There are contraindications, consult your doctor. We are always happy to read about the beneficial properties of certain foods and drinks, and the reason for this is obvious. Food, unlike drugs, has no contraindications and does not have a negative effect on the body – unless, of course, we are talking about sausage or, for example, huge doses of chocolate. Among healthy lifestyle lovers and ordinary people, many revere green tea. This drink has an excellent taste, quenches thirst, invigorates … What else is good about it? Chemical composition of green tea. Some people think that black and green tea come from different plants, but this is not the case. Both are taken from the same bush, and the difference in color and taste of the drink is determined only by the way the leaves are processed. For green tea, this processing is more gentle – in fact, it consists only in the careful drying of the leaves, which, as a result, retain more valuable natural substances than black tea. In addition, only the youngest, top leaves, which contain the maximum of beneficial compounds, get into the package with green tea. Like any other plant, tea includes more than a dozen or even more than one hundred components, but it has a group of substances that is always isolated in the first place, since it is of the main value for human health. These are antioxidants – compounds that block the processes of lipid peroxidation in tissues. These include polyphenols, catechins, bioflavonoids, and some alkaloids. In addition, green tea is a good source of vitamins – C, P, folic acid, B1, B2, E. They have a positive effect on blood vessels, skin, nervous and reproductive systems. Finally, it also contains trace elements: fluorine, iodine, manganese, iron. How can all this affect health? Useful properties of the drink. So much research has been devoted to green tea that other products can only “envy” such success and fame. Many of its valuable properties are already so well-known that they no longer surprise anyone. For example, almost everyone knows that green tea: strengthens the immune system and reduces the incidence of SARS; lowers blood cholesterol; strengthens gums and teeth; promotes weight loss; neutralizes the effects of ionizing radiation; slows down aging – normalizes blood sugar in diabetes – is a prophylactic against cancer – prevents heart attacks and strokes, etc. All such statements are supported by scientific research, but is it worth taking them unambiguously on faith? Although they are not invented, but confirmed by relevant experiments, green tea lovers should not consider themselves permanently protected from cancer or give up a low-calorie diet if they are trying to lose weight. Green tea really helps both diabetics, and “cores”, and patients with dental problems, but all this does not make the drink a medicine – its beneficial effects are expressed to a very small extent, so that they can even be almost invisible. However, there is a way to increase the positive effect of taking tea. To do this, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle and, in the presence of any diseases, strictly follow the doctor’s recommendations. Is green tea harmful? Having heard about the exceptional benefits of green tea, some people for some reason believe that this drink, unlike black, does not contain caffeine. However, it does contain caffeine, and in very large doses. However, this does not give grounds to accuse him of causing harm to health. The fact is that when brewing tea into a liquid, not only caffeine is released, but also other water-soluble components, in particular, the tannin tannin. They bind to each other, which leads to a partial loss of caffeine’s activity. If you like green tea but don’t want it to affect your cardiovascular system in any way, you can add milk to it. Although this practice is not widespread, green tea with milk is generally palatable, and animal milk proteins are notable for their ability to reduce the absorption of caffeine. Daily “norm” of green tea. Eating too many fruits can cause intestinal upset. If you regularly “abuse” honey, an allergy is likely. If you “overdo it” even with the most useful spices, this can lead to an exacerbation of gastritis … Are there such “ifs” for green tea? I think no. You can drink it one or five cups a day, and there will be no harm from it. Moreover, experts say that the positive effects of the drink develop when it is use in the amount of three cups per day. Brewed in an earthenware teapot or in a thermos, “clean” or with natural additives, drunk for breakfast or after visiting the gym, green tea is always equally tasty and healthy. Therefore, you can use it without any restrictions and at any time of the day, regardless of the purpose for which you do it: to improve your health or just for your own pleasure.