Health Benefits Of Matcha

Well, hello there & Happy New Year! Once again, it’s a new year and a new beginning. So this means, it’s NEVER too late to start making healthier choices. If you catch yourself falling off the bandwagon, no worries! Just pick your little self right back up and start again! Eating healthy is simply a lifestyle. It takes discipline and hard work, but hard work ALWAYS pays off! You only have one temple, so let’s honor God and our bodies by properly fueling it. Your body and your health will TOTALLY thank you!

Now, let’s talk Matcha. Matcha has become one of my new favorite things, so I want to share it with you. As we all know or may not know, green tea has some pretty powerful properties. But Matcha my friends, is pretty much a green tea overload! It’s much potent.  You may be wondering, “what is Matcha?” Great question. Matcha is a special type of powdered green tea that is grown and produced in Japan (mostly). The green tea leaves are shaded from the sun for the last few weeks of their growth, increasing the chlorophyll content creating a beautiful green color! Pretty amazing huh? Finally, the leaves are carefully ground to produce a fine powder.

Unlike other types of teas, the green tea powder is NOT strained out before consuming, so you are consuming  the entire leaf which causes it to be more powerful. It only takes about 1/2 tsp to brew a traditional cup of Matcha. Yaasssss!!! So, here’s a few ways I love to drink my Matcha, and some of it’s many benefits. Happy dinking!!

Benefits

1. Energy + Calm- Matcha contains increasing amounts of L-Theanine, an amino acid that helps balance the caffeine. It contains caffeine, but is known to create calmness without the drowsiness.
2. Antioxidants- Matcha contains a high concentration of antioxidants.
3. Weight Loss- Matcha has been shown to increase the rate of burning fat as energy, as well as decreasing the formation of fat cells.
4. Brain Power- The L-Theanine in green tea is known to help stimulate the alpha brain waves, which helps to increase focus and concentration.
5.  Skin- The antioxidants in green tea may also support skin health by reducing inflammation.

~Disclaimer- All green teas contains low trace amounts of lead/fluoride, but when brewed as traditional green tea, the leaves are removed & most of the lead/fluoride are removed with the leaves. So if you’re pregnant please exercise more caution or consult your doctor for the correct dosage amount of green tea/matcha. Amen? Amen.

Ways to Enjoy Matcha

Latte

Pour 1-2 tsps. in with 1/2 cup of your favorite steamed milk, add some honey for sweetener & enjoy.

Lemonade

Add 3 tsps. of Matcha powder & mix with some regular lemonade.  hint– it tastes just as grand as Starbucks!!

Creamy Banana Matcha Smoothie

Use 1 ripe frozen banana, 1 tsp of Matcha, 3/4 cups of almond milk, & 1 tbsp of honey. Blend baby blend!

XoXo,

Sondra