Loaded with antioxidants and bioactive compounds, green tea is one of the healthiest drinks to have. From improving your brain function to lowering your risk of heart disease, and helping in weight loss, green tea contributes to your health in many ways.

But, that does not mean you need to keep sipping this drink throughout the day as most people do. Don’t fall for a common misconception that the more you consume it, the better your health will be.

The time of having green tea plays a significant role in whether or not you will fetch the benefits of this beverage.

What Is Green tea?

Green tea is made from Camellia Sinensis, a plant abundant in antioxidants, caffeine, and amino acids. It also contains some vitamins, minerals and fiber. The most important antioxidant in green tea is a catechin called EGCg, in large quantities available only in green tea.

Unlike black or oolong, green tea is unoxidized. Studies showed that green tea may be helpful in the “prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases” and has “anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, antibacterial, antiangiogenic, antioxidative, antiviral, neuroprotective, and cholesterol-lowering effects. Scientists usually link health benefits to tea consumed over a long-term period rather than just a single occasional cup.

Best Time to Drink Green Tea

Green tea is a great option for a morning drink. It has just enough caffeine to give you a good morning energy boost. Unlike coffee, tea contains an amino acid L-theanine, which prevents caffeine rush and gives you sustained energy throughout several hours instead.

Experts always suggest starting the day with something healthy! Green tea can be the first thing in the morning after breakfast for a gentle lift and a mindful approach during the day. So, eat some healthy breakfast and sip on some green goodness post it.

Best time to Drink Green Tea for Weight loss

If your reason for drinking green tea is to lose weight, the best time to have a cup before your workout. A study showed that EGCG combined with caffeine, taken 90 minutes before exercise significantly increased fat oxidation rate during exercise.

Choose green tea with higher amounts of EGCg. You can increase the water temperature and steeping time to extract more caffeine and EGCg.

Both EGCg and caffeine are bitter, so be prepared for a less pleasant cup of green tea if your goal is to maximize the benefits and use green tea for weight loss.

In case you wish to improve its taste, you can add some mint leaves, honey, and lemon juice to the green tea. Also, Read – Homemade Detox Water for a Flat Stomach

Should you drink green tea before or after meals

A lot of people drink green tea after their meals, without realising that drinking green tea immediately after meals can inhibit nutrient absorption. This means, whatever you eat is not absorbed properly as the caffeine and tannins act as an obstruction. This can also dilute the gastric juices resulting in improper digestion. So it’s best to have green tea 30-45 minutes before or after your meals.

You can drink a cup of green tea between meals

For example, two hours before or after to maximize the nutrient intake and iron absorption. If you are an anaemia sufferer, avoid drinking green tea along with food.

Best time to Drink Green Tea to Boost your Metabolism

Green tea might help with digestion and boosting metabolism. Although there are no specific guidelines when you should take your tea, the best time might be before or 30-60 minutes after the meal. Early morning can be a good time to drink green tea because your metabolism is the highest, which can be boosted with a nice hot cup of green tea. It is good to drink green tea in the evening too because that’s when your metabolism tends to dip, so this could be your last shot to prolong your dipping metabolism.

Drinking Green Tea for Glowing Skin

When skin is concerned, every cup of tea might count. Tea provides not only hydration necessary for glowing skin but has anti-inflammatory properties too. It may help with photo-aged skin, fine lines and wrinkles, dark circles around the eyes and may even help reduce sebum and clear the skin from acne.

Studies showed that tea might help both from the inside and outside. To take things a step further, you can prepare a facial steam bath with green loose leaf tea and make it a part of your weekly skin routine. Also, read – What to eat for glowing skin

Worst Time to Drink Green Tea

1. Don’t drink too early in the morning

Beginning the day with a dose of caffeine may kick-start your day with the much-required impetus, it can also adversely affect the stomach balance. Drinking green tea on an empty stomach in the morning can cause bad effects on the liver because of its high content of catechins. A higher concentration of catechins can cause liver damage.

Instead, drink a glass of warm water with lime and honey or simply opt for a fruit.

2. Don’t drink Before Going To Bed

Green tea is not a drink before bedtime since caffeine can disturb your sleep. The caffeine content in green tea stimulates alertness and focus while reducing the feeling of tiredness-overall making it difficult to sleep. Drinking green tea at night might also increase the urge to urinate and hence interrupts your sleep due to nighttime wakings.

3. Don’t add honey to your green tea when it’s hot

Most of us love adding honey to green tea because it is a healthy alternative to sugar and it tastes good. However, if you add honey to a boiling cup of green tea, chances are that the nutritive value of honey will get destroyed. Hence, let your green tea’s temperature settle down a bit, then add cinnamon, honey, whatever it is you wish to add. Also read – 10 Surprising Benefits of Honey

4. Don’t add two green tea bags at the same time

Some of us have the practice of putting two green tea bags in the same cup thinking that it will burn more calories and hence, help us lose weight. Adding two green tea bags daily can lead to digestion issues and also acidity. This may further lead to nausea, vomiting and liver problems. Also read – Your Ultimate Guide to Acidity Cure

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To put it simply, you can consume diluted green tea throughout the day to detox your body. It all depends on your purpose and goal to drink the green brew.

Further read : How Drinking Green Smoothies Every Morning Will Improve Your Life