Green tea, the beverage that the world can’t seem to stop gushing about is becoming popular by the day. The drink, believed by most to be an elixir that promises a healthy lifestyle, has become a favorite go-to drink for those conscious about their health and fitness. But before you start sipping this wonder beverage, let us tell you what some unspoken rules of consuming green tea are.
According to experts, even though green tea is loaded with antioxidants and polyphones, it is still a type of tea that contains caffeine. If consumed in excess it might have an adverse effect on your health. Hence they recommend not more than 2 to 3 cups a day for maximum benefits.
Mornings are the best time to have green tea, for its role in kick-starting the metabolism but you can also have it post-meal, as it is low in calories. It is good to drink green tea in the evening too because that’s when your metabolism tends to dip, so this could be your last drink to boost your dipping metabolism. Avoid drinking green tea late at night as the caffeine in the tea can stimulate the nervous system and can hinder your sleep.
Never have green tea on an empty stomach, say experts. Beginning the day with a dose of caffeine may just be what you require to kick-start your day, but green tea contains caffeine which can dilute the gastric juice and might affect your stomach. For best results, green tea should be consumed about half an hour before your meal or about 1-2 hours after meals.
To reap maximum benefits of the green beverage, it is recommended not to add milk and sugar to green tea as it leads to a negative reaction when the proteins in the milk and calories in the sugar get mixed with the flavonols in the tea. One can instead add honey to the tea for the required sweetness in the beverage.
And last but not the least; don’t reuse green tea bags more than twice as the caffeine content in used tea bags is high. So go ahead and grab your green cuppa, but of course the right way!
