If you are looking for the best way to drink your tea to take advantage of its benefits, we have an answer: drink your green tea with lemon. There are several studies that support that the combination of these two ingredients would enhance their respective virtues for the human body.
Why drink green tea with lemon?
In the world of gastronomy, there are famous examples of products that taste delicious on their own, but that, with the right pairing, become a devastating combination.
Mint with chocolate, strawberries with cream, melon with ham, coffee and caramel… Apparently distant elements whose flavors, however, complement each other perfectly. Green tea with lemon is an example. United they taste like glory.
However, the answer to this question requires thinking beyond the palate.
There are indications that the benefits of green tea are amplified by incorporating lemon. An example is the antioxidant power of the drink, and not only because lemon is a source of vitamin C, but also because its components prevent the volatilization of tea catechins, whose effect is also antioxidant.
This is just an example. Let’s see below all the benefits of this devastating combination.
Health properties of green tea with lemon
The consumption of green tea has spread throughout the West in recent years, mainly due to its slimming potential, although, in reality, it provides many other benefits to the human body. Hand in hand with the lemon, these would be multiplied.
They contribute to weight loss
Unfortunately, overweight and obesity are two of the most common diseases today.
For this reason, weight loss aids have become so important on a day-to-day basis. Among them, green tea stands out. But with a caveat regarding less reliable alternatives: there are many scientific studies that corroborate its properties.
In this case we have two ingredients that provide different properties, green tea and lemon.
A long-term clinical trial found that regular green tea drinkers had lower body fat than non-drinkers. This would be due to its content of caffeine and catechins, two substances that act by facilitating fat burning.
For its part that lemon polyphenols suppress weight gain and body fat accumulation by increasing oxidation and improving fat synthesis in the liver.
Don’t you think that green tea with lemon can, then, be a good ally of your diet to lose weight?
Antimicrobial effect
Both green tea and lemon exhibit antibacterial properties that would serve to protect us from various infections. For example, a study has suggested that the consumption of green tea helps to eliminate the presence of bacteria in the oral cavity, thus protecting the teeth from the appearance of caries and the gums from the inflammatory diseases that affect them, such as gingivitis.
Lemon is rich in antioxidant substances that also have antimicrobial properties. For this reason, its consumption is recommended both to eliminate germs from the mouth and its use to clean surfaces.
Could reduce the risk of cancer
The relationship between tea consumption, lifestyle habits and cancer incidence has been studied for many years. Although the results are not yet conclusive, some experts maintain that the polyphenols present in green tea could reduce the risk of developing cancer.
It is worth clarifying that polyphenols are molecules with antioxidant potential that, as such, fight against free radicals to protect our DNA from the damage they cause. Keep in mind that DNA damage can lead to cancer.
In particular, it has been possible to detect an inhibition of the growth of tumor cells in animal studies when they have been exposed to the use of polyphenols.
If we refer specifically to lemons, their antioxidant components have shown properties to protect the organism from the proliferation of abnormal cells, at least in animals.
Take care of the heart
Lemon provides 53 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, about 50% of the recommended daily dose. This is good news because scientific data shows that vitamin C intake protects the body from cardiovascular disease.
In addition, the fiber and flavonoids present in lemon help reduce the presence of fats and, therefore, cholesterol, one of the most important risk markers for heart disease.
Green tea, meanwhile, is not far behind either: its consumption markedly reduces levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. In this way, green tea with lemon would serve to protect the heart and reduce the risk, for example, of a heart attack.
Improves digestion
Traditional medicine recommends drinking a cup of green tea after a heavy meal due to its relaxing and digestive potential. If, in addition, you add lemon, you will multiply this benefit since the soluble fiber of lemon, pectin, helps improve heavy digestion.
An advice? If your stomach feels queasy or heavy, drink your tea with the lemon pulp as that is where the pectin is concentrated.
Reduction of sugar levels
The antidiabetic properties of green tea have been proven by a study, while the data on the fiber of lemon and its action on sugar levels have been pointed out.
Their combination could regulate blood sugar levels, thus improving insulin sensitivity. It should be clarified that if you suffer from diabetes, of course, you must follow the treatment indicated by your doctor, it would only be a supplement.
How and when to drink green tea with lemon?
The reality is that you can drink this infusion at any time because it is really delicious. However, it is usually recommended in the morning since, in this way, the body starts its day with a good dose of antioxidants and burns a greater proportion of fat.
Now, how to prepare the best cup of green tea with lemon in the world? The first thing to consider is the temperature of the water: if it boils, it will burn the tea leaves and make it bitter.
For this reason, we recommend heating the water to between 70ºC and 80ºC and then adding 5 g of green tea. Let the leaves rest for 5 minutes and finally add the lemon juice before serving. The amount will depend on the flavor you’re after: you can add just a few drops for a light citrus tinge, or a couple of tablespoons if you prefer a tart flavor. Either way, you can rectify with a little honey if you want to soften the flavor.
Green tea with lemon is a gift of nature for our palates. Try it and benefit from its properties to protect health.