What if there was a beverage that increased your metabolism, put up a fight against cancer cells, and reduced that thing called ‘stress’, all while looking making you look hipster while drinking it? There actually is. That drink is matcha green tea.
The word ‘matcha’ has a karate sound ring to it. “MATCHA!” But the word matcha means a fine powder tea. It’s originally from Japan, but it made quite the buzz around the U.S. recently as it was featured on The Today Show.
Why You Should Want To Drink Matcha:
Matcha has similar positive health effects to the ones that that you can get from green tea. But matcha is so much more powerful. In about one cup of matcha, there’s about 10 cups of green tea. Say what?! There are also other great factors that make this tea so good.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are your body’s bodyguard. They basically behave as the first blockade when harmful things start happening in your body. Matcha has catechin polyphenois in it. In other words, matcha is packed with high antioxidant activity. The more antioxidants you have, the better defense you have against disease. The better defense you have, the harder it is for the opposing teams like aging, tissue damage, and chronic diseases get on the scoreboard.
Those catechin polyphenois have also acted as antioxidants to fight cancer.
Metabolism
We all pretty much know what metabolism is. It’s what gives us energy from the food we eat. Matcha is packed with polyphenol EGCC, the substance that boosts metabolism. It’ll make you more awake and more focused without having to add the sugars you get from cokes. So if you’re drinking it cold, you’re going to make your body happy that is has a workout while it’s getting its energy. This, in turn, will make you burn more calories. When you burn more calories, you’re saying bye-bye to that unwanted fat.
Reduces Stress
There’s an amino acid called L-theanine. L-theanine is what helps you deal with stress. It’s what calms you down after an all-nighter at the lib. Matcha has incredibly high levels of L-theanine. It sounds confusing--how you could take something that energizes you but then also brings your stress down and helps calm you? But the L-theanine and the caffeine are the dynamic duo in making you alert while keeping you focused and calm.
How To Be Hipster Drinking Matcha
Now that you see all the benefits of this, it's time to try it.
If you’re into cold drinks, then this route is for you. Just head on over to your Starbucks and ask for “a venti-iced water with 3 scoops of matcha powder.” Now that this tea is a growing trend, Starbucks counts it is a specialty tea. If you’re not up for drinking that much, you could get a grande with two scoops of matcha powder or a tall with a scoop of matcha powder. I’m preparing you right now--it’ll be a little bitter. But if you have a sweet tooth, I’d throw in a pack or two of Sweet 'N Low or the sugar of your choice.
You can also drink it hot. Just scratch the iced part of the order and see if they’ll heat the water for you. Some matcha drinkers suggest you drink it this way so you can breathe in all the fumes to get the most out of it.
Any way you have this drink, you’ll get to experience all the great effects this drink has to offer. Not to mention the confused looks you might get as you sip on your green drink. But don’t fret, you’re just doing you and killing cancer cells, boosting you metabolism, and reducing your stress in the process. No biggie.
