Matcha has been a hot topic recently; this fashionable green tea is gaining popularity and luring even ardent coffee drinkers. If you're interested in matcha, read on to learn more about it and its health and wellness advantages.
Literally translated as "powdered tea," matcha Traditional green tea is made by infusing parts of the tea leaves into hot water, after which the leaves are removed. When drinking matcha, you are consuming the actual leaves that have been finely ground into a solution. This is done traditionally by combining a teaspoon of matcha powder with a third cup of hot water that has been heated to just below boiling, and then whisking the mixture with a bamboo brush until it froths.
In contrast to regular green tea, matcha processing entails shading the tea plants prior to harvest. As a result, leaves with improved flavor and texture begin to sprout.
Matcha is a more powerful source of nutrients than steeped green tea since it is created from premium tea and consumed raw. Matcha contains trace levels of vitamins and minerals in addition to being high in polyphenols, which have been linked to better blood sugar control, lower blood pressure, and anti-aging effects as well as protection against cancer and heart disease. Research has demonstrated that the matcha polyphenol EGCG can enhance metabolism and inhibit or stop the development of cancer cells.
Japanese tea rituals center on the production of matcha, which has long been linked to Zen. This is probably one of the reasons it's growing in popularity as meditation becomes more and more commonplace. I devoted an entire chapter to mindfulness meditation in my book Slim Down Now since the data on its advantages for health and weight reduction has astounded me, and I also created a five-minute guided meditation video for my website. (To see, click the word attentive in the upper right corner.)
Matcha includes antioxidants, but if making and drinking it helps you to slow down and be present, I think its benefits go well beyond that. Meditation, in any form, has many advantages. It has been demonstrated to lessen inflammation, which is a recognized cause of early aging and illness, reduce cortisol, which is a stress hormone known to drive hunger and build belly fat, prevent impulsive eating, lower blood pressure, and promote self-esteem and compassion.