Loading ...Mumbai: ‘Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one’, goes the famous Chinese saying. No wonder green tea has replaced the old cup of coffee and black tea all over the world.
Pooja Makhija, consultant dietician says, “Green tea is primarily used as an aid for weight loss by many. Drinking a cup of tea with each meal is a protocol for using tea successfully as a metabolic stimulant. Tea by itself carries only four calories per serving, the caffeine in tea increases body function to help burn more calories and the polyphenols aid in the digestion of fat.”
She adds, “It also prevents tooth decay as fluoride and other minerals are good cavity fighters and helps maintain hard teeth. The polyphenols of tea exhibit anti-plaque properties that can help fight bacteria in the mouth. Children can drink one cup of green tea a day to aid in reducing cavities. Rinsing the mouth with green tea after meals acts as a cleansing agent. Apart from these, recent studies indicate that the polyphenols in green tea can help boost one’s immune system, therefore helps to avoid HIV.”
Though, the green liquid has its own disadvantages. Mansi Shah, dietician, says, “When consumed in excess green tea causes irritability and restlessness, acidity, high blood pressure, dehydration and sleeplessness, hence one has to keep a check on the amount of green tea they are consuming. Like black tea green tea is also addictive”
The perfect brewing method recommended is to use one tea bag or 1 tsp of green tea per cup, bring water to a boil and turn off the heat, add tea bag or tea leaves and let it stand for around three minutes and pour into a fine cup and enjoy the light, refreshing and delicious drink.
We, Indians are black tea drinkers. Both black tea and green tea are brewed from the same plant but are differently processed. Mansi says, “The difference in the brewing process makes all the difference. Green tea is the least processed. The harvested tea leaves are steamed and made soft and pliable, preventing them from fermenting or changing colour. The steamed leaves are then rolled and dried with blasts of hot air resulting in greenish-yellow tea; this has a flavour of the fresh leaf.
While producing black tea, the steaming process is omitted; instead the leaves are first spread on withering racks and dried to remove about one-third of their moisture content. Next, they are rolled to break their cell walls, releasing the juices essential for fermentation. As a result of the final drying process the leaves attain a dark coppery colour and the scintillating flavour and aroma which all tea lovers find hard to resist, but green tea is better than black tea”
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