It seems the entire world is obsessed with drinking anything green, from green smoothies to green juice to matcha lattes. However matcha isn’t just a new Superfood craze or trend that is populating the shelves of your local health shop, it has a long history that stems from ancient Japanese tradition.
So what exactly is matcha? Matcha is unique from other teas as when you drink it, you ingest the whole tea leaf. The matcha leaves are picked, dried and ground into a powder for consumption, which means you end up consuming 10 times more antioxidants per cup than one cup of regular green tea! In terms of grammage, matcha powder is higher in antioxidants than broccoli, spinach and various other superfoods. Now doesn’t that sound like an easy daily fix?
Matcha is extremely versatile, there are so many easy ways to sneak it into our diets for a quick nutrient boost. Let’s outline a few reasons why you too should be incorporating it into your daily routine!
Antioxidant Powerhouse
I know this is mentioned everywhere, but matcha really does have a host of highly beneficial nutrients that our bodies thrive on; vitamin C, amino acid and L-theanine to name a few. All of these antioxidants do wonders for your skin- they help to protect from ultra-violet rays and boost blood flow for that ever-desired natural rosy cheek look.
Soothes and Calms
For centuries, the Japanese have used matcha for meditation and even as a stress relief remedy. L-theanine, we mentioned it earlier… it’s an amino acid that has shown to assist in promoting a natural state of tranquillity for the mind, whilst supporting focus and relieving the body of stress. Who wouldn’t want these benefits?
Energy Enhancer
Are you one that struggles to focus? Matcha has a high natural caffeine content and has been proven to increase energy levels in a slow, sustainable manner. This means no caffeine jitters or shaky hands and the effects continue subtly throughout the day. These caffeine effects are used as a natural brain booster and have been linked to improvements in concentration and clearer thinking.
Metabolism Booster
Another dreamy trait of matcha- it has the ability to improve both your resting metabolic rate and fat burning rate. These impressive elements, like many things, is boosted when combined with a healthy diet and exercise. It’s been shown that by drinking just one cup of matcha can assist your body to burn up to 25% more fat- this means less work for you! How fab!
Matcha Tips:
There are many ways to consumer matcha- however, we recommend that you do so by combining it with non-dairy ingredients such as almond, coconut or oat milk. The reason being that the casein found in regular milk can bind to the antioxidants which inhibit your body from absorbing them.
Throw a heaped teaspoon into your smoothies, you won’t taste the difference and it’ll effortlessly add all the health benefits we’ve outlined here.
Disclaimer: Be careful when choosing your matcha, take time to read if there are any contaminants and always buy organic high quality. The brighter the colour the better the Matcha!
