Tea: The Best Green Tea Blends

Summary: Green tea is fast becoming one of the hottest ways to look after your health. More and more research is surfacing that suggests that drinking green tea may be one of the simplest things you can do to live a longer and healthier life. Green tea is special because of the way that it's processed. Though it comes from the same plant as black tea, it is produced in an entirely different way. During processing, black tea is allowed to oxidize, or ferment.

Green tea is fast becoming one of the hottest ways to look after your health. More and more research is surfacing that suggests that drinking green tea may be one of the simplest things you can do to live a longer and healthier life. Green tea is special because of the way that it's processed. Though it comes from the same plant as black tea, it is produced in an entirely different way. During processing, black tea is allowed to oxidize, or ferment. Green tea however, is simply dried and then steamed or fired to prevent the oxidation process from occurring. It sounds like a simple difference, but it causes some very powerful differences between the two types of tea. The fermentation process that happens to black tea converts the natural anti-oxidants in tea to other compounds. So, while black tea is a healthy beverage, it is not as healthy as green tea, whose anti-oxidants are left in their natural state. In fact, green tea contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), one of the most powerful anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants play an important role in protecting our health. The anti-oxidants created by our bodies and those derived from our diet help to neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are oxygen containing molecules that are created as a by product of converting the food we eat into energy. Left unchecked, these free radicals damage our cells and DNA, leading to aging and disease. A diet rich in anti-oxidants keeps these free radicals under control. To ensure that you get your daily dose of anti-oxidants it's important to eat a diet that's full of plant products, like fruits, vegetables and green tea. Research has shown that drinking green tea is especially helpful at reducing your risk of disease. Some of the most positive research includes the following findings: