Everyday exposures to things like tobacco smoke, pesticides, alcohol, processed foods, added sugars, air pollution, and environmental toxins in our homes contribute to oxidative stress in our bodies. When we're under chronic physical stress, our cells can become damaged due to an imbalance between reactive oxygen species ( like free radicals) and antioxidants. Free radicals are atoms or molecules that have one or more unpaired electrons. Having single, unpaired electrons makes these atoms or molecules highly unstable and very reactive, and they work to find other free electrons hanging out in our body so that they can become a pair. This damages our cell membranes, our DNA and our proteins and can contribute to premature aging and chronic diseases. Antioxidants are important players for combatting oxidative stress because they provide an electron to balance out the free radical. This neutralizes the free radical and prevents it from doing further damage to our cells.
One way we can work to combat oxidative stress is through our diet. Have you tried Matcha tea? It’s a Japanese powdered green tea that has mega-amounts of antioxidants. Although matcha comes from the same plant as green tea, it has a much higher concentration of antioxidants than regular green tea because it’s made from the entire leaf and is cultivated differently. It contains polyphenols with compounds including flavonols, flavandiols and phenolic acids, and is one of the best sources of the Rutin flavonoid, which is neuroprotective and helps to fight inflammation.
When you drink Matcha, you might notice the difference in how you feel compared to drinking regular coffee. You might experience more clarity and longer-lasting energy, because the caffeine in Matcha is released more slowly into your body along with amino acids like L-theanine. This gives you a combo of clarity and caffeination, supplied in a steady stream, and helps to avoid the caffeine crash you might experience with coffee. The high levels of antioxidants in Matcha help protect your cells against damage due to oxidative stress. It's also high in chlorophyll (5x higher than regular green tea!) which helps your body get rid of heavy metals efficiently by binding to them in a process called chelation. Matcha is also cancer-fighting due to its high content of the antioxidant EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate).
Keeping your major detoxification organs (your liver and kidneys) healthy is the key to supporting your body's natural ability to eliminate endocrine disrupting chemicals and other toxins efficiently. We'll talk about more ways to support your body's natural detoxification processes in upcoming posts.
How to make it:
1. Add 1 tsp Matcha powder into a cup or wide bowl.
2. Add in 2 ounces of hot water (not boiling!)
3. Whisk the water and matcha powder together using a Z-shape motion until a froth forms.
*You can use a matcha whisk or simply shake the matcha powder and water in a jar.
4. Now add in another 6 ounces of hot water or make a latte by adding 6 ounces of hot or steamed milk instead (I love using oat milk).
Enjoy!!
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