Today, scientific research in both Asia and the west is providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea.

    Is any other food or drink reported to have as many health benefits as green tea? The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient times, using it to treat everything from headaches to depression.

    Did you know people are taking green tea extract as an aid to weight loss? Scientific research shows us that this herbal supplement can actually help the body get rid of excess fat by revving up the its metabolic rate, the energy burning process.

    Metabolism is a chemical process carried out by the body that creates the energy you need to live. Increasing the metabolic rate requires means more fuel is required to be burned and this is where the body will usually draw on its fat reserves to enable the process, this is how your overall weight is reduced.

    The end result, as desired is of course, is achievement of weight loss. But naturally this only happens as part of an overall effective weight loss program. You still need to eat healthily and take regular exercise.

    Personally I prefer drinking green tea as it was meant to be and enjoying it that way! But if you do not like the taste then this is a good way to still take advantage of the health benefits

    In a grocery store or in a convenience store in front of the beverage cooler you will see green tea this or green tea that. Green tea has turned up in all sorts of products. If you haven’t tried green tea, you might be wondering what all the to-do is about.

    So now you may be asking what is the difference between green tea and the black tea you are used to drinking. Both teas come from the same plant; the difference is the way the different teas are processed. The green tea in not fermented it has been dried. Because of the shorter processing time the green tea has a lighter flavor than the black tea. Green tea is good for you because the processing keeps all the beneficial elements left in the tea.

    Green tea doesn’t taste anything like the tea you usually drink. Most green tea drinkers do not add milk or sugar, but you can if you like. Green tea has been described as having a light, fresh, green flavor. Some of the various green teas have just a little sweetness taste to them. Others are a little more astringent. There are several different varieties of green tea each with its own flavor; however they all seem to have one flavor quality in common.

    To try really good green tea you will want to look in a gourmet tea store rather than a grocery store. The grocery store doesn’t have the selection you will find in a gourmet tea store. You will find a good selection of green teas look in your local Asian food store. Some of the types you will want to look for is; Sencha, Gunpowder, or Dragon Well.

    Green tea is brewed just like you would brew the tea you normally drink, except you will not want the water to boil. You will want to brew you tea when the water is on the verge of boiling. Green tea is a more delicate tea so you want to the water to be a little cooler.

    To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

    如今，東西方的科學研究不斷發現有力的證據，證明了長期以來人們所相信的飲用綠茶有益健康。

    還有什么其它食物或飲料如綠茶一般對健康有益嗎？中國人自古就知道綠茶的藥用價值，用綠茶來治療從頭痛到抑郁的各種疾病。

    你知道嗎，人們正在使用綠茶提取物來輔助減肥�？茖W研究顯示，這種草藥添加劑確實能夠加速新陳代謝－－人體燃燒能量的過程，幫助身體消耗多余的脂肪。

    新陳代謝是人體制造生存所需能量的化學過程。加速新陳代謝需要燃燒更多燃料，這通常是機體動用脂肪儲備的時候，這也是人體減輕體重的原因所在。

    結果正如人所愿，順利實現減肥的目標。但是，飲綠茶自然只能作為全面有效減肥計劃的一環。你還需要注意膳食健康，進行有規律的鍛煉。

    就個人而言，我傾向于飲用綠茶的原味，因為我喜歡綠茶的味道。但是如果你不喜歡綠茶的味道，你仍然有辦法享受它給你健康帶來的好處。

    在雜貨店或者便利店，你會在放飲料的冷柜中看到這種綠茶或那種綠茶。早就有了各種各樣的綠茶產品。如果你還沒有試著喝過綠茶，你可能感到奇怪，這一堆亂七八糟的產品是怎么回事。

    現在你可能要問了，綠茶和你常喝的紅茶有什么不同。兩種茶葉都產自同一種茶樹；其區別是茶葉的加工過程不一樣－－綠茶在烘干前沒有進行發酵。因為加工過程時間短，綠茶的味道比紅茶更清淡。綠茶之所以對你健康有益，因為所有有益成分都保留在茶葉里。

    綠茶的味道與你通常喝的茶完全不同。大部分喝綠茶的人不往茶里加牛奶，也不加糖，但是如果喜歡，你也可以加。人們常形容綠茶有一種清香、嫩香和青草的香氣。一些品種的綠茶帶著些許甜味；另外的品種有點苦澀的味道。綠茶有幾個品種，各自有各自的香味；可是，它們都具有同一種共同的茶味。

    要想品嘗真正的好茶你應該去精品茶葉店，而不要去一般的雜貨店－－雜貨店的茶葉種類比起茶葉店來太少。到你當地的亞洲食品店看看，你會找到一種好的綠茶。你想要的一些茶有煎茶、中國珠茶、或龍井茶。

    沏綠茶的方法和沏普通茶一樣，只是水不要做開。你要在水將開未開的時候來沏茶。綠茶比一般的茶更嫩，所以水溫要低一些。

    至今為止，喝綠茶有報道的唯一負作用就是由于綠茶中含有的咖啡因造成失眠。不過綠茶中的咖啡因含量比咖啡少得多：6～8盎司茶葉中大約含有30～60mg的咖啡因，而8盎司的咖啡中含有超過100mg咖啡因。