Green is the New Black!
By: Sarah Remmer, RD, CDE
I’m sure you’ve heard that good news about Green Tea—perhaps you have even switched form your regular cup of coffee or black tea to a daily dose of green tea? Green tea is packed with disease-fighting, inflammation-reducing antioxidants and is also linked to protecting the heart. Read on to find out more…
Decrease your risk of cancer:
Several polyphenols - the potent antioxidants green tea’s famous for - seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining momentum in the body, by discouraging their growth and then stopping the creation of new blood vessels that tumors thrive on. Some studies have shown that people who regularly drink green tea reduce their risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and/or prostate cancer!
Nutrients for your skin:
You may be noticing that green tea is now an ingredient in certain sunscreens and moisturizers—the reason is that there is some research in the lab shows that green tea may help prevent sun-triggered skin cancer, whether you drink it or apply it to the skin directly. Do you have a cut, burn, scrape or bite somewhere on your skin? Soak a cotton pad in some leftover green tea. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed breakouts and blemishes, sunburns, even puffy eyelids.
Keeping your blood pressure in check
Having healthy blood pressure - meaning below 120/80 - is one thing. Keeping it that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup of green tea a day are almost 50 percent less likely to wind up with hypertension than non-green tea drinkers. Credit goes to the polyphenols again. They help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.
Protect your memory
Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Aging adults who drink at least two cups a day may be less likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea’s big dose of antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Stay young Help your body stay young. Plaque build-up in your blood vessels increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your biological age, and drains your energy too. How much green tea protects against this plaque build-up? Some studies show that about 10 ounces as day will do the trick, and may also deter your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.
A word of warning for pregnant and breastfeeding Women
Health Canada suggests that pregnant and breastfeeding women limit their caffeine consumption to no more than 300 mg per day. Green tea has approximately 30 mg of caffeine per 8 oz cup. As long as your green tea consumption fits nicely into this limit, there are no known risks. My suggestion is to have no more than 3 cups per day. This is because there is limited research on the other effects of green tea on pregnancy. It is important to measure exactly how much you are having so that you can keep track throughout the day. You latte cup is much bigger than an 8oz cup. Measure once so that you know what 8 oz looks like in your favourite mug or cup.
Calculating Your Daily Caffeine Intake:
| Product | Serving Size | Milligrams of Caffeine (approximate values) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| oz | ml | ||
| (unless otherwise stated) |
|||
| Coffee | |||
| Brewed | 8 | 237(1cup) | 135 |
| Roasted and ground, percolated | 8 | 237 | 118 |
| Roasted and ground, filter drip | 8 | 237 | 179 |
| Roasted and ground, decaffeinated |
8 | 237 | 3 |
| Instant | 8 | 237 | 79-106 |
| Instant decaffeinated | 8 | 237 | 5 |
| Tea | |||
| Average blend | 8 | 237 | 43 |
| Green | 8 | 237 | 30 |
| Instant | 8 | 237 | 15 |
| Leaf or Bag | 8 | 237 | 50 |
| Decaffeinated tea | 8 | 237 | 0 |
| Cola Beverages | |||
| Cola beverage, regular | 12 | 355 (1 can) | 36-46 |
| Cola beverage, diet | 12 | 355 | 39-50 |
| Cocoa Products | |||
| Chocolate milk | 8 | 237 | 8 |
| 1 envelope hot-cocoa mix | 8 | 237 | 5 |
| Candy, milk chocolate | 1 | 28g | 7 |
| Candy, sweet chocolate | 1 | 28g | 19 |
| Baking chocolate, unsweetened | 1 | 28g | 25-58 |
| Chocolate cake | 2.8 | 80g | 6 |
| Chocolate brownies | 1.5 | 42g | 10 |
| Chocolate mousse | 3.2 | 90g | 15 |
| Chocolate pudding | 5.1 | 145g | 9 |
Values in table referenced from the following sources: Harland, B.F. 2000. Caffeine and nutrition. Nutrition 16(7-8):522-526. Shils, et al., 1999. Modern nutrition in health and disease. 9th Edition. Williams and Wilkins. Waverly Company, Baltimore
I am so glad that I found Sarah Remmer! As someone who has always been into health and fitness it was a relief to find someone so informative. Sarah helped me sort out the mess in my mind from the multiple sources I’ve read and talked to over the past few years. She took the time to break down the science of nutrition and explain how foods work with your body rather than just telling you to go on a calorie and carb restricted diet like so many places do. I am so excited to have the freedom to choose from so many great foods and my body feels great. Sarah takes the time to really get to know you making fabulous suggestions and tips so that this nutrition can become a part of your lifestyle. Food is exciting again, the recipes are yummy and I know that if I ever get stuck she’ll be the first person I call. Thanks, Sarah!
Jen H.
High School Teacher