*This is a collaborative post.
Struggling to get through the day without falling asleep, or perhaps you’re not performing as well as you should at work? Perhaps you are finding it difficult to lose weight or lower your cholesterol or blood sugar, or keep calm or happy when things get tough at home. You know it’s time for a change, but what should that be? Time to put away the coffee and the chocolate and turn to matcha. It’s an exciting, bright green, hot beverage that has many benefits for those needing a boost.
Matcha Can Give You A Boost
We all have our habits, some good, some bad. As you get older, it is more and more difficult to change how you eat, what exercise you do and your routine on a day-to-day basis. But we all need to look at ourselves occasionally and think, am I eating the right food? Could I be healthier, not just for myself, but for the benefit of my children and wider family? There are many routes you can take when trying to improve your health. Starting a diet, cutting out different food groups, taking up a new sport or active hobby, or starting a course of food supplements, perhaps. Nowadays many people also swear by ‘superfoods’ like blueberries, avocadoes, pomegranates, and spinach. If you want to make one lasting change to your health, make it a change to your beverage.
What lots of people don’t realise is that green tea is also a ‘superfood’. Buy matcha green tea and you will be drinking much greater amounts of antioxidants than in the ‘superfoods’ we just mentioned. What’s more, one cup of this very special green tea is equivalent to 15 cups of regular green tea, so you are getting more benefits per cup, and all with a great taste too. Plus, matcha does not stain your teeth like coffee does! If you’ve got coffee-stained teeth, you may want to check out veneers before and after before making the switch. Drinking Matcha is a great way to keep them white and gleaming. Cheap matcha tea is available in health food shops and on the internet, so there’s no excuse not to start drinking this special drink. However, it is important to buy the right grade of tea and check that it has been grown in the right way. If not, you won’t be getting the benefits you expect.
A Difference To Your Health
So what exactly can this ‘superfood’ help with? As well as being packed with antioxidants, matcha tea can help boost metabolism, speeding it up so you burn calories faster and lose weight. The antioxidant found in the drink is known as Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. Research has shown that EGCG can make carbohydrates go into your muscles, as opposed to being stored as fat. This amazing antioxidant can also kill off old, stubborn fat cells. The tea also contains detoxifying properties than can help purify your system, as well as calm the mind and relax the body. In ancient times, monks used to drink this tea before meditating to help them concentrate over long periods – try it and see if it helps improve your alertness and productivity.
One of the reasons why it might just do this, even though it is naturally low in caffeine, is the proteins it contains. Matcha contains two proteins, L-theanine and theophylline. According to research, these can stimulate your brain waves over a three to six-hour period. Once your brain is stimulated, without the shakes that often come with coffee overload, anything is possible. Buy matcha tea and you’ll also notice you have more beautiful skin, thanks to the polyphenols found in it. These help to inhibit UV damage, as well as sun induced skin disorders.
Annie is a self-taught baker, recipe developer and food photographer. She has a slight obsession with tennis, motorsport, makeup, handbags and sunglasses! 
