the same thing. I hope someone knows the answer to this!

I just bought the Arizona green tea and love it. I did look at the bottle and it does have honey in it. I wonder how much...does anyone have any idea?

Tanya

Standardized herbal extracts simply mean that the known active components of the herb are isolated from the herb and concentrated to a guaranteed strength. Every single pill in the bottle is the same strength as all the others.

Non-standardized herbs will vary in effectiveness from one pill to the next. So, when buying herbs, it's best to look for standardized. All standardized herbal extracts will list a percentage, ie "ginko 24% flavoglycosides", and "milk thistle 80% silymarin".

Hope that helps! :)

I get mine at The Great Canadian Super Store here and it's the loose leaf Japanese type. I also have Korean green tea from Korea I bought when I was there last.
The teabag versions I've tried here don't seem to be green tea. As a reference, good green tea has a suttle fresh flavor, is very light green in colour and is never bitter. You shouldn't need sugar or milk. To get a good pot of tea using loose leaf, you should boil water and once it has boiled, wait a few minutes to get the temperature of the water down some to avoid bitterness. Steep for a minute or two and then pour the tea into another vessel, preferably warmed (just put some hot tap water in it while you are waiting) to fill your cup and refill as needed. This will give you uniform cups of tea. If you pour from the first pot directly into cups without removing the tea leaves, the tea ball or the tea bag, each cup will be stronger and more bitter. Enjoy

Can you get the same benefits from oolong tea?

Sorry to sound out of it but is this like regular tea?

Is there a better brand than others or any Green Tea will do?

Thanks!

Ok I looked at those links posted. I get it now.

But I still wonder if anyone recommends one in specific to be the best?

Thanks again.

Apparently to some, that's sort of like asking what's the best wine brand.

Picking just the right tea can be very complicated...or not.

I drink whatever I can find, from Lipton to some off brand at a discount house...then again, I have some special (read:expensive) loose leaf that I keep in my cupboard when I want to get really into it or just in case the Queen (or my mother!) pops by.

I also drink the Diet Arizona Iced Tea, but lately I've been trying to use up all my tea stash and have been making it from bags.

Its a mild flavor, and I prefer it to black teas. Try it!

Black, oolong, and green tea all come from the same plant. Green tea is dried immediately after picking. Oolong is allowed to oxidize for a short time before being dried, and black tea is allowed to oxidize even longer before being dried. The more oxidation, the less catechins (the beneficial stuff in green tea). Oolong is good for you, but not nearly as good as green tea would be.


Green tea brews up a nice yellow or green colour, and has a very light taste. The "regular tea" you're thinking of is probably black tea, which has a very strong flavour and rich dark brown colour.

I get my green tea at a Japanese food store and always get a few different varieties. The most common type is called Sencha. The whole plant is used and turned into Banch and Hoji cha, which is roasted. Gyokuro is the tastiest but the most expensive. There are differences between different brands that are as complex as those of wine. I frown upon bagged tea. :)

Here's a site with more info on the types of Japanese green tea.

http://www.o-cha.net/english/associ...entea/gift.html

Karen

Thank you all, that's helpful. I think I wil go out later today and find me some.

Cheers!

Thanks, samasneir, that was very helpful! :)

Ok I got some Green Tea. Box says it's from Bigelow and it says, a fine delicate tea in the japanese style. Is this good?

Can I use Splenda in this if it's too nasty? And is tea better hot or cold?

Thanks, sorry for all the newbie questions. :lol:

Hi there,

Actually, that's fine. The analogy of comparing green teas to that of wine is a very accurate one. For instance, you can spend tons of money on imported Chinese green tea made to perfection by artisan houses who have spent generations in preparing the tea. Or, you can buy bigelow from the grocery store. There is a difference in taste, naturally. However, the benefits are the same. For example, a Chateau Margaux or Haute Brion would taste different from red vinegar (at least I hope so), but the benefits of red wine are all the same.

Having grown up with drinking Chinese brewed teas, I'm partial to them and find them infinitely superior to "other" kinds of teas given the specific pungent flavor which differs from one region to the next.

Ah, ordinarily, one shouldn't add anything to green tea; but, milk and sugar would ease the taste if you don't find the original taste palatable.

Either way, the benefits are all the same!

Happy tea-ing,

Frederick

PS: Brewed green tea in a pot should ALWAYS be enjoyed hot. I use left overs for iced tea mixed with cream and sugar, which is frowned upon, but whatever works, right? LOL

Blue Willow tea company has some fabulous loose-leaf Japanese green teas.

It needs to be brewed at the right temperature (a little less than actual boiling), or the flavor might be a little "off".

And sometimes, if I have it on an empty stomach, it can make me a little queasy - but nothing that a boiled egg or some nuts don't settle pretty fast. Green tea has caffeine - not as much as coffee or black tea, but some. I can't drink it too late in the day, or I won't sleep well. This is just the way my body is - your results will vary!

Have fun with it, and if you don't like it, just find someone who does.

Thanks, I had my cup and it was pretty good, but tasted better with one teaspoon of Splenda.

I will try to get use to the taste and enjoy it plain.

:) I could get use to this.

Thank you too. I actually did enjoy it. Splenda made it better but I think I should get use to it plain.

:)

Milk proteins bind with the polyphenols in green tea, interfering with the anti-oxidant benefits.

this has been a very helpful and informative thread. I think I will go have a cup.