Time and again, the benefits of green tea have been discussed by doctors and health experts. As a result, different kinds of green teas have flooded the markets and our kitchens. While we all love our tea and coffee, there is a persistent reminder in our heads to replace our beloved chai with green tea whenever possible. Along with cutting down on sugar, it is believed to aid fat-burning, boost metabolism among other benefits.
So, when celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shared her views on green tea through an Instagram post, she shook everybody’s faith in this wonder-drink.
According to her, the kadak adrak-wali-chai that we love is the real solution to all our concerns about health and beauty because it provides us with the exact antioxidants that we need.
Green tea is excellent for people who are in the business of selling green tea.Rujuta Diwekar, Nutritionist
Other Nutritionists Weigh in
But can such a black and white scenario be drawn between green tea and our desi adrak-chai? Other experts weigh in:
All foods have something going for them, says nutritionist Kavita Devgan. No food is intrinsically bad.
Every different kind offers different benefits. We have grown up with regular chai with one or other spice added to it, like elaichi or ginger or clove. The kind of spice you add offers it’s own goodness. So I am all for a regular chai, so long as it is not overboiled-as that makes it acidic.
But that said, green tea serves a different purpose. It is a metabolism booster, detox agent and also delivers multiple antioxidants, adds Kavita.
Delhi based Nutritionist Rupali Datta says, "Tea is an important part of life in a tea drinking community called India. We all have our favorite recipes for making our cupa. So how do we make it healthy ? Choosing the right leaf-green, white, yellow , oolong or black is the first step.”
Green tea has well documented in vitro and in vivo studies which have highlighted the antioxidants present in it- catechins- have a preventive and therapeutic effect on our body. Boiling it in water releases more antioxidants rather than seeping. Green tea is also a good after meal or with a meal accompaniment. Lemon juice increases the antioxidants activity of green tea.Rupali Datta
She adds that black tea, which is the more commonly consumed, because of being put through more processing looses a lot of the antioxidant Catechins but has higher amounts of Gallic acid, another potent antioxidant.
Addition of milk however has shown to decrease the antioxidant activity. Consumption of black tea with a meal interferes with the absorption of some nutrients so keep a gap of at least an hour. Which is better? Both, you just need to know what you like more. I need my chai!Rupali Datta
Earlier, Rujuta Diwekar had tweeted on tips to consume tea, and why it is okay to have sugar instead of sugar-free.
If you are a diabetic or in pre diabetic state, please do consult your doctor before adding that extra sugar, warn experts.
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