Antioxidant-Rich Spicy Green Tea with Lemon
By Claire Georgiou, Reboot Naturopath, B.HSc ND
This is one of my favourite go to drinks for a busy day! Green tea is high in powerful flavonoid antioxidants, in particular, epigallocatechin gallate, which provides numerous potential health benefits, including cancer and heart disease prevention. Green tea has been shown to increase and support weight loss while the juice of a lemon has been shown to potentiate green tea’s antioxidants, making them more bioavailable for absorption. Lemon juice can increase the amount of catechins your body extracts from green tea by up to six times. While compounds in tea can inhibit iron absorption from foods in your diet, drinking your green tea with lemon reduces that effect.
The chili is a nice addition to spice things up and support the metabolism. See more on this in 9 spices to spice up your life!
So, I dare you to drink this in the morning to get things going and see how it helps you!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (50 ml) boiling water
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp loose Organic Green Tea
- 1 pinch of chili powder/cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1-2 tsp honey (optional)
Directions
- Boil the water then let it sit a few minutes to reduce the temperature slightly.
- Squeeze lemon and pour this into a tea pot or coffee plunger, add in the loose green tea, chili (optional) and honey (optional).
- Let it steep for 5-10mins then enjoy warm!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1
Serving Size: 16 oz (500 ml)