Disclaimer: In my day job I sell Japanese teapots and tea cups through www.jstyle.com.au.
So, you've guessed right that I like tea. I drink a lot of tea. Especially Japanese green tea. Here is my gigantic Japanese tea mug (about 500ml). I am already half way down my second one of these for today.
I get asked a lot about the health benefits of green tea. Because I sell teapots and I drink tea, so I am obviously an expert.
Yup - it's good for you. Apparently. According to some scientists who studied it. And a whole bunch of people obsessed with matcha (or macha?) at the moment.
I once read an article that said if you drink 5 cups of green tea a day you will lose 5kg within a week.
Well that's nice. I already drink 4 or 5 cups of green tea a day. Do I have to up it to 10 to lose the 5kg? Or did I already lose that 5kg ages ago? I have a sneaking suspicion that you only lose 5kg if you now drink green tea instead of 5 glasses of soft drink. That would totally work. Sadly when I started drinking green tea more than other beverages, I was basically swapping it for my usual glass of water or mug of straight black tea (no milk or sugar), so I don't think that 5kg went anywhere.
Matcha. It's the latest super food. In case you haven't heard, it is sencha green tea leaves ground up into a pretty bright green powder. It tastes great in ice cream. If your coffee shop is hip enough you can have a matcha latte. It also makes gorgeous green desserts that you can photograph and put on Instagram. I'm not sure it's still quite so healthy when it is mixed with a heap of sugar and cream and other deliciousness and made into a towering parfait, but I like it. I just really like the taste of green tea flavoured things. Green tea and dark chocolate are pretty much tied for my favourite ice cream flavour. So if you give me dark chocolate and green tea in one dessert I am SOLD! Plus they are both reportedly (according to those scientists) full of antioxidants and good for you. Especially if you drink red wine at the same time. Antioxidant overload! Those oxidants won't know what hit them.
And that is pretty much what I know and am qualified to tell you about the health benefits of green tea. For me, it tastes nice, looks pretty in desserts and makes me feel happy when I watch it swirling around in my teapot and the scent of fresh green tea rises up on the steam. At minimum I get a positive mental health benefit from making myself a pot of tea and watching it brew.
On the other hand kale, while also green, and also reported to be good for you, tastes like weeds out of my garden. Even my guinea pigs are not keen, and they love weeds. But not the bitter kind that taste like kale. They have standards. No amount of olive oil and rock salt will turn kale into an edible "chip".
Are there any super health foods you would eat even if they weren't healthy? Are you suspicious that the next super food might also taste like kale? (I haven't even tried chia seeds for that very reason. Let me know if they are actually OK).
So, you've guessed right that I like tea. I drink a lot of tea. Especially Japanese green tea. Here is my gigantic Japanese tea mug (about 500ml). I am already half way down my second one of these for today.
I get asked a lot about the health benefits of green tea. Because I sell teapots and I drink tea, so I am obviously an expert.
Yup - it's good for you. Apparently. According to some scientists who studied it. And a whole bunch of people obsessed with matcha (or macha?) at the moment.
I once read an article that said if you drink 5 cups of green tea a day you will lose 5kg within a week.
Well that's nice. I already drink 4 or 5 cups of green tea a day. Do I have to up it to 10 to lose the 5kg? Or did I already lose that 5kg ages ago? I have a sneaking suspicion that you only lose 5kg if you now drink green tea instead of 5 glasses of soft drink. That would totally work. Sadly when I started drinking green tea more than other beverages, I was basically swapping it for my usual glass of water or mug of straight black tea (no milk or sugar), so I don't think that 5kg went anywhere.
Matcha. It's the latest super food. In case you haven't heard, it is sencha green tea leaves ground up into a pretty bright green powder. It tastes great in ice cream. If your coffee shop is hip enough you can have a matcha latte. It also makes gorgeous green desserts that you can photograph and put on Instagram. I'm not sure it's still quite so healthy when it is mixed with a heap of sugar and cream and other deliciousness and made into a towering parfait, but I like it. I just really like the taste of green tea flavoured things. Green tea and dark chocolate are pretty much tied for my favourite ice cream flavour. So if you give me dark chocolate and green tea in one dessert I am SOLD! Plus they are both reportedly (according to those scientists) full of antioxidants and good for you. Especially if you drink red wine at the same time. Antioxidant overload! Those oxidants won't know what hit them.
And that is pretty much what I know and am qualified to tell you about the health benefits of green tea. For me, it tastes nice, looks pretty in desserts and makes me feel happy when I watch it swirling around in my teapot and the scent of fresh green tea rises up on the steam. At minimum I get a positive mental health benefit from making myself a pot of tea and watching it brew.
On the other hand kale, while also green, and also reported to be good for you, tastes like weeds out of my garden. Even my guinea pigs are not keen, and they love weeds. But not the bitter kind that taste like kale. They have standards. No amount of olive oil and rock salt will turn kale into an edible "chip".
Are there any super health foods you would eat even if they weren't healthy? Are you suspicious that the next super food might also taste like kale? (I haven't even tried chia seeds for that very reason. Let me know if they are actually OK).
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