Tea time

I know I’ve been giving a lot of lip service lately to beverages you shouldn’t be drinking. (Soda… juice… sadly the list goes on.)

So let me take a minute to tell you what you can–and should–drink more of: green tea.

Green tea is loaded with epigallocatechin-3-gallate–otherwise known as the powerful antioxidant EGCG. This phytochemical mops up free radicals, curbs inflammation, and even fights cancer. And if all that wasn’t enough, research shows that it can balance your blood sugar, too.

In a recent study, scientists from Penn State University fed mice EGCG along with a high-starch diet. They discovered that post-meal blood sugar spikes were 50 percent lower among the mice that received EGCG, when compared with those that didn’t.

Sure, it’s just an animal study. But with all the clinical benefits that come with green tea, you’ve got nothing to lose–and a whole lot to gain–by sipping as much as you can. (Hold the sugar, obviously.)

In fact, this research suggests that just one-and-a-half cups a day could make a dramatic difference. So needless to say, this is one drink I’m giving the green light–no pun intended.

Source:
“Inhibition of starch digestion by the green tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate,” Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 2012; 56(11): 1,647-1,654