Is Green Tea Good for Diabetes Patients

 

Introduction:

In the past 2 decades, we have witnessed a massive change in lifestyle worldwide. The rising consumption of processed foods, refined carbohydrates & transfats, in addition to more screen time, less exercise, alcohol & tobacco consumption, and much more, has led to an increase in diabetes cases. Rising cases of diabetes have been a cause of worry throughout the world. As per a news published on Healthline around 11.2% of the Indian Population suffer from Diabetes. It is also expected that around 134 million people in India will be living with Diabetes by 2045. 

The question that arises next is what can be done to prevent diabetes
The obvious solution is to keep all the precautions and lead a healthy lifestyle. To lead a healthy lifestyle, what you consume daily matters a lot. 

In this piece, we will discuss the importance of healthy drinks for diabetes patients, the health benefits of green tea for diabetes patients (backed by science), a bit about how green tea is useful for those suffering from Type 2 diabetes & our recommendation of which healthy tea you can go for.

Importance of healthy drinks for diabetes patients

Due to a condition called Insulin Resistance, the body cells of Type 2 Diabetes Patients cannot efficiently absorb blood sugar. This leads to elevated blood glucose levels which increases the risk of diabetes complications. Hence, diabetic patients should carefully ascertain the type of food & drinks they consume.

Health Benefits of Green Tea for Diabetes Patients (Backed by Science)

 

A cup of natural green tea contains 0 calories which makes it a great alternative to beverages containing sugar & caloric sodas, as well as energy drinks, which thus helps to keep blood sugar under control.

Further, the catechins in green tea help reduce the effects of insulin resistance by decreasing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.

Green tea also has a powerful antioxidant called polyphenol, which helps provide cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Research in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that people in Japan who drank 6 or more cups of green tea per day were 33 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who consumed less than 1 cup of green tea.per week.

Green Tea for Type 2 Diabetes

-       Green Tea boosts metabolism & assists in weight loss, which thus helps you keep your obesity in check & reduce the risk of diabetes

-       The polyphenols present in Green Tea reduce cholesterol, blood pressure, and oxidative stress, thereby reducing heart disease risk associated with diabetes

-       This healthy tea may also control cellular damage & improve the utilization of glucose by skeletal muscle cells which can lead to reducing blood glucose levels.

-       Lastly, as discussed above, catechins reduce the effects of insulin resistance by decreasing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.

What you should look for before selecting healthy green tea?

 To evaluate the green tea quality, you should see the following

Firstly, you should take a look at the type of leaves used in the product. For regular green tea, Whole Leaves Green Tea gives you the Best Quality Green Tea. While for flavoured green tea the ones made using whole leaves & brokens are perfect.

Next up, healthy green tea is made using 100% Natural Ingredients. Do look for that too while selecting the product.

Note: If you are looking for green tea bags, it is always good to go for pyramid tea bags as they give you the best quality green tea

 Which Healthy Green Tea should Diabetes patients go for? 

While all the green teas made using 100% natural ingredients are good for health, we recommend the following 3 for diabetes patients:

1)    Himalayan Green Tea: Made using 100% Natural Ingredients, this healthy Himalayan Green Tea can keep your calories in check & increases fat burning.

2)    Sweet Himalayan Green Tea: If you would like a green tea that is sweet, yet healthy for diabetics, keep Sweet Himalayan Green Tea your go-to choice. The combination of Stevia & Green Tea is used to prepare this tea & can be a great choice for you even if you are diabetic.

3)    Lemongrass Cinnamon Green Tea: Loaded with antioxidants, the Lemongrass Cinnamon Green Tea is not just great for cold & cough, but also great for detoxifying & boosting weight loss.

You can get these in both loose leaf & pyramid tea bag form at Hustlebush.

 To sum it up,

Adding Green Tea to your diet can definitely help you to manage diabetes.

Having said that, consuming green tea alone may not help you reduce diabetes, but having a healthy diet coupled with doing physical activities like walking, and exercise can do wonders.