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We can all imagine a little old monk, smiling peacefully up through a tangle of grey wispy facial hairs. He looks to be over a century old, however his mind is still sharp and his body spry. What is the secret behind his health? Let me tell you, it’s one word, six letters – Matcha.
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Matcha, which can be translated simply as “powdered tea,” has been an important part of the Japanese culture for centuries. Green tea leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant are shade-grown, carefully harvested, dried, and then ground to a powder texture. In other words, matcha is the ground up version of the green tea leaves you would find in your tea bag.
However, matcha isn’t like any ordinary tea. The health benefits of this tea far exceed those of others and even those of its parent, green tea. In fact, you’d have to drink ten cups of loose leaf green tea to equal the number of antioxidants in just a single cup of matcha. It doesn’t stop there. Matcha has also been shown to boost metabolism, energy, and immune response, while also lowering cholesterol.
In addition, because matcha is specifically shade grown, the leaves it’s harvested from are jam-packed with detoxifying chlorophyll (green pigments) that not only give matcha its signature green color but provide an agent for flushing chemicals and heavy metals from the body. What’s more, EGCg (epigallocatechin gallate), a special form of antioxidant discovered in matcha has special cancer-fighting effects in that it can prevent the appearance of cancer-causing free radicals (which are highly reactive molecules that cause chain reactions.) Not too shabby if you ask me.
On top of all of that, a recent study done in 2016 by the Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province, China, now suggests matcha plays a key role in the suppression of high levels of sugar in the body caused by poor diet. With the easily accessible fast food market establishing itself as a staple food choice in many North American diets, this recent finding could potentially introduce a way to counteract the negative effects poor food choices (such as fast food) could have on sugar levels in the body.
Nevertheless, the common saying “everything in moderation” still stands. There have been encounters of lead contamination found within the powder. That being said, matcha is still incredibly beneficial for one’s health but should only be consumed once a day.
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Although traditionally ingested as a tea beverage, modern day “foodies” have worked this fine green powder into a multitude of different options. Some of those including matcha muffins, cookies, ice cream, gelato, chocolate, waffles, and the list goes on. Matcha can literally be an addition to almost every food.
Regardless of how matcha may be consumed, it offers amazing health benefits that could keep one nimble into old age and happy like the monks.
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