What is Green Matcha – Is it Packed with Antiorxidants?
What is Green Matcha Powder?
If you are not familiar with Green Matcha, it is a green tea fine powder with origins in Japan and is made from dried tea leaves of Camellia sinensis. The powder is known for its slightly bitter taste and the strong green color which comes from the high chlorophyll profile in the leaves.
The green matcha powder is packed with antioxidants, whopping 137 times more than regular green tea; this high concentration of antioxidants is obtained from growing the leaves in the shade and covering the tea bushes of Camellia Sinensis for multiple days before the harvest to protect them from the sunlight.
This growing method typically boosts chlorophyll levels and gives the powder the characteristic green color that is known for. Also, consuming the entire leaf and the special process of drying and grinding preserves the antioxidants in the powder delivering the highest possible amount of health-beneficial components comparing to other regular leafy forms of green tea.
The History of Matcha
The history of Matcha tea in japan goes back to the 8th century and raised the popularity of making powdered tea by steaming dried tea leaves in the 12th century. A Buddhist monk named “Myoan Eisai” discovered the Matcha tea and brought it to Japan from China. He noticed that drinking its extract significantly improved his meditation by giving him calmness and alertness. Today it’s proven that this effect is due to the combination of the active constituent caffeine and L-theanine.
The drink became more widely popular and spread in the Japanese tea ceremonies called “Chado” making it part of the local culture. These tea ceremonies are still performed and it provides opportunities for the locals as well as the tourists for meeting and exchange intellectuality and strong knowledge of the tradition.
How to use Matcha Powder?
The traditional way of consuming matcha is the matcha tea, similar to the green tea immersing technique but different in that the powder is whisked into boiling water and you can drink the powder itself with the infusion and not discard it like green tea leaves. This method originated from Japanese tea ceremonies where people prepared matcha with a bamboo whisk in a pot called “Chawan”.
How to prepare Matcha Latte
The Latte recipe uses matcha powder to make and smooth hot beverage that tastes creamy with the plant-based protein of your choice and sweetened with natural sweeteners that balance the natural bitterness of the alkaloids in matcha powder and make the latte tastes great.
Ingredients & Process:
- Two tsp matcha powder
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon stevia
- 1 teaspoon boiled water
- Add the matcha powder to the cup or a mug with the stevia sweetener and pour a little amount of hot water.
- Whisk the powder with the hot water till it completely dissolves, you can use a blender for a more foamy texture.
- Steam the milk of your choice till it gets warm and pours it into the mug.
You can use natural honey instead of stevia for sweetening depending on your choice, and you can replace coconut milk with any vegan milk of your choice (Oat milk, Almond milk, macadamia milk).
Other ways of adding Matcha to your Diet
Baking with Matcha – You can add the powder to your baked recipes as it mixes easily and well with all baking mixtures like cookies, cakes, muffins, waffles, and pancakes by easily adding two teaspoons of the powder in the flour mix. The powder will add beautiful green color to the baked goods.
Matcha oatmeal – You can easily include matcha to your diet by adding a serve of the powder to your morning bowl of oatmeal or cereals and stir it well to mix with the meal to gives your meal the nutritional boost it needs.
Adding to your smoothie – You can add a few teaspoons of Matcha powder to your smoothie to give it the green color and boost the nutritional value of your drink, using stevia or natural honey for sweetening and your choices for green leafy plants and colorful fruits. You can use coconut water for mixing for a healthier smoothie and better taste.
Nutritional value of Matcha powder
Half teaspoon of Matcha powder contains the following:
- Protein – 306 mg
- Amino Acids – 272 mg
- Potassium – 27 mg
- Mangesium – 2.3 mg
- Calcium – 4.2 mg
- Zinc – 0.062 mg
- Phosphorus – 3.5 mg
- Iron – 0.017 mg
- Vitamin C – 1.75 mg
- EGCG – 61 mg
- Total Catechins – 105 mg
- Fibers – 318 mg
- Caffeine – 35 mg
- L-Theanine – 14.26 mg
- Vitamin A – 291 International unit
- Calories – 3 cal
Matcha for heart health
The primary and the most beneficial active constituent of Matcha powder is the EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). This powerful catechin is proven to support heart health by controlling cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure, which are two of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
The high profile of dietary fibers has a stabilizing effect on blood glucose levels by reducing spikes of blood sugar after meals which protect individuals at risk of developing diabetes and helps to maintain blood sugar control in diabetic patients.
