The Health Benefits of Green Tea

Optimizing your nutrition for riding may seem complicated but the gains from some small changes, like introducing green tea to your meal plan, can boost your performance significantly.

woman drinking tea.
All you need is a cup or two a day to start reaping the health benefits.

One of the easier ways to make a real impact on your overall health and performance on the bike, is to simply introduce a cup or two of green tea to your daily routine. Green tea gets its name from the emerald green color created from brewing unprocessed, unfermented leaves from the Sinensis plant. It is precisely this lack of processing that gives green tea more health benefits than regular black tea. The high level of protective polyphenols in the form of flavonoids, work as powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants improve your body’s ability to fight disease and serve to limit oxidative stress by reducing the level of free radicals released from intense forms of exercise; and life in general!

The Benefits of Green Tea for Athletes

  • Preserves glycogen levels by helping the body to burn fat as fuel
  • Reduces inflammation
  • It helps with weight loss
  • Reduces blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol
  • Improves mental alertness
  • Reduces the risk of heart disease
cup of green tea.
Letting the boiling water cool a little before pouring onto the tea leaves retains the antioxidants.

Green tea dates back thousands of years in the Far East and is still widely consumed and highly regarded for its health properties. All you need is a cup or two a day to start reaping the benefits.//

| IMAGES: Sameera Madusanka & Bruce |


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