Benefits of Matcha Green Tea Powder & How To Use It

Have you ever resisted something because it sounds like just another fad?

Matcha powder has been around for yonks but is quite new in Australia. Buzz around this new superfood started last year and, quite frankly, it hasn't stopped since. It can be easy to dismiss something that sounds too good to be true, but we decided to take a deep dive into matcha heaven and look into why people seem to have fallen head over heels for this green tea powder.

If you're not familiar with matcha powder here's what you need to know:

• Highest quality green tea available
• Grown and produced in Japan
• 100% green tea leaves stone ground into a fine powder

So just how is this different from regular green tea powder? I'm glad you asked! With green tea you typically brew the leaves then throw them out afterwards. With matcha, you take in all the green goodness of these leaves. One cup of matcha is the nutritional equivalent of 10 cups of regular brewed green tea.

Ok. Now we've got the gist of things, we can start to let you know some of the pretty incredible matcha-benefits. 

Antioxidants
Matcha contains 137 x the antioxidants of regular green tea (6 x the amount of goji berries, 15 x pomegranate and 50 x broccoli!). Antioxidants are important because they prevent ageing and chronic diseases

Energy, Mood & Calm
Matcha powder calms the mind, enhances your mood and relaxes the bodyat the same time as giving you an energy kick. Even though matcha obviously contains caffeine, the unique harvesting process increases the content of L-Theanine which is an amino acid that balances caffeine. It offers a sustained calm alertness over time, so you avoid the caffeine jitters.

Weight Loss
At just three calories per serve, matcha tackles weight loss from both sides byboosting the metabolism and burning fat. Matcha powder is a natural weight loss aid. It contains high levels of ECGC which has been shown toincrease the rate of burning stored fat as energy, as well as decreasing the formation of new fat cells. Plus, using matcha powder has been shown to burn additional fat during workouts.

Detoxifying
The growing and harvesting process results in high levels of chlorophyll, giving the matcha powder a vibrant green colour. Matcha is a powerful detoxifier that has been shown to help the body eliminate heavy metals and other nasty buildup.
 

We honestly could go on and on about the benefits of matcha, but we think you get the idea. There are a couple of different ways to use it. 

Matcha Green Tea
1 teaspoon matcha powder
1 cup boiling water 
Add matcha and boiling water together. Whisk together. 

Matcha Chia Pudding
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon rolled oats
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
Put all ingredients in blender, transfer to a bowl and cover. Pop in fridge until sets (overnight is best)

Matcha Latte
1 teaspoon matcha powder
1/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup milk
Honey to taste
Dissolve matcha powder in hot water and stir until frothy. Heat milk until hot, remove from heat and add to tea. Stir in honey to taste.

We keep a couple of different matcha powders on our shelves. Our top sellers are the Matcha Maiden, Lotus & Zen Green Tea brands.

Have you used matcha powder? What did you think?

Enjoy,

Kaitlyn.