Can Green Tea Replace Water - A Healthy Substitute?

by Pete
(Naples, FL)

I stick to a strict workout of alternating days to work out different body parts and aerobic days. I eat a very nutritious diet of 6 small meals which is proportioned for my body type in protein, carbs and healthy fat.

As far as drinking is concerned I drink between 1-2 high quality protein drinks mixed with water depending on the days workout intensity.

My question is if it's appropriate to drink green tea 8-12 times a day instead of the recommended water intake when working out.

If not what would be the proper amount of green tea to water as I am interested in the antioxidant values along with help with weight loss properties of green tea.

Also can you list the top 2 or 3 green teas which provide us with the benefits that I'm looking for.

Also, how long after the tea has been prepared will it retain it's health benefits(in case I wished to store it in the refrigerator in order to drink it cold).

Should green tea be sweetened, if desired, and if so would stevia be recommended over Splenda or sugar or does it make a difference.

Thank You!

Answer:

Thank you for sharing with me your workout info - it is very interesting. Well done for keeping disciplined!

As for your questions regarding green tea, here are my answers...

When drinking green tea for health, the best course of action is to favor quality over quantity.

There are two reasons.

First, high quality green tea contains far more antioxidants.

They have more theanine - which have a natural decaffeinating effect (so you feel more calm rather than irritated.) You need to drink less of it (say 3 to 6 cups a day).

The second reason has to do with safety. When you drink too much low quality tea, you stand higher chance of getting side effects.

These side effects arise from poor quality tea (such as heavymetals, pesticides, too much fluoride), and the extra processings involved (which may add to the fluoride content and other impurities.)

Because they taste bad, you need to add sugar and sweeteners, thus negating the weight loss benefits of green tea.

So here is my suggestion:

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Go for quality, start with 3 to 6 cups a day, then the rest is up to you - drink more if you want.

When drinking quality, there is no need to replace water with tea.
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As to your next question, the highest quality green tea is harvested early spring, made from young tea buds (rather than leaves), and come in loose form (i.e. not tea bag, bottled, extract or powdered).

Such high quality teas usually cost a lot of money (at least $5 per ounce).

However, I recently introduced a high quality Yellow Mountain tea (Maofeng) for half that cost, and it comes in 3-gram packets, which makes it very convenient to store and measure out.

Huangshan Maofeng Green Tea

It is also easy to steep and fresh-tasting. It comes with organic certification.

It is also a good idea to avoid favored teas, bottled teas and tea powders. See further discussion here:

Green Tea Beverage Brands

As for your last question, it is best to drink green tea hot, steeping it a small quantity (3 gram) at a time using a small infuser mug. See the

Tea Infuser Review

If you like tea cold, refridgeration is fine. To make sure you are still getting the antioxidant benefits, look at the color and taste of the tea.

The tea should taste fresh - and not stale (a bit hard to find out you have it is cold, as your tongue is less sensitive at low temperature. To find out, you might want to reheat it, and see if it still tastes fresh.)

The tea should appear yellowish green, with luster, and not brownish - which means the antioxidants have oxidized away.

(Steep your tea, then pour it in a glass to observe the tea leaves and tea liquor.)

In summary, here are my recommendations.

1. Get yourself a high quality green tea, one that has been harvested in spring with lots of tea buds, and taste fresh and rich without the need for sweeteners.

2. Drink 3 to 6 cups a day. 3-gram can brew 3 8-ounce cups. The Yellow Mountain tea I recommended already comes pre-packed so there is no storage and measuring-out headaches.

3. Experiment with infuser mugs or (if you want to drink it cold) storage time. Freshness is the key to antioxidants benefits.

I hope this helps.

Julian