Your daily morning cuppa can be healthier than you think – only if you go green! Instead of regular tea or coffee, boil a cup of water and add a spoonful of green tea leaves. What goes in along with those leaves gives a boost to your health that no other beverage can substitute.

Here are five benefits of green tea that will give you solid reasons to become a regular at the green-tea club!

1. Rich in antioxidants

Free-radicals that cause damage to the organs in the body are kept in check by antioxidants. This prevents premature aging, lending a youthful glow to the skin. More importantly, antioxidants are believed to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers such as prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, etc. So a cup of green tea (preferably without milk, which is said to dilute the effects of antioxidants) consumed every day might protect you from these cancers.

2. Boosts immunity

Catechins (a certain kind of antioxidants found in plants, especially the tea plant) in green tea provide protection from bacteria and viruses by preventing them from attaching to cell walls. They also act as anti microbes by fighting toxins and protecting you from infections and diseases such as diarrhea, flu, dysentery, colitis, etc. Thus, green tea strengthens the immune system.

3. It has astringent properties

Astringents are substances that help shrink skin cells and other body tissues. Green tea, being an astringent, has the ability to contract muscles and tissues and tone the skin and body to be in shape.

4. Aids weight loss

Green tea improves metabolism, enabling the body to use up stored fat faster. As a consequence, it helps in weight loss. Combine it with its ability to tone your body and you have the perfect addition to your weight-loss regime!

5. Controls diabetes

Green tea lowers glucose levels in the blood because of its alkaline nature. Its antioxidant and astringent properties keep the pancreas healthy and improve its functioning. Because of this, insulin secretion is made more efficient, which in turn properly regulates sugar levels in the body.  The ultimate result is that it lowers the risk of diabetes. Make sure you consumed it without sugar.

Though the benefits of green tea are very often mentioned in headlines and articles of health-dailies, it is not commonly known that it comes from the same plant as regular tea. The process of making is however different. While regular tea is made by fermenting the leaves, green tea is made by drying or lightly steaming them. Thus, it is healthier than the fermented variety which has increased levels of caffeine and tannin.

Since all the steps from cultivation to processing matter a lot, organic green tea is an even better choice as it is grown without the use of chemicals. You can also try variants of organic green tea like tulsi green tea, which improves respiratory health and relieves stress in addition to boosting immunity. You can find both these types of green tea, along with many other varieties of organically grown tea, at 24 Mantra’s 100% certified organic food store. Head over to this link to order your daily dose of health right away! http://www.24mantra.com/products-page/teas/green-tea/