Dr Oz: What’s The Deal With Matcha?
Have you heard about the latest craze taking over social media and turning everything green? These days, everyone is all about matcha green tea, which is why Dr Oz wanted to get to the bottom of everything there is to know about the new food trend. Believe it or not, matcha literally means powdered tea. Nutritionist Maya Feller explained that during the growing process, the tea leaves are covered with a shade blanket, then hand-picked and steamed to stop the fermentation process. It’s then put into cold storage and dried, before being ground into a fine powder. Matcha is essentially the entire green tea leaf ground up for consumption.
Matcha contains an antioxidant that has been proven to fight aging, fight infections, boost metabolism, and reduce stress. The main reason matcha is so good for you is because the antioxidants in it help reduce cell damage. By gram, matcha has seven times more antioxidants than nuts, 15 times more antioxidants than blueberries, and 50 times more antioxidants than broccoli! Wow!
If you haven’t yet heard about matcha, you’ll soon be wishing you had been able to reap its benefits sooner. Learn how to use the green powder in your everyday life! (jrasku / Flickr)
Dr Oz: Matcha Instead Of Coffee?
If you want longer lasting energy and depend on your daily coffee, you may want to consider swapping it for matcha. Dr Oz had two coffee addicts try matcha for a day instead of coffee, and they both found they had more energy without the crash. Maya explained that matcha won’t give you the “buzz” you get from coffee, but instead you get a “clean” feel without the jitters. Matcha contains theanine which provides a more relaxed energy than coffee.
To find the best matcha available, Dr Oz welcomed Candace Kumai, author of “Clean Green Eats.” She traveled as far as Japan to find the best options out there. First you want to look for matcha that comes from Japan and second, look for a bright green color. Keep your matcha in a cool, dark place for up to a year, and try to find organic if possible. Most health food stores will carry it.
Dr Oz: Make Your Own Matcha Tea
You can actually make your own matcha tea at home with the green matcha powder. Whisk 1-2 tsp of the matcha vigorously in 2 ounces of hot water measuring about 175 to 180 degrees. To be sure you have the right temperature water, boil water and then take it off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The more vigorously you stir, the more frothy the tea, which is what you want. To sweeten it, you can add just a dash of milk or honey.
Another way to use matcha is in homemade beauty products. You can make a great face mask out of matcha, honey, and 2% Greek yogurt. You can also make a great bath bomb by combining coconut oil, cornstarch, lavender oil, baking soda, water, lemon, and epsom salt.
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