Let’s play a little game called “Never Have I Ever”. Heard of this one before? Okay, I’ll go first. Never have I ever thought about buying tea online. I’m gonna go out on a limb right now and assume that you’re in the same boat. Okay, well let me try this again. Never have I ever thought that if I did buy said tea online that I would be sipping it at home the very next day.
Well, I did just that, folks. I sat at home in my pj’s, propped my laptop on top of my chest (ladies, you know what I’m sayin) and ordered myself some Alokozay Tea. The very next day, I was brewing myself a cup while wearing the exact same pj’s. Don’t judge me, I work from home. It’s basically my job to work in comfy clothes with remnants of the morning’s smoothie spilled across my old t-shirt. I know, I’m sexy.
Want to know what kind of teas I ordered for myself? Well, I’m gonna tell you whether you want to hear it or not. I couldn’t decide so I went a little bananas. I opted for Cinnamon Tea due to it’s blood sugar balancing benefits and delicious warming taste. I went for the Moroccan Tea to help with my digestion after meals. I always go for a good quality Orange Pekoe Tea because my British grandmother would disown me if I didn’t. Then, I just haaaaad to get the Jasmine Tea because come on, who doesn’t love going for sushi (okay, that excuse was a bit of a stretch, I just like tea).
BUT the most important one in the bunch is the Alokozay Gun Powder Green Loose Tea. Not to downplay any of the other teas, but this one was pretty much my whole reason for the purchase in the first place. I’m sure by now you’ve heard a lot about Green Tea. Well, I want to tell you why it’s always a staple in my healthy household. If by now you haven’t realized, the household is a little tea crazy, so I’m more than likely to be ordering some more online, as well as educating myself on other teas that people drink frequently for their health benefits, something like this Kratom tea for example.
Catherine’s Cabinet Top 5 Reasons to Love Green Tea
1. Weight Loss: Green Tea can help to boost your metabolic rate and increase your energy production. This can result in shedding of the pounds! Some people opt to take some kratom powder with their tea to help with this too. The tea can also help to stabilize your blood sugar, leading to less naughty cravings but more balanced hormones.
2. Heart Health: This stuff packs a serious antioxidant-punch. Along with aiding in the prevention of some types of cancers, it can help to prevent oxidative cell damage leading to a lower risk of heart disease. Green Tea can also lower your bad cholesterol levels and blood pressure, two things that any expert (be they from the Cardiovascular Group or anywhere else) would likely say is a good thing.
3. Coffee Replacement: Green Tea does contain caffeine. But, it has less than coffee and it’s a much better alternative as a stimulant due to its many other beneficial properties. Why do we want a stimulant anyways? Well, when used correctly in sports nutrition, it can help to deliver an added boost of energy for performance purposes. As for the rest of us, it’s a great replacement to coffee. If you’re looking to reduce your caffeine intake, go for a green tea instead of a coffee and you’ll still get a boost – but with less caffeine intake and none of that buzzing-coffee effect. Not to mention the number a lot of coffee can do on your digestive system. Ouch. Having said that, some blogs (like Awesomejelly, for instance) have more to say on if coffee is good or bad for us, so give them a read and make your own choices there.
4. Combat Anxiety: Although Green Tea contains the stimulant caffeine which is usually to be avoided when treating anxiety, it also contains something called L-Theanine. Not all foods are created equal, my friends! L-Theanine boosts the inhibitory transmitter GABA, which can cross the blood brain barrier and causes an effect on the parasympathetic nervous system. In other words (AKA non-confusing biochem talk), it causes a relaxed state by lowering your dopamine levels. Ahhh…
5. Brain Health: Let’s talk about antioxidants again. Ever heard of polyphenols? They’re antioxidants. Well, Green Tea contains two types of polyphenols called catechins and flavonoids (no, I didn’t make these words up). I want to talk specifically about catechins. When I was in school for nutrition, I did a meaty research paper on the effects of Green Tea on helping to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s. Let me sum it up for you. Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is a catechin that protects the brain against oxidative damage by preventing the misfolding of specific proteins that have been linked to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s. The importance lies in prevention of damage in the brain cells as they do not regenerate. Here are two keys for absorbing catechins properly: a) don’t boil the water when making your Green Tea as it will reduce their effect, just heat it to about 60-70 degrees celsius; b) they are easier to absorb when paired with Vitamin C rather than dairy, so throw some lemon or orange slices into your tea cup!
Not sold on Green Tea yet? Well, did I mention that it’s also delicious too? So tasty in fact, that I’ve decided to create a recipe just for you using Alokozay Green Tea. This smoothie contains Vitamin C so you’ll absorb those lovely helpful catechins, good fats to boost your metabolism and some added fibre for gut-health. So, get brewing and start blending!
The Green Coco-Tea Smoothie
1 Cup Alokozay Gun Powder Green Loose Tea, brewed and cooled
1 TBSP Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
Handful Spinach
1 Frozen Banana
1/2 Cup Frozen Pineapple
1-2 TSP Chia Seeds (ground or whole)
Combine 2 TBSP of the loose Green Tea in a filter with 1 cup of hot water (60-70C). Brew tea for 3 mins (will make a stronger tea to use as a liquid for the smoothie). Let sit until cool or set aside in fridge for about 30 mins.
In a blender, combine cooled tea and remaining ingredients. Blend and enjoy!
Okay, so as awesome as it to sit in the comfort of your own home and order yourself some tea online, it’s also available in store. Obviously. You can find Alokozay Tea in Ontario at Metro in the International Food Section, at Food Basics, Adonis and Bulk Barns across Canada.
I’m so excited about this tea, that I want to give YOU $1.00 off your purchase! Just click HERE, print the coupon and shop away!
Photos: Catherine Sugrue & Alokozay Canada
Make sure to follow along with the #CatherinesCabinet Instagram account! For more information and helpful tips, make sure to stay up to date with all things Health & Nutrition on my website, Catherine’s Cabinet.
In health,
Catherine Sugrue, CNP
Holistic Nutritionist
*** I partnered with the brand to write this article but the opinions and content expressed above are my own.
I started using alokozay green tea now two months I had fatigue and I was fattening uncontrollably and my breathing had really increased like someone who was being chased but now I feel relieved and then ok ever since I started drinking this tea both morning,evening and even when I was going to bed alongside a balanced diet
I just want to ask because I am 12 weeks pregnant it’s safe for me alokozay jasmine tea