G is for Green Tea

At our house, at any given time, you will likely see someone drinking a cup of green tea, especially in the winter months.

As soon as someone gets the first signs of getting sick, a warm mug of green tea is placed in his or her hands.

Dawson starts each day with a cup of hot green tea before he goes to school. When Eli was in school we didn't allow him to drink from the water fountains because of his lower immune system. Instead, he took a large water jug filled with green tea and drank from it all day at school.

Brynne even has a special tea pot and tea cup and saucer and her own loose leaf strawberry green tea that she drinks often.

When we start to feel sluggish or cranky in our school day at home, I make a round of hot green tea for everybody.

And starting in the late afternoon until I go to bed at night, you probably will not see me without my yellow ceramic travel cup filled to the brim with stevia-sweetened green tea. In the summer, after I am done drinking my coffee in the morning, I usually drink 64 ounces of iced green tea with lemon throughout the day.

Why all the green tea?

• It tastes good.
• It keeps us hydrated and gives us energy.
• It has loads of health benefits because of the catechins and other antioxidants, and anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties.

Green tea is consumed in large quantities in many ancient countries and is thought to be a large contributing factor in the prolonged lifespan of it's citizens. It is proven to slow osteoporosis, fight and prevent certain cancers, contribute to weight loss, and decrease the occurrence of heart attack and stroke.

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In other words, it's a good-for-you-good-tasting-satisfying-health-promoting drink. And we drink tons of it. And most nights I even prefer it over a glass of wine. It soothes me that much.

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