Now some people like their green tea mixed with things and that’s fine if their goal isn’t weight loss.  A grande (the medium size) green tea latte from Starbucks has 190 calories.  Green tea certainly has other nutritious benefits besides weight loss and a green tea latte is truly a delicious drink in and of itself.

We here at Green Tea Nutrition definitely drink lots of green tea lattes …  probably a few more than we should!

But what about if you don’t particularly like the taste of green tea and you still want don’t want to add any calories to your drink?  Simple, add a zero calorie sweetener to your green tea and improve the taste without adding calories that you don’t want. We recommend Splenda since it tastes great and since the FDA hasn’t found any health risks associated with it.

Whether you are drinking green tea as an aid to weightloss, or for it’s other nutritional benefits, or just because you like the taste, it’s great to know that green tea can fit into any diet. So drink away, guilt free!

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Green Tea image by Kanko*

Ever notice that when drinking green tea, the tea’s caffeinated properties boost your mental functioning and alertness, but you still feel relaxed?

The secret?

Theanine!

Green Tea contains the special amino acid (the building blocks of protein) Theanine, which is unique to green tea.

Theanine makes up half of the amino acid concentration in green tea, adding heavily to the taste of the tea.

What’s more incredible about this amino acid is that L-theanine is one of few amino acids that enters into the brain, counteracting some of caffeine’s stimulant effects.

Green Tea’s L-theanine is able to instill relaxation in tea drinkers because the amino acid alters levels of serotonine, dopamine and other neurotransmitters while interacting with brain receptors associated with relaxation.

Green Tea’s wonder amino acid has been found to reduce anxiety, increase alpha brain wave activity, lower blood pressure, improve learning ability and even boost immune systems, studies find.

There you have it. L-theanine allows caffeine to do its work and keep you alert while also helping you feel at ease. Sounds like a good drink to have to get you through the work day, doesn’t it?

I learned most of this information from a great book called The Green Tea Book. If you’re interested in learning more about Green Tea Health Benefits, check it out!

Technorati Tags: amino acid, Green Tea, green tea health, relaxation, theanine

While all green teas are great to drink at any time, Kukicha, known for its refreshing light fragrance, is the best cup of tea for any morning.

The tea is rich in anti-oxidants as it is brewed from the stems and twigs of green tea plants. This gives the Kukicha tea, also known as stem tea, a nutty and mellow flavor.

Kukicha tea is rich brown in color and contains calcium and is astringent to help soothe your stomach as well.

If you’re like me, a green tea that soothes your stomach and welcomes you to each day isn’t so bad.

Eden Organic produces a great package of Kuchika green tea bags, which might be enough of a taste to get hooked on Kuchika.

For many of us, we may first turn to replacing soda with diet soda.

A healthy alternative to drinking soda, whether diet or not, could be creating your own green tea soda.

None of us likes to feel weighed down after our lunch break, which often comes after drinking a couple rounds of dark sodas.

Green Tea’s natural health benefits will actually work to energize you by building your metabolism and infusing a tiny and sustainable amount of caffeine into your diet.

See how others are already brewing their own healthy soda alternative.

One note on this video, it’s best to avoid “boiling” the green tea, as that can damage some of the tea’s nutrients and health benefits. When brewing green tea, bring the water to a boil, but avoid boiling the tea.

Give this refreshing drink a try and let us know what you think!

Technorati Tags: drinks, Green Tea, green tea recipe, green tea soda, soda

Applegate chose to have a double-mastectomy, which surgically removed both of her breasts.

But did she need to undergo such a high-price procedure to save her life?

Breast cancer has many natural cures, according to organic health activists such as the NaturalNews.

Among other solutions, NaturalNews suggests that anti-cancer herbs, such as Green Tea, could reduce the risk of breast cancer in women.

Green tea contains polyphenols, which may help prevent cancer growth, some say.

In some experiments, green tea diets have been known to slow the development of tumors in rats.

So what do you think? Should Christina Applegate have delayed her double-mastectomy and tried a diet of green tea nutrition?

Originating in China and becoming a staple tea in much of Asia, green tea has creeping into Western diets and offering nutritional benefits that some scientists say can help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Some people have used Green Tea Nutrition diet plans to treat multiple sclerosis, lower bad cholesterol, raise metabolism to reduce fat and lose weight and also prevent the degradation of cell membranes – that means regular green tea drinkers might look younger longer!

I’m a huge fan of Green Tea’s Nutritional value and believe it can help anyone live a happy and healthy life. You can easy use Green Tea to lose weight! Really! Check out Patricia Rouner’s book on controlling weight with a Green Tea diet if you want to find out more.

Many types of Green Tea exist, as now green tea is grown all over the world and different climates, harvesting schedules and processing affects the benefits of each region’s green tea leaves.

Green Tea can also be enjoyed in a number of ways, including hot brewed green tea, iced green tea and green tea supplements. Supplements may provide people seeking to benefit from green tea’s health qualities but who are not able to drink 5 cups of tea per day.

Another great fact about green tea is while the tea does contain caffeine, a cup of green tea contains only 1/3 the caffeine contained in a cup of coffee. I would encourage most tea drinking enthusiasts to avoid guzzling five cups of green tea before bed though, because that much green tea before bedtime might give drinkers insomnia – at least for a few hours!

I’ll be covering a lot more green tea nutrition plans and benefits here on this blog. If you’re a green tea fanatic like me, or just a health nut interested in learning more about the benefits of green tea, stick around!