Greetings Tea lovers! Dr. Michelle here your chief reator and curator of It’s time to spill the tea, or drink the tea on ways that you can create a stress-FREE reality one cup at a time. Today we’re going to daydream about the vibrant color green.
Green is the color of growth and new beginnings. The color green makes me think of spring and all of the wonderful possibilities and opportunities awaiting me. Ever noticed if you bring a small live plant into your office cubicle how it lifts the space? That same energy and intention can happen with us using green tea.
Green tea is gaining more popularity these days with new tea drinkers. Maybe you’ve heard something in the news or read something about it in these internet streets. Allow me to share with you 7 reasons why I LOVE green tea and has me daydreaming and thinking of green.
1. Anti-cancer properties
I’ve been blessed to have 4 parents in this lifetime. My mother and father for whom I am half of their DNA, and my spiritual mother and father. All of them love me and make me feel safe like parents do. I have cared for ALL of them when they were diagnosed with cancer. Now there is only one living, my Daddy and he has laryngeal (throat) cancer. Watching cancer ravage their bodies with the endless doctor visits and toxic treatments, I decided to do something different. As part of a healthy plant-based diet, I also consume green tea on a regular basis.
Green tea is high in an anti-oxidant called catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). That’s a mouthful, but EGCG is a very powerful antioxidant that hinders the growth of carcinogenic cells and even, according to some research, kills cancerous cells without damaging healthy tissue. Particularly in breast, prostate and colon cancer.
2. Stress Release
As you can imagine or have experienced, being a caregiver is exhausting and sometimes a thankless ministry. It has been extremely stressful caring for my Daddy. I need an entire arsenal of things to keep me from spiraling into the abyss of a bad and depressed mood. A component in green tea called L-theanine helps suppress the spike of the stress response. Research demonstrates a benefit for patients diagnosed with anxiety. It increases levels of dopamine which is a neurochemical in the brain that allows us to experience and feel pleasure, something that is absence when dealing with chronic stress.
Green tea as well as other FREEaliTEA blends have been a way of escape during my me time tea time moments.
3. Enhance Immune System
The catechin EGCG in green tea gives it anti-viral activity. Research has shown that catechins can kill influenza viruses – the virus that causes the flu. Research has also shown that green tea extract in combination with antibiotics decreases antibiotic resistance to certain bacteria.
4. Great Alternative to Coffee
Green tea contains caffeine, though not as much as coffee. For those who want to cut down on the amount of coffee, you’re drinking and looking for a healthy alternative, green tea is it. It stimulates you without the jittery effect of coffee. Nor do you get the crash and burn feeling once the caffeine wears off. It’s as if green tea activates creativity and a state of “wakeful relaxation”. To be awake, alert, AND relaxed at the same time, that is a WIN WIN WIN!
5. Increase Focus & Concentration
The combination of the two elements caffeine and l-theanine boost brain function. If I need to get a lot done in a day, and I’m not talking about running around running errands. I’m talking about the work that needs to be done that requires real brain power, my go-to is green tea. Green tea improves cognitive functioning, energy and focus. Research demonstrates higher learning via the ability to ignore distracting information during complex tasks. Now think about how you could be more productive without things like notifications and random thoughts distracting you?
6. Weight Loss
People ask me all the time, “Dr. Michelle what tea can I use to lose weight or get rid of this stomach?” First things first, there is NOT a tea that can do all of that. I have seen “dieter’s tea” on the market and I need you to know, that it isn’t a magic bullet. Next is movement for both your mood and to release the weight and waste. Green tea can help with that process because it has what is known as thermogenic properties that help burn fat WHEN you exercise. It doesn’t work so well while eating ice cream and bingeing on Netflix.
7. Improve Heart Health
Studies revealed that green tea has a lowering effect on blood pressure, both systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number). It has also been demonstrated that consumption of green tea is linked to significant reduction of cholesterol, specifically LDL or what is known as the “bad” cholesterol. These positive effects can lower a person’s risk of coronary artery disease by 28%. Of course, diet and other lifestyle factors influence this so as always take a holistic approach to having and living a whole life.
And speaking of heart health, did you know that the color green is associated with the heart chakra or heart center? My Spiritual mother, Miss Yemi, always told me that love and healing go together. So daydream and think of green. Consume green food, green tea, surround yourself with green colors, plants, nature, jewelry like jade, a green agate, or emrald and fill your thoughts with love for yourself and others.
Now go and have a positive day, daydream, and be well!