The Catechins in matcha is linked to a weight loss effect by enhancing metabolism and increasing the exercise efficiency in burning calories from fats. They also aid in post-workout recovery after high-intensity training.
Matcha for Brain Health and Cognitive Function
There is a perfect combination of neurocognitive enhancers in Matcha powder represented in Caffeine and L-theanine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that works by boosting mental alertness and cognition, which makes you feel energetic and focused.
While L-theanine is an amino acid that enhances relaxation and relieves stress and anxiety. This conveniently antagonizes the overstimulation effect of caffeine in high doses. Making it a perfect choice for any time of the day.
In addition to the relaxing effect of L-theanine, it enhances memory and improving learning ability. Also, it improves the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which are linked to mood stabilization and helps in meditation.
Quality of Matcha Matters
Good quality Mathca is hard to come by and can make a hige difference in taste and beneifts. We compiled a list of Matcha products for you to checkout at out curated shop.
Highly Rated – Social Media Chatter on Matcha
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Whether you’re a matcha lover or coffee addict, it’s great to get a gauge of where your caffeine level is landing. While there’s no guide to where you should exactly land, if you notice yourself feeling extra jittery, anxious or cracked out, that may be a sign you’re overdoing it in the caffeine arena.
The amount can also vary wildly per brand so make sure to check in with yourself & how you’re feeling.
For people more sensitive to caffeine, matcha and green tea can often be a great choice not just because of the often lower caffeine levels but the L-Theanine found in these drinks that can help to balance out the jittery feeling often associated with caffeine while still helping to improve focus & energy.
Lastly, herbal teas are a great way to enjoy a delightlful drink without adding extra caffeine to your day.
Reminder that caffeine levels will vary by amount and brand so double check with your local coffee shop or brand sourced if you’re looking for the exact amount of caffeine in your drink.
*Average amounts listed for: 12oz nitro, 12oz cold brew, 12oz coffee, 1 espresso shot, 1 teaspoon of matcha mixed w/ 12oz hot water, 1 bag black tea, 1 bag green tea, 1 bag herbal tea*
#coffee #matcha #greentea #caffeine #healthyliving #nutrition #paleo
Sources:
https://matchasource.com/health-benefits-of-matcha-tea/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/egcg-epigallocatechin-gallate#benefits
https://matcha.com/blogs/news/matcha-catechins-egcg-cellular-necessities
https://matcha.com/blogs/news/heart-health-and-matcha-green-tea-what-you-need-to-know
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/305289#what-is-matcha
Amazing review of Matcha Powder! Good to know it’s comparable to the green tea and I hope I can use this Japanese powder in replacement of the green tea. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Matcha powder can be accessed in my own part of the world.
Thanks to the internet, I can order from online stores that deliver both physical and digital products concurrently. Glad you explained that the Matcha Powder should be added to the recipes and mixed properly with the baking mixtures! Learned a lot from this post!
Thank you much
I had never heard of matcha before, but this a fascinating post about all the healthy benefits of using matcha powder. It’s helpful to know how matcha is made and all of its healthy properties. I love the different ways to use matcha in baking and other recipes. Because it is bitter, I can see the need to use some sweetener like stevia in the recipes.
I prefer not to take stimulants, I just don’t like the way they make me feel. Do you have another healthy option for someone like me?
Thank you much, Garin. Please be sure to checkout our other posts. We are working on a few other articles realted to health so stay tuned.
The green macha has a very long history that dates back to the 8th century. Wow, that’s quite surprising and adding to the fact that the Buddhist monks are the ones who found it out just makes me feel like the green macha is a product that is worthy or being tried and it also has so many health benefits. I’m definitely going for it.
Thanks Suz
the first time I heard about Green Match is now and from the picture I first thought it might be some kind of clay. I didn’t know it was a type of tea and it very fascinating to me. I love things that taste a little sour and bitter and I would sincerely like to have the opportunity to try it because my husband and I are vegans and we try to eat healthy and lead a active life.
Great to hear, we were able to help.