You have probably heard in the news, in magazines, newspapers, etc. that green tea in particular is good for you, but you may not know why or how it is. What is it that is different about green tea than any other tea or beverage or food? What makes green tea such a popular topic when it comes to discussing healthy eating and drinking habits? What is in green tea that makes it a healthy drink? What is all the fuss about?

In this article, I will explain all of the whys and how’s of why and how green tea is good for your body. You'll know why the Chinese and Japanese cultures have been using it as a healthy drink for hundreds of centuries, and why they tend to live longer than those in the Western parts of the world!

Healthy Ingredients of Green Tea:

Antioxidants are the main ingredient that makes green tea so particularly special. According to the dictionary, an antioxidant is either a chemical compound or substance that inhibits oxidation.

For example, these are some of the substances that are antioxidants are:

• Vitamin E
• Vitamin C
• Beta Carotene
• And so many More!

These antioxidants are thought to protect body cells from the damaging effects of oxidation, hence the name, antioxidant. An antioxidant thwarts or slows the breakdown of another material by oxygen, according to www.answers.com. Some antioxidants are added to foods and beverages. These additions include Vitamin C, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHI), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). These are added to put a stop to the foods from getting rotten or from discoloration.

The Effects Antioxidants Have in Your Body:

Antioxidants decrease the amount of free radicals in your body. Free radicals are a byproduct of oxidation reactions in metabolism, according to the dictionary. These free radicals can damage your body in a variety of ways. One way is by damaging the cells in your body. They are also believed to possibly cause a variety of illnesses and diseases.

Free Radicals May Cause These Illnesses and Diseases:

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Hypertension
• Myocardial Ischemia
• Liver Cell Injury
• Carcinogenesis
• And More

Simply put, the end result of having to many free radicals in your body without proper treatment is oxidation, which can lead to a variety of illnesses and diseases, some life-threatening. Although free radicals are actually a normal element of your metabolism, and your body actually creates some of its own antioxidants to fight off those nasty free radicals. However, there are many things that can dangerously increase the amount of free radicals in your body, and your natural antioxidants won't be able to keep up with the abundance of them. This includes air pollution, and cigarette smoke. Consuming foods and beverages with antioxidants can extensively limit the amount of free radicals in your body, helping your body fight off the oxidation. Some natural ways to consume antioxidants are by simply eating fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. However, according to WebMD, green tea has 8-10 times the amount of antioxidants than fruits and vegetables, or any other food or beverage for that matter.

Green, black and oolong tea, surprisingly, all come from the same plant known as the Camellia Sinensis. The leaves from the Camellia Sinensis are simply processed in different ways. The green tea leaves are processed like the others, but not fermented as the others are. All of these teas have a lot of certain different types of an antioxidant called polyphenols. Polyphenols are able to enter your body and find the free radicals there and detoxify them.

According to WebMD, research and studies have found that the various antioxidants in these teas can prevent numerous ailments, diseases and illnesses.

Some of these ailments include:

• The damage of blood clot formation
• Cancers
• Atherosclerosis
• A decrease in the occurrence of heart disease and strokes
• Lower bad (LDL) cholesterol
• Better recovery from heart attacks

Antioxidants can also help:

• Increase metabolism
• Help you lose weight by heightening your metabolism and fighting fat and burning calories
• Slow tumor growth
• Fight bad breath
• Protect against Parkinson's Disease
• Delay the onset of Diabetes
• Improve Skin
• And even prevent skin cancer by applying the tea extract in lotions to your skin

Obviously, green tea is a real and natural health advantage with an extremely large and rapidly growing list of health benefits, not just for your overall health and weight maintenance, but also for prevention of possible future illnesses. Drinking green tea regularly can not only improve your overall health, but can also possibly prevent future illnesses and diseases. You can begin by having it as your morning beverage of choice, drink it at night before bedtime, or both. The general recommendation for the amount of green tea you should drink is 2-3 cups daily. There is nothing reporting that you can drink too much green tea, but water is also an important beverage as well. The health benefits of the consumption of green tea are far too many to deny.

Also, if you take a look at China and Japan, they have far less diseases and illnesses than in the United States. They live longer lives, and even have non-occurrences of some particular cancers that we have in the United States. It is said that green tea and other teas play a large part in this significant difference in the health of these populations. Most Chinese and Japanese drink green, black and oolong tea on a daily basis. It's difficult to say that it is a mere coincidence that their populations as a whole are so much healthier than other nations.

Eating fruits and vegetables are a great way to get antioxidants into your body to fight off free radicals, and you should eat them on a daily basis for overall health. Adding green tea to your daily diet can be an excellent way to stay healthy, not to mention, fight and prevent illnesses, diseases and cancers. Your body will thank you in many ways.