Sugar can take away the original incomparable taste. This is why it has a delicate flavor admired by many around the world. But Green tea's natural flavor may be overpowered by adding sugar. Aside from this, green tea is naturally sweet, so adding sugar will not help you cherish the original sweet tones.
Sugar helps tea to absorb the catechins in a better way. Catechins are antioxidants that help protect your body from fatal health issues like cancer, strokes, and heart diseases. So, sugar does make green tea healthier.
As a general rule, you should add no more than two teaspoons of sugar to tea. Not only is adding even more sugar unhealthy, but your cup of tea will become too sweet for most palettes. A cup of tea with more than two sugars is liable to taste more like sugar than tea!
But while tea may help one feel better, adding sugar to it may not be the best practice. However, if you have been working towards cutting down on that dash of sweetness, you have come to the right place. Sugar contains no nutritional benefits and often leads to weight gain, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.
Purists will be shaking their heads because, yes, green tea is traditionally served without milk or sugar. While we often add milk to black tea to give a smoother, more balanced brew, many feel that earthy green tea doesn't lend itself to milk.
-Steep green tea in the water only for 2-3 minutes. Underdoing it may prevent the tea leaves from releasing their flavour while overdoing it may make your tea bitter. -Add 2 grams of tea leaves to 177 ml of water. This is the right ratio of tea leaves and water to make a healthy and tasty cup of tea.
Adding honey or maple syrup or coconut sugar or rock sugar or even stevia leaves can help balance out the flavor of green tea. Even if you have used the right water and tea and have steeped the leaves for the optimal time, and still feel the need for that something extra – try a small amount of one of these sweeteners.
While it is considered normal to add sugar with tea in places like the U.S and U.K, it is virtually unheard of in Japan. Even the tea intended for the broader market is unsweetened. You have more green tea less sugar even with bottled teas.
Added sugar in both beverages make them bad for your health, and it is better to avoid giving either of them a regular place in your diet. Still, if you are looking for a relatively better option, try sweet tea because it provides you with some vitamins and minerals that are not there in pop soda.
Refined white sugar is the most popular choice. Add 1 teaspoon to your hot tea and go from there. Many iced teas already contain added sugars, so think carefully before adding a teaspoon of sugar to those. You could also try brown sugar, for a warmer and richer flavor.
Honey. Honey is a great choice to add to your green tea, as it is a healthy alternative to sugar. It makes your green tea less bitter. The antioxidants in green tea combine with the abundant vitamins and minerals in honey, making it a super healthy drink.
You can add a dash of fresh lemon juice or lemon slices to counteract any bitter flavors if you've steeped the tea for too long. Alternatively, adding a bit of honey, raw sugar, or a stevia leaf can help add a little sweetness to this earthy tea.
Drinking a cup of green tea in the morning 1-2 hours after breakfast or in the afternoon 1 to 2 hours after lunch is the optimal time to drink green tea to boost your antioxidant dose. Antioxidants surround and neutralize free radicals preventing them from causing damage and cancer development.
The polyphenol group of green tea catechins has been shown to lower blood sugars, as well as the polysaccharides in green tea. In fact, researchers have found that EGCG (also known as epigallocatechin gallete, one of the catechin polyphenols) influences the primary way that glucose is absorbed.
Since green tea acts as a mild stimulant, you shouldn't use it with other stimulants. It may change the effects of other medicines.
In conclusion, drinking 2-3 cups of green tea a day is a safe and healthy habit that can provide numerous health benefits. However, if you are sensitive to caffeine try to avoid drinking green tea in the late afternoon, and if the urge takes you switch to low-caffeine alternative green teas such as Hojicha or Kukicha.
But when you add sugar to your tea, you are adding empty calories. This means that sugar doesn't have many good things in it for your body. In fact, studies have shown that adding any additives including sugar, and milk (even from non-dairy sources) actively reduces the health benefits of tea.
Water and tea are both healthy options, but if you struggle to reach the recommended fluid intake by drinking water alone, try adding healthy teas to your diet. Tea may be more beneficial to your health, and unless you're anemic or have a low caffeine tolerance, there isn't much harm.
In this battle over health benefits, coffee comes out on top. Coffee drinkers can raise a mug to fiber, microbiome health and lowering risk for cancer and diabetes. But tea drinkers, do not despair. Tea is undoubtedly good for your blood pressure, cholesterol, stress levels, mental health and productivity.
He explained the Chinese prefer tea in its purest form. Fine Chinese tea is sweet enough without the need for added sugar, but Chinese don't consider tea mixed with sweetener or milk to be really “tea" anyway, Lee explained.
Two Main Reasons Why Japanese People Drink Green Tea
1- Belief in the Power of Tea: Because it is valued for its curative properties more than for the pleasure of drinking it. Japanese people usually take a cup of tea when they are not feeling well and also gargle with salted tea when they catch a cold.
In China and most parts of Asia, tea is enjoyed straight, without any sugar or milk, and Japanese green teas are enjoyed in the same way.
Caffeine, including caffeine from green tea, may increase blood pressure in people taking propranolol (Inderal) and metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL). These medications are used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease. Blood-Thinning Medications. People who take warfarin (Coudamin) should not drink green tea.
This is because tea contains tannins and oxalates which block the absorption of iron from iron-loaded foods. These compounds can bind iron with them which prevents their absorption in the blood. You must also avoid pairing iron-rich foods like nuts, green leafy vegetables, grains, lentils and cereals with tea.