My friend Mary was born in Japan. Everything about her is exotic, and she exudes natural beauty and good health. I asked her one day if she knows of any at-home beauty tricks that women in Japan use, and she said to me, “Nicole, it all begins with matcha.”
Mary’s recommendation is to drink at least one full serving of matcha green tea powder per day, dissolved in hot water, as you would an instant coffee beverage. She swears that the potency and benefits of this daily beverage are unparalleled.
Matcha tea is different from regular brewed green tea because matcha powder is composed of straight stoneground tea leaves. Drinking a single serving of matcha gives you the equivalent benefits of drinking ten cups of regular brewed green tea. In other words, drinking matcha lets you take advantage of green tea’s full potential health benefits, because all parts of the leaf are consumed.
Drinking a daily dose of matcha gives your body a much-needed supply of antioxidants, up to twenty times more than pomegranates and blueberries. Antioxidants help our bodies to fight against aging and chronic diseases. Specifically, matcha contains a class of antioxidants called catechins, which have cancer-fighting properties. Catechins also work against the effects of free radicals in the atmosphere, meaning that drinking matcha consistently can help to keep your body in balance.
The chlorophyll in matcha is also an important detoxifying agent, which means that it helps to eliminate chemicals and heavy metals from our bodies.
Finally, matcha may assist in weight loss because it naturally boosts metabolism and helps to burn fat, as drinking it can significantly increase thermogenesis. The feeling you get is a sense of being alert yet calm, thanks to its being rich in L-Theanine which creates alpha waves in our brains, promoting a sense of calm concentration and clarity.
I have been enjoying a daily afternoon matcha. The taste is subtly sweet and enjoyable, and I find that it gives me a light afternoon pick-me-up, and promotes a sense of calm just before I begin the routine of child pick-ups, homework, lessons, dinner, etc. My Fitbit does indicate, on average, a calorie burn that is 300 higher than on non-matcha days, but there could be other factors at play.
Matcha offers many potential health benefits wrapped up in a tight little package. This is one easy health recipe that will help you glow from the inside out.
Written by Nicole Lachance
Nicole earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (with distinction) from the University of Alberta, with a major in French Language and Literature and a minor in Italian Language. She then continued her education at McGill University, earning her Bachelor of Common Law and Bachelor of Civil Law, where she was selected as class valedictorian. Nicole is a practicing lawyer and writes the Bella Vita Beauty Blog for Crystal Hills Organics. Nicole enjoys being active with her husband and three small children. She also enjoys traveling, playing tennis, ballet, cooking, baking, and experimenting with skin care and makeup. With too little sleep and a very exciting and hectic life as a mother of three young children, Nicole can appreciate the value and importance of implementing a skin care regimen composed of products containing quality ingredients. She also believes in the power of positive energy, and recognizes the benefits of using essential oils and other natural elements to create at-home beauty treatments.
