The Benefits of Green Tea
By Lynn, on October 11th, 2008
I quit drinking coffee back in February. I did love my morning coffee. Two cups. Every. Single. Day. I have read recently there are some benefits to drinking coffee. I’m sure there are, but I won’t be going back to it. Coffee has a knack for aggravating breast cysts.
I switched to green tea, which still has caffeine but significantly less. There are also many benefits to drinking green tea.
- contains polyphenols (such as catechins, quercetin)
- phytohormones
- flavonoids
- polyphenols that may help skin
- antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral
- anti-inflammatory
- antiaging
- may protect against cancer (studies in many areas on this)
- may help lower cholesterol
- promising as a weight-loss aid
- may help burn fat
- may help regulate blood sugar and insulin
- reduces clotting tendency
- may protect the heart
- may protect against cavities
I say “may” do this or “may” do that because it just seems safer. I’m no doctor and can make no guarantees about anyone’s health or longevity. I just know how much better I feel since cutting the coffee and switching to green tea. I also dropped a good number of pounds without trying very hard, and the only permanent change I have made is adding green tea.
A note about milk in tea: it may bind with the flavonoids in the tea, reducing the amount of flavonoids available to benefit your body.
Why am I sharing this today? Just because. Because I love my green tea.
One note of caution: There are reports that green tea plants take fluoride from the soil and from water and store it in their leaves, which in turns ends up in your tea cup. This is significant because some studies show that consuming fluoride may have a negative impact on the thyroid gland. Just FYI.
Lynn
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About Lynn
I am the mother of four delightful children: a 23-year-old son, a 20-year-old son, a 17-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly 13-year-old daughter. I share an apartment home with my 17-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. My little home on the internet is called Rose Cottage because of my love for gardening, roses, and all things romantic and Victorian. Welcome.
I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I do medical transcription from home. My hobbies include making sweet little dolls from clay who are named and have their own stories to tell. I also make old-fashioned brooches. These are for sale in my Etsy shop.
For 13 years continuously, I homeschooled some or all of our four children, but the time came that our homeschool had to be closed. It was the end of a beautiful chapter in my life. I will always be a strong supporter of homeschooling and I will continue to review books and maintain my homeschool website, The Healthy Homeschool. The Players
Lil Ol' Me
Son Daniel, 23
Son, Big Joe, 20
Son, John, 17
Daughter, Michaela, 13
Annie Fatso Beagle
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
What You Do Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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I love green tea, but I have to admit my favorite tea is hot tea with cream in it. So I rarely have it (don’t need the added fat to my diet).
I did drink my coffee every morning with cream and sugar, so I know that was adding fat to my diet each day. I have to account for that, I’m sure, when I look at the weight loss, but I think I have some of the “fat burning” going on as well since I’m drinking it throughout the day.
Lynn
I didn’t realize green tea had “that” many benefits!!! This is worth looking into!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Michele/ivy
Do you put any sweetner in it?
Michele, green tea does have a lot of benefits. I really like it.
Amber, I do not sweeten it. I’ll admit it did take me about a week to adjust to the taste after being so used to sweetened coffee with cream, but now I prefer it. At least part of that preference is probably knowing how much better it is for me.
Lynn
Thanks for all the great info on green tea! I’ve always been a coffee drinker, but even more so lately. I’ve nearly gotten into a dependency cycle with it that is interrupting sleep and making me feel…well…dependent
I have tried green tea before without any luck, but must admit I had no idea what I was doing. How strong do you make it? I love strong coffee…and found the tea to taste so weak. But, of course, my mind wasn’t set and it was just an experiment on my part, but I’m thinking about making a change to tea. I’m sure I would have to feel better….after I recover from a week long withdrawal headache, lol!
Sandra, I still love the smell of coffee and I drank it my entire adult life.
Since green tea has caffeine, the headache might not be so bad. I did not notice one, but I was so determined to give up coffee.
I keep a pot of water on the stove all the time. I don’t keep the stove on all the time, but frequently throughout the day I get the tea kettle whistling, fix a cup of tea, cut the burner off and sip after the teabag has steeped for a while and after the tea has cooled. They say to let the teabag steep for at least three minutes. I know mine steeps longer than that.
Lynn
I love green tea! I drink a lot more of it in the winter since it’s so cold!
One of my favorite smells is after I’ve started the coffee and bacon, then coming back in from letting the dog outside and having that aroma hit me! MMmmmmm……
Amity, I love that aroma too!
Lynn