Nutrition: 11 Great Reasons to Drink Green Tea

Nutrition - 11 Benefits of Green Tea

Chinese Proverb:

"It is better to drink green tea, than to take medicine"

According to French research, green tea is rich in catechin polyphenols (catechin is the bitter taste of the tea),an antioxidant which raises resting metabolism by 4-8% more than coffee or water.  Thus increasing the effectiveness of your workout regime when used as a pre-workout drink.

Another 10 benefits of green tea include:

1. Reduces risk of cancer, 25 times more antioxidant effect than Vitamin E;
2. Flavonoids in green tea lower blood cholesterol, reduces LDL (bad cholesterol counts);
3. Reduces high blood pressure, by reducing angiotensin;
4. Lowers blood sugar, with the polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea lowering blood sugar;
5. Anti-ageing, it fights against free radicals which can cause cell and skin damage;
6. Promotes fat burning, so green tea can help with your weight loss goals;
7. Reduces inflammation - reducing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis;
8. Naturally high fluoride content in green tea helps to preserve bone density;
9. Theophylline in green tea relaxes the respiratory tract reducing the impact of asthma;
10. L-theanine an amino acid found in green tea, can also help to relieve stress and anxiety.

Sources: 

Effect of a thermogenic beverage on 24-hour energy metabolism in humans. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Feb

Nutrition for Health: Pomegranate

Pomegranate: Food for Thought

Health Benefits of Pomegranate:

Pomegranates are beneficial for health.  A fruit that has been categorised as a super-food known for its nutrient density and as such has been studied for many years to investigate its health benefits.  

Some of the benefits are: 

• A fat-buster
  • pomegranate seed oil reduces the body's ability to store fat;
  • they prevent fat deposits (triglycerides) from clogging the arteries;
  • pomegranates increase the level of HDL (good) cholesterol in the blood;
• Reduces recovery time
  • pomegranate's contain uric acid which is known to speed up recovery rates;
  • it's a natural anti-inflammatory so eases painful joints;
  • it helps to relieve muscle soreness
• Packed with antioxidants
  • Pomegranates are packed with high levels of antioxidants (polyphenols) such as anthocyanins, flavonoids and tannins;
  • Antioxidants can protect against free-radical induced diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. Parkinson's) and premature ageing.

Note:  As a rule I tend to eat the fruit and avoid drinking pomegranate juice as some of the nutrients (and fibre) are lost in the juicing process.  It's worth struggling with those pips to obtain the most nutritional value and to avoid a higher concentration of sugar intake.

Go Organic?

Yes.  Fruits and berries have been shown to have up to 50% more antioxidants than non-organic versions.  So worth getting hold of organic or sustainably farmed versions.