I never had any intentions of cutting back on my coffee intake! Put it this way, I lived for my daily cappuccinos. The creamy, frothy sweetness were little pick-me-ups that dotted my days. But I had to … My PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) needed to be controlled more strictly with diet and I had to give up on coffee (I’m one of those people that will not drink it black!) and make the switch to Green tea.

I didn’t know much about it when I first brought Green tea into my life but 11 months later not only am I a fan but I find I can’t do without it. (read more about Green tea here) It’s benefits are numerous and the fact that it’s zero calorie and zero sugar makes this beverage truly EPIC.

So here are 5 reasons you need to start having a cuppa 🙂

1) Restore fluid balance – Not getting your 3 litres of water daily? Get it through Green tea. Not only is this beverage wonderfully hydrating but you can also make it interesting with different flavors like Green tea with lemon or Green tea with mint etc.

2) Combat caffeine addiction – Caffeine dependency is something a lot of people struggle with but too much coffee and energy drinks can have detrimental effects on one’s mood, productivity and even psychology. Green tea is a great way to get in tiny amounts of caffeine while preserving your wellbeing. Green tea has 1/3 the caffeine content of coffee.

3) Nutritional value –  Green tea is a rich source vitamins and minerals and of anti-oxidants, which are instrumental in neutralizing free radicals which otherwise cause cell damage. A cup of Green tea with a meal is an easy way of consuming anti-oxidants at almost no calorie gain. Amazingly, one can consume many more antioxidants from a simple cup of tea than from a serving of fruits or vegetables.

4) No added cost – Green tea has no sugar (assuming you haven’t added any to your brew) and next to nil calories making it for a phenomenal way to keep your digestive system busy without the burden of weight gain. Further, it can help combat sugar cravings and is a useful potion to consume regularly for this very purpose. Creamy coffees or soft drinks and juices in contrast, by nature of the way they’re marketed, trick one’s psyche into craving a snack to go with. For eg, coffee and a donut or some fizzy drink with chips/crisp . Green tea in that sense has no “baggage”

5) Fat blaster – Possibly the greatest strength of Green tea is it’s ability to enhance one’s metabolism and facilitate fat oxidation. We all want that, don’t we? To drink/eat something that will magically melt away our excess poundage? But a word of caution — this is ONLY possible in the presence of regular exercise of moderate-intense nature AND a disciplined dietary regime. Together with that, Green tea can work wonders and increase lipolysis (fat breakdown)