What’s in a tea (milk-based tea) vs. what’s in a green tea? The latter boasts of catechins and antioxidants which boost the metabolism. It also has anti-ageing properties, promotes oral health and encourages the shedding of pounds. In other words, green tea promotes weight loss.
Does that mean you are going to keep drinking green tea throughout the day? Being an educated and wise reader and consumer, you should rather know when to drink green tea – the best time to drink green tea?
Here we go finding out the answer to the obvious questions related to green tea. Never mind the fact that the fitness conscious Shraddha Kapoor to Virat Kohli swear by this beverage.
Best Time To Drink Green Tea:
Moderation is the key. If you consult a Chinese medic on the best time to drink green tea, you will be asked to be to take it more in summers and less in winters.
Though there is no scientific evidence to confirm this, Chinese medicine defines the lightly oxidised teas like green and white teas as beverages that cool, and fully oxidised ones like black tea and red tea as warming. Since green tea has a cooling effect, avoid taking it in the winters. Simple!
Not First Thing In The Morning Confirms Nutritionists:
There is no doubting the benefits of Green Tea. But the idea of having it first thing in the morning is not a good idea. A study has been done on dietary supplements with green tea extracts and it was found that green tea supplement, when taken on an empty stomach, can have unfavourable effects on the liver.
Says Bangalore-based nutritionist Dr Anju Said, “While Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and polyphenols, it is still a type of tea that contains caffeine and hence I wouldn’t recommend more than 3 cups a day. More than this can leave you dehydrated. If consumed in excess it will start eliminating essential elements too from your system.
I always advise my clients to take a cup in the morning (around 10-11 a.m) or evening. Early morning can be a good time to drink green tea because your metabolism is the highest, which can be boosted with a nice hot cup of green tea.
It is good to drink green tea in the evening too because that’s when your metabolism tends to dip, so this could be your last shot to prolong your dipping metabolism.”
Shilpa Arora who is a Macrobiotic Nutritionist and Health Practitioner says, “Both morning and evening are fine to drink green tea. People who have sleep issues should avoid a cup later in the evening, as the caffeine intake may pose a problem with their sleep.”
Consultant Nutritionist Dr Rupali Dutta is of the view, “Mornings are the best time to have green tea, for its role in kick-starting the metabolism but you can also have it post-meal, as it is low in calories, and therefore, taking a cup after your meal wouldn’t harm as much. Make sure you don’t drink it right after your meal, observe a gap of at least an hour or two.”
Hope you noted down all the suggestions.
Two Hours Before Or After The Meal: The Debate Continues:
Ayurveda doctor Dr Kedar Upadhyay says “Two cups of green tea in a day is a good dose, which helps in shedding a few pounds in the long run. Drink it in between meals for optimum benefits.”
I think Dr Upadhay answers the question on when to drink green tea very well. Have green tea two hours before or after eating a meal. This will help in maximising your nutrient intake.
If you are anaemic by any chance, then avoid taking green tea along with a meal. Why so because the National Cancer Institute has published a fact sheet saying that the antioxidant catechins in green tea slow down the digestion and iron absorption from your diet.
When you drink green tea in between the meals, it helps in better absorption of iron from the food.
Just suppose you want to drink green tea with your meal. Then include vitamin-C rich food which enhances ion absorption. Adding milk or lemon to your green tea helps to a major extent. Also, red meat lessens the interaction between green tea and iron.
Two Hours Before Bedtime:
Two valid reasons for when to drink green tea – the best time to drink green tea. When you drink green tea 2 hrs before bedtime, it is necessary:
a. It keeps you Alert: The internet is going gaga with the calming properties of green tea which can put you to sleep. But reality shows otherwise. Green tea is not a bedtime beverage considering caffeine disrupts sleep.
Since green tea has amino acid L-theanine, it can calm you down and make you alert and help you concentrate better. It also means it rules out the fact that it induces sleep.
b. Makes you go to the loo frequently: Green tea is a diuretic. I vet it because it increases the frequency of visits to the toilet. And when you have it at night then it can disrupt your sleep. Though some nutritionists suggest leaving a time gap of 4 to 6 hours between your last cup of green tea and night sleep, a minimum of a two-hour gap should be fine. I hope it answers your query on when to drink green tea.
How Many Cups A Day:
Remember I mentioned at the start of the article that moderation is the key. If you have more cups of green tea than is required, it could spell trouble for your body. The University of Maryland Medical Center suggests the consumption of green tea should be limited to two or three cups a day or 100 to 750 mg of standardized green tea extract per day.
Drinking Green Tea With Exercise Promote Weight Loss:
Hey, dont be under the impression that JUST drinking green tea is the faster and easier way to losing weight. It is not going to take you anywhere in your weight loss mission. Doctors, nutritionists and fitness trainers are of the opinion that green tea works only and best when combined with an adequate workout.
Results By When?
The answer is 24 hours. This is validated by a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which shows that a high intake can have a positive effect within 24 hours.
Best Green Tea Brands:
Indias Top 10 and Best Green Tea brands are the following:
- Lipton Green Tea
- Organic India
- Typhoo Green Tea
- Twinings Green Tea
- 24 Mantra Organic India
- Tetley
- La Plant Organic Tea
- Himalaya Green Tea
- Taj Mahal Green Tea
Final Analysis:
All in all, drink 2 to 3 cups of green tea a day. Avoid it close to your bedtime as it may hinder your sleep.
So all you green tea lovers and those of you aspiring to switch over to it, hope you will follow the points mentioned on when to drink green tea – the best time to drink green tea.
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source: fashionlady
