As we all are aware Green Tea has been a long recommended beverage, another brighter and differently tasted shade is getting named in the market these days- Matcha. It is one of the latest health benefits and weight loss hacks that everybody in the neighborhood is secretly trying their hands on without revealing it to the other group. Let’s take a look at what this exactly is.
What is Matcha Tea?
Matcha is a type of green tea. Farmers grow matcha by covering the plants for 30-40 days before harvest to prevent them from exposure to direct sunlight. Through this the production of chlorophyll increases, amino acid content gets boosted, and plants get a darker green hue.
Once the plants are harvested, the stems and veins are removed and the leaves are grind into a fine powder called matcha.
Matcha is the one that contains all the nutrients from the entire tea leaf and has a greater amount of caffeine and antioxidants than is commonly found in green tea.
Studies have unearthed a variety of benefits of drinking matcha, showing that it can help protect your liver, promote heart health, and even help in weight loss.
How Matcha Tea Aids Weight Loss
- Low-Calorie Intake
Matcha tea is very low in calories – 1 g contains about 3 calories. So, if you have more than 2 g of tea, there is no chance that you consume too many calories. And as we know, the fewer calories we intake, the lesser the chances of those calories not getting used up and being stored as fat.
- Rich In Antioxidants
Matcha tea is from the same plant as green tea, known as Camellia sinensis. And it contains the most abundant and proactive antioxidant, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG). Scientists found that the EGCG content in matcha is 137 times more than in Chinese green tea. And that’s because when you drink matcha tea, you consume the whole leaves, unlike most teas where we discard the leaves after steeping them in hot water for a few minutes. The antioxidants help wash out toxins, boost immunity, and reduce inflammation, which helps prevent weight gain and accelerates weight loss.
- Boosts Metabolism
If you are up to losing weight, you should pay serious attention to your metabolic rate. You will not be able to shed the fat if your metabolic rate is slow, no matter how much you eat- more or less the same. Matcha green tea has been found to boost or speed up your crawling metabolism. The catechins that are present in the tea help improve the metabolic rate during and even after exercise.
- May Burn Fat
Fat burning is a biochemical process of breaking down large fat molecules into smaller triglycerides, and these triglycerides must be excreted or used up. Matcha tea is rich in catechins that increase the body’s thermogenesis from 8-10% to 35-43%. Moreover, drinking this tea can improve your exercise endurance and help you burn or mobilize fat at a faster speed.
- Balances Blood Glucose
A constant increase in blood glucose or blood sugar levels can put you at the risk of being insulin resistant and diabetic. Matcha tea helps lower and regulate blood sugar levels as it contains a good amount of dietary fiber, which keeps your stomach full for a long duration and prevents you from overeating. And when you don’t overindulge in food, your glucose levels will not spike. This, in turn, will also prevent being prone to type 2 diabetes.
- Lowers Stress
Stress activates the secretion of cortisol, which is the stress hormone. When the cortisol levels are continuously high, your body goes into a state of inflammation. You start feeling exhausted, weary, and agitated, all at once. And the side effect of being stressed out is weight gain, especially in the belly region. Matcha tea is loaded with antioxidants that help scavenge the toxic oxygen radicals, lower inflammation, and prevent weight gain.
- Provides Energy
Matcha tea also helps raise energy levels, increases alertness, and makes you more proactive. The more active you feel, the more energetic you will be. It prevents you from being lazy, increases your stamina and endurance levels, and helps you in weight loss.
- Reduces Cholesterol
As we read above matcha tea is the richest source of EGCG, an antioxidant that is found in most teas. Scientists found that EGCG also helped reduce bad cholesterol levels in laboratory rats when they were given high cholesterol food for 30 days. This may happen because EGCG inhibits bad cholesterol absorption.
- Helps In Detoxification
Bad eating and wrong lifestyle habits can lead to toxic build-up in your body. And the toxic build-up is one of the reasons for a body’s weight gain. So, it is necessary to detoxify your body every day. And what can be better than drinking matcha tea, which is packed with antioxidants that help wash out the harmful free oxygen radicals? Detoxification with matcha tea will help lose weight, prevent constipation, improve digestion, build immunity, and boost overall health.
How To Prepare Matcha Tea
- Take half a teaspoon or two bamboo scoops of matcha green tea powder and add it to the tea bowl.
- Carefully pour the hot water.
- Use the bamboo whisk to whisk the matcha, using a “W” motion. Do this until a layer of froth has formed.
- Slow down the whisking and slowly lift the whisk from the center. And, it’s ready!
Now since the process of preparing matcha tea is simple, it is advisable to try it to enjoy all the health benefits that are discussed above. Now, the question arises, how many cups of matcha should one drink? It is very safe to drink about 3 cups of matcha green tea every day for weight loss. Since 1 cup of matcha contains about 70 g of caffeine (1 cup of coffee contains 100 g of caffeine), it is recommended not to overdrink it as one may experience an unpleasant increase in energy levels and withdrawal symptoms.
The Bottom Line
Matcha comes from the same plant as green tea, but it’s made from the entire leaf, so it packs in a more concentrated amount of antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds.
Studies have revealed a variety of health benefits associated with matcha, ranging from accelerating weight loss to reducing the risk of heart disease.
Best of all, the tea is simple to prepare, so you can include it effortlessly into your diet and give your day a burst of extra flavour.
