I love the change of seasons, don’t you? Winter is a time to get cozy, reflect, dream.

Today is the second day of freestyle exercise, if you are following the exercise plan. Tomorrow is an aerobic day. However, you should feel comfortable switching days around so long as you get the minimums in per week.

It’s also a great time to do some experimenting with new foods and tastes. I’ve been seeing a lot of something called matcha lately, in drinks and desserts especially.

What Is Matcha?

Basically, matcha is powdered green tea, and you eat it rather than just steeping and discarding the tea leaves. This means that you are consuming a more concentrated form of the green tea’s antioxidants.

Those antioxidants include catachins, polyphenols, flavonoids, tocopherols, and vitamin C.

If you drink green tea or matcha regularly, you are boosting your immunity to disease, reducing inflammation in your body, and so much more:

The optimum consumption of green tea with antioxidants delivers many health benefits, such as preventing cancer [60] and cardiovascular ailments [61,62], regulating cholesterol [68], mediating weight loss [69,70,71], regulating aging, reducing the inflammatory response, and controlling neurodegenerative diseases [72]. Green tea polyphenols have also been observed to exhibit potential effects in inhibiting tooth decay and reducing blood pressure, along with antibacterial, antioxidant, and antitumor properties [9,73,74,75,76]. EGCG has been observed to have a role in cancer chemoprevention [77]. After consumption, catechins of green tea undergo phase II metabolism, and have been shown to be present in conjugated and unconjugated forms in plasma [78]. Even though it is not widely accepted, many researchers believe that green tea can exert positive effects on diabetes [79,80]. Green tea reduces the level of oxidative stress [81] and inhibits glucose uptake via the insulin pathway [82].

“A Review of the Role of Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) in Antiphotoaging, Stress Resistance, Neuroprotection, and Autophagy,” by Mani Iyer Prasanth 1, Bhagavathi Sundaram Sivamaruthi 2, Chaiyavat Chaiyasut 2, Tewin Tencomnao 1,* Nutrients. 2019 Feb 23;11(2):474. doi: 10.3390/nu11020474. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Matcha’s Caffeine Content

1 teaspoon (2 grams) of matcha has about 70 mg of caffeine. This is the amount used in 8 oz. of hot water to make matcha tea.

By comparison, a cup of coffee has about 95-165 mg, depending on variety and preparation. Brewed green tea has about 25-29 mg of caffeine. (Source: Mayo Clinic)

So, matcha is a moderate source of caffeine, and you should keep that in mind as you incorporate it into your diet.

Does It Taste Good?

At the market, you will find an array of matcha products. There are, among others, premixed tea drinks, flavored and unflavored; matcha latte drinks; and tins of pure matcha.

Going for the pure powder allows you to control how much sugar and other ingredients you are consuming.

A simple matcha tea is made by measuring 1 tsp. matcha powder to 8 oz. of just-boiling water. The powder will want to settle, so keep your spoon handy and stir frequently.

As you might expect, matcha tastes just like a good cup of green tea. If you like your tea with sugar and/or milk, go for it. Just try keep your sugar consumption under control.

Now that you’ve got your antioxidant-rich cup of tea in hand, grab that novel you’ve been wanting to start and make yourself cozy for a quiet afternoon looking out at the snow.

This post is not intended to offer medical advice. Check with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise plan.

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