Green Tea Juice & Smoothie Recipes & Benefits

The Benefits of Green Tea Are Absolutely Amazing! Add Some to All Your Juice & Smoothie Recipes!

A Little History

Green tea has a lengthy history throughout Asia beginning in China, dating back further than four thousand years ago. It was legendary for its medicinal properties, used to promote digestion, heal wounds, control bleeding and blood sugar, quench thirst, uplift the spirit and regulate body temperature. The Zen Buddhist priest Esai wrote in the twelfth century of its healing powers, including its ability to improve the ‘five vital organs.’ He went on to describe the properties of green tea for medicinal purposes, including assisting digestion, curing disease, maintaining the health of the brain, boosting energy and improving urinary tract function.

Nutritional Highlights

Green tea is one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet and a natural source of fluoride and caffeine.

Green tea is exceedingly rich in antioxidants as well as vitamins, folic acid, protein and amino acids.

Antioxidants fight skin cancer, premature aging, and skin wrinkling by protecting the body from harmful UV rays. They fight free radicals, act as an anti-inflammatory, defend against colon cancer, detoxify the liver, reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol and enhance heart health.

Green tea increases metabolism thereby enhancing the body’s fat-burning process and greatly assisting with weight loss.

Vitamins in green tea include A, B, C, D and K. Vitamin A lowers appetite, promotes healthy vision, fights bacterial growth, inhibits viruses, decreases the risk of many cancers and protects against stroke. Vitamin B (5, 7 and 9) decreases cholesterol, muscle pain and depression, defends against blood clotting, lowers the risk of birth defects during pregnancy and protects against certain types of anemia. Vitamin C boosts the immune system, promotes the healing of wounds and lowers ‘bad’ cholesterol. Vitamin K is essential for the health of the liver, brain, lungs and heart. Vitamin D is essential for the body’s ability to absorb phosphorus and calcium. Recent research links vitamin D with the prevention of cancer and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

The 8 essential amino acids are necessary for the body’s manufacture of protein for energy and muscle health. Protein is essential for healthy muscle, cartilage, hair, skin and nails.

Dried powdered green tea is known as matcha and can be brewed or added to your fresh juice. It can be purchased at health food stores. These are my favorite recipes adding matcha: