Green tea contains powerful antioxidants called catechins. Unlike black tea, the processing of green tea is minimal, which means more of the valuable nutrients are more highly concentrated.

A couple years ago, when I first started looking into healthy ways to lose weight, the green tea for weight loss fad was in full swing. Everywhere I looked, there was an article or television clip going on and on about how drinking more green tea will help you drop pounds almost as quickly as one of those crazy, California purge diets.

The truth is, there is little actual evidence that green tea will burn fat and boost your metabolism, helping you achieve and maintain a healthier body weight.

On the other hand, there are studies that suggest that the antioxidants found in green tea may help reduce certain cancer risks.

A study in Japan involving 500 women who suffered from breast cancer, increased the amount of green tea consumption in the women before and after surgical removal. The interesting thing was that a large number of women in the study had less instances of recurrence after the treatment. It may also reduce inflammation in people who suffer from ulcerative colitis and Chron’s disease, which would also reduce risks of colon cancer.

Research also suggests that drinking green tea regularly can help lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, and raise the healthy cholesterol known as HDL. Healthy cholesterol levels mean a healthier heart and less risk of stroke.

The studies are still ongoing, with new evidence emerging all the time that continue to support the benefits of regularly drinking green tea.

Personally, I can’t get enough green tea with honey. It’s an added bonus that it’s doing good things for my health.

Photo: aeromedi