With finals coming up, there’s no doubt you’ll be craving a lot of caffeine to get you through each day. Next time you run to grab a coffee, consider a matcha green tea instead. Your brain and bod will thank you.
Matcha is a specific type of green tea that is ground up and often mixed into drinks or foods. Because you ingest the actual leaves when drinking matcha, you get all the benefits of drinking steeped green tea and then some.
Matcha contains a lot of caffeine.
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I’ll sleep when I’m dead (or over winter break). Nobody has time for naps when finals are in full swing. Caffeine is a necessity, and this health magazine article reports that matcha can pack 3 times as much caffeine as a steeped green tea, or about as much as a cup of coffee.
Matcha is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols, which help prevent certain types of cancer.
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The Japanese have held this belief for many years, so the University of Colorado did some research, and now the scientific community has evidence to prove it. May as well reap the short-term study benefits and the long-term health benefits.
Green tea drinkers have higher brain activity levels.
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A Swiss study, as reported by WebMD, shows increased brain activity in MRI brain scans of people who drink green tea, especially in the working-memory area.
The working-memory area of the brain is part of the short term memory area, which means you just might do better on those exams and be able to think harder while you study.
Green tea protects against a variety of heart issues.
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Your heart is arguably one of the most important parts of your body, so I try to take care of it every chance I get. This Harvard study claims green tea may lower your risk for heart disease, the leading killer amongst Americans. Drink up.
Green tea has shown stress relieving aspects.
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LiveStrong reports that green tea’s antioxidants called catechins can help relieve stress by increasing blood flow to the brain, according to a Japanese study. Whether you believe the study or not, personal experience tells me this is true.