Green Tea Health Benefits

I read an article on the benefits of green tea and am going to increase my tea intake.  I thought I’d share some of the information on its benefits and brewing tea.

Both green and black teas come from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but green tea is healthier because it’s less processed. Tea contains potent disease fighting antioxidants which neutralize health-harming free radicals to protect cells from DNA damage, including catechins. 

Not only is tea the best dietary source of catechins, but green tea contains about three times more than black tea, reports the American Institute for Cancer Research.  Studies in Asia, where green tea is popular, show that people who drink green tea regularly have lower rates of bladder, colon, ovary, stomach, breast, pancreatic, lung, prostate and esophageal cancer.    Used as a beverage and medicine for at least 3,000 years, green tea slows down growth of tumor cells in the lab and could also help protect against Alzheimer’s disease, British researchers report.

Brewing Tea


Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.  Take off the heat and pour into a tea pot or cup.  Add your green tea bag and let it steep for 3 to 4 minutes.  I like mine with a little bit of honey.

My Grandson Sam loves Lipton’s bottled Green Tea with citrus.  He’ll go through a whole package when he spends the weekend.  I found this recipe for making something very similar to it but it is for diet.  He likes the non-diet.  Instead of using Equal if you do not want diet, leave out the equal and slowly add sugar syrup (boil 1 cup of water and 1 cup sugar until sugar is dissolved and store in refrigerator)  tasting until you reach your  required sweetness. Try starting with 2 tsp of sugar syrup. I’m going to be trying it out on him the next time he is here to see if he likes it.

Diet Green Tea with Citrus

4 cups boiling water

2 Lipton green tea bags

2 ½ tsp. Equal or Splenda (or sugar syrup for non diet)

1 ¼ tsp. Lime juice

¼ tsp. orange extract

Steep your tea bags in the 4 cups of boiling water for 1 hour.  Combine the tea with remaining ingredients and whisk to dissolve the Equal or Splenda.  Makes 1 quart. 

Sparkling Cranberry Green Tea Cooler with Citrus

Don’t like tea, then try adding it to other drink like cranberry juice which contains antioxidants shown to have cancer fighting properties also. Cool off and get healthy with this refreshing green tea and cranberry drink that packs a double health punch.

3 cups water

2 green tea bag

2 mint tea bags

1/2 cup frozen concentrated 100% juice cranberry blend

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

Juice of 1 lime

1 cup chilled club soda

1 whole lime, sliced into wedges

Mint leaves

Bring 3 cups of water just to the boil. Brew green tea and mint tea for 2-3 minutes, then refrigerate. When tea is chilled, mix well with frozen concentrated juices and lime juice. Before serving, add club soda, pour into glasses and add ice as desired. Garnish with lime wedges and fresh mint.

Try making lemonade green tea by mixing 50% lemonade and 50% ice green tea. 

Stay healthy and be happy.  May God bless you and yours.