As many of you know, I have been somewhat under the weather the past few weeks, and I have to say I have really struggled to face each day.

It all started with a headache, then it seems it was caused by a muscle issue in my shoulder/neck…and then my issues with bad nausea reappeared…oh joy!

Only benefit is that I am losing the weight I gained due to taking a migraine preventative for a few years…but to be honest, I just want to feel well again!

And because I have been feeling so horrible, I have lost my taste for all the wonderful teas I normally drink…not happy, Jan!

However, I have discovered that I am able to drink green tea…my stomach is ok with that, and I am getting some fluids into me!

I knew that green tea is good for you, but thought I would take my mind off things, grab a big cup of green tea, and find out what the top five benefits are of indulging in a cup or two of this wonderful tea!

Green Tea

Tea in its Purest Form

All teas from the Camellia plant but green tea is tea at its purest!

The leaves are steamed immediately after picking before being rolled and dried, which means all the benefits are not oxidised and lost!

And it tastes good!

Packed with Antioxidants

Green tea contains polyphenols like flavonoids and catechins, which function as powerful antioxidants.

Preventing  Cancer

After my hopefully brief brush with cancer, I am all for preventing any of those rotten little cells reappearing anywhere in my body, so even though the research is mixed about green tea being a preventative, I prefer to lean to the positive side!

Green tea aids healthy cell growth at all stages, so that’s got to be good…doesn’t it?

Good for Weight Loss

Green tea has been reported to boost metabolic rates and increase fat burning..although once again the research studies do not all agree!

Makes you more alert

This is probably due to the amount of caffeine in green tea…although it is a relatively small amount, especially when compared to coffee…however, it has been reported that green tea helps block the formation of plaques in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

However, if the caffeine is a problem, you can get caffeine free green tea…I usually have a caffeine free version before bed!

And there are more reported benefits…including oral health, and being able to kill off viruses such as influenza…

But one thing that does become clear when doing my reading for this post…there doesn’t seem too much that is absolutely conclusive as to what exactly what green tea can do!

But there is enough positive information for me to definitely include green tea in my tea drinking regime!

I will take as much help as I can get to feel better!

So I will leave you with a couple of tips for drinking green tea….

Don’t brew using boiling water…this will kill off all the good things in the tea!

Buy the best green tea you can to ensure that you get one that has all the goodness!

And with everything, drink green tea in moderation…best stick to around 3 or 4 cups a day!

Do you drink green tea?  Do you have a favourite?