Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of
whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or
low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as
cheaply as possible.

GreatArtist wrote:
> Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of
> whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or
> low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as
> cheaply as possible.

Then I'd buy a good multivitimin. Tea isn't your answer. Freshness and
the processing of the specific green tea are the top factors in getting
the most out of your tea. Ultimately you want the freshest and least
processed green tea possible. Probably Bancha/Sencha would be the best
balance of price/performance.

If you are only into green tea for the supposed health benefits, like I
said look elsewhere. Eat a pomegranate, or some blueberries... you'd
get more out of it. All the hype surrounding green tea is just that,
hype. Now if you drink green tea, eat healthy, exercise normally as
part of your daily life you may see some benefit.. outside of that you
won't get much. Or buy a green tea extract from the store, whatever
miracle you believe it will provide will be hundreds times more
concentrated in that and not require the time, investment, or knowledge
of the real nature of green tea.

- Dominic

I eat raw fruits and vegetables, salmon, fish oil, and nuts. So I eat
healthy.
I just got through watching tv shows on PBS by 3 different health
experts,
and they all recommend green tea for helping to raise metabolism. So
I'll take their word for how beneficial green tea is.
Also, now that it's winter, I need something hot and healthy I can
drink
every day. I just went out and bought a box of green tea from the
market
and I ordered some chinese green tea from Upton Tea Imports.

GreatArtist wrote:
> I eat raw fruits and vegetables, salmon, fish oil, and nuts. So I eat
> healthy.
> I just got through watching tv shows on PBS by 3 different health
> experts,
> and they all recommend green tea for helping to raise metabolism. So
> I'll take their word for how beneficial green tea is.
> Also, now that it's winter, I need something hot and healthy I can
> drink
> every day. I just went out and bought a box of green tea from the
> market
> and I ordered some chinese green tea from Upton Tea Imports.

I'm not disputing them, but 9 times out of 10 when I get asked about
all these "wonderful" health benefits from green tea it is by someone
who has no inclination to actually eat good, exercise, or even care
about the actual green tea. It isn't a miracle drink, its tea. It's
been around for thousands of years, millions of people have drank it
daily from young to old and none have ever exhibited remarkable
benefits that would make anyone stand on rooftops and shout out the
virtues of green tea.

It may have a slight effect on metabolism, it does contain
antioxidants, it is warm. But as I stated there are many more
beneficial things to eat/drink if you are purely after health benefits.
Drink green tea because you enjoy it, not for some supposed benefits.
If you don't enjoy it, drink black tea, or oolong, or jaegermeister...
they'll have about the same level of benefit to you.

And as with anything, if you eat nuts/fruits/salmon/etc. would a fresh
stream caught native salmon be better than one that has been in the
bottom of your grocery store's freezer for a month? Same with tea.

- Dominic

"GreatArtist" > writes:

> Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of
> whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or
> low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as
> cheaply as possible.

I'm not a biologist, but I try to pay attention when new studies
relating tea to health surface. I doubt that there's anything in
print relating green tea quality and freshness to the various chemical
markers scientists think affect human health. But if you stay with
it, appreciating the tea you put in your mouth will certainly pay
psychic benefits, and there's lots of evidence that mood affects
health. Besides, you only have one life, so why drag yourself through
it? By the way, you can probably get a lot of pleasure from tea
without spending amounts of money that would bother you.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

I'm pretty sure that the scientific studies haven't been done to
differentiate between the different kinds of green tea for their
effects on health.They have found almost as much of the antioxidents in
black tea You might wait till tea is on sale and buy Celestial
Seasonings Antioxident green tea, citris flavor, and see if that's what
you want. Toci
GreatArtist wrote:
> Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of
> whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or
> low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as
> cheaply as possible.

"GreatArtist" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of
> whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or
> low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as
> cheaply as possible.
>

What is your definition of "health benefits"? Some people think more energy
is a benefit, some - longer life, some deseaseless life. These things are
not always combinable due to age, genetics and many other factors.
Before you clearly define your context and /or your goals no precise answer
may be given.

Sasha.

"GreatArtist" > wrote in news:1167408061.258518.282320@
79g2000cws.googlegroups.com:

> Do you get the same health benefits from green tea regardless of
> whether it's cheap or expensive, fresh or not fresh, high quality or
> low quality? I just care about the health benefits and getting it as
> cheaply as possible.
>

At one point I was referred to an alternative MD who recommended EGCG
(one of the most common phenols in tea) in 500mg capsules as a cancer
fighting agent. But it's a far cry from downing two or three of those a
day to *enjoying* a Yunnan or Taiwan white, aged raw Pu-erh, Margaret's
Hope Darjeeling or even a bag of cheap Taj Mahal Assam.

Dominic is right, tea is not a miracle drug, but a subtle drink capable
of many variations and the basis of a good many cultural rituals (see
HobbesOxon's contribution to the thread "Tea Etiquette" above). It has
some health benefits, doubtless, but to ignore the main uses to which it
has been put lo these many centuries is really missing the point, not to
mention depriving yourself of one of life's pleasures. Didn't the British
used to have a saying, "A little of what you fancy does you good?"

BTW, I still take the EGCG and other things... but try not to neglect to
relish tea unless extraordinary circumstances prevail.

Ozzy