Green Tea BlogAll you need to know about Green Tea

Hannah, a mother of two from Poughkeepsie, asked us the following question:

Is Green Tea safe for children?

Now, research tells us that there really is no direct answer to this question, so it is still best to decide based on your own disgression. First and foremost, the only substance that seems to be preventing anyone from giving green tea to kids is caffeine, but then again, caffeine is found in most sodas.

We have scoured the internet for opinions and we have compiled the best ones below. Some, or a combination of quoted opinions below may give you the answer to what you’re looking for.

Actually, they say now that instead of using a.d.d. medication, a nice cup of espresso will have the same effect on kids, without the cost, or the chemicals in your childs system. I had tea every morning before school with toast or bread and jam, and my i.q. is very high, I’m a writer, a musician, and a chef, and artist so don’t go by my word –but it certainly didn’t hurt me. — Nancy (Yahoo! Answers)

I say so, in moderation. It beats giving them soda pop. Green tea is a wonderful drink, I drink it a lot. The green tea I use does not have a real high caffeine content. — Jackie Blue (Yahoo! Answers)

If you have young kids, it is advisable for them not to drink tea. This is because tea contains caffeine that may over-stimulate. It also contains tannins that may block nutrients absorption such as protein and fats in children. — amazing-green-tea.com

We therefore conclude that, like everything, giving green tea to children should be done in moderation (at most once a day) and, if your kids are really, really young (below 5 years), it’s best to wait a couple of years.

Yes, it does. If you’re worried about caffeine, relax. Green tea has half the caffeine of a can of Coke (30-60 mg per serving).

And if you drink green tea you will relax without even trying. Unlike the caffeine in soda and coffee, the caffeine in green tea does not raise your blood pressure. It even has a calming effect.

Caffeine often gets a bad rap. Studies show that our bodies benefit from a moderate intake of caffeine each day. If you’re avoiding caffeine for health reasons you’re actually depriving your body of health benefits.

The best way to get caffeine is in green tea. Don’t add sugar to the green tea because that will dilute the health benefits of the caffeine.

There are benefits to green tea apart from the caffeine, of course. For example, Purdue University conducted a study that showed that green tea has a compound that helps fight cancer cells. Also, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, auto-immune difficulties, high cholesterol, frequent infections and heart disease, green tea has been proven to be effective. It also destroys the bacteria that causes tooth decay. These are just a few of the benefits of green tea. It can even help you lose weight! But I’ll save those wondrous details for another article.

You’re probably wondering: Why green tea instead of other types of tea?

Green tea leaves are steamed whereas black and oolong tea leaves are fermented and the compounds in them are not nearly as effective as a result.

If you’ve avoided green tea because you don’t like the taste let me assure you that there is a huge variety of green tea available. Some are blended with spices, some have an edgier taste, some are almost sweet.

Hannah Graham