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Green Tea gets a Boost, and Gives a Boost!

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Green tea is rightly known as one of the healthiest beverages around, due to its rich content of unique antioxidants. Green tea is simply the dried leaves of the tea plant, but this simple gift from nature contains compounds known as polyphenols, including phytochemicals that have antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and health-enhancing properties. A particular type of polyphenol in green tea may be able to penetrate the body’s cells and help shield the DNA from potent free radicals. Green tea can help lower cholesterol levels, and reduces the clotting tendency of the blood. It also shows promise as a weight-loss aid that can promote the burning of fat and help to regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.

Combining green tea with vitamin C may significantly boost the tea’s antioxidants by making them more available to the body. Apparently catechins, the green tea type of antioxidants, have many health-promoting qualities, but they’re not as readily absorbed by the body in a non-acidic environment.

Researchers tell us to avoid adding milk to green tea, as it lessens the potency of green tea’s antioxidant power. By supplementing green tea with citrus juices, such as lemon or lime, or the addition of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), the staying power of the catechins is greatly enhanced. Vitamin C can increase the effective levels of green tea antioxidants by up to 13-fold.

Of course, to get the maximum from your green tea, you’ve got to drink a lot…anywhere from five to 10 to as many as 20 cups of green tea a day to provide the significant antioxidant protection to your body. That’s a lot of tea!! Here are a few creative ways to include more health-giving green tea to your day:

1. Make a jug of strong green tea, and sip throughout the day with ice and citrus fruit; try adding a splash of pomegranate juice for added power and flavor.
2. Give yourself a healing, detoxing facial by using brewed green tea instead of plain water when preparing a foot or facial mask.
3. Make your own hydrating, moisturizing facial spray by combining cooled green tea, distilled water, and a few drops of vitamin E into a facial spray bottle. Spritz before and after applying moisturizer; set make-up with a quick spritz; give yourself a cool spray on a hot day, by keeping a bottle in the fridge or cooler.
4. Mix a strong batch of green tea and add it to your bathwater.
5. Keep brewed green tea in the refrigerator, and use it in place of water in recipes. Green tea goes well in making rice, homemade bread, and many other recipes and dishes. Use your imagination!

There are many ways to include green tea in your daily routine and gain the remarkable benefits of this simple, yet powerful gift from nature. I hope you’ll give it a try!