Green Tea in My Smoothie: Okay?

[jamesndawson]

I have some instant, powdered, green tea: Wisdom Natural Brands (www.wisdomnaturalbrands.com).

Yesterday, I wanted save some time, a step and liquid intake, so instead of brewing a cup, I put a teaspoon in my fruit smoothie---a grapefruit, 12 drops GFSE, a handful of frozen cranberries, a tsp of fresh squeezed lemon juice, a tsp of stevia and a tablespoon of flax meal.

Is this blend okay, or sub-optimal? Do any ingredients interfere with, inhibit, each other?

I like the convenience of it, but I want it to be as nutritious as possible.

Would be grateful for any advice.

Thanks.

[MikayP]

na. thats the great things about smoothies. go for it

[baldy]

I think anything that is sacred about green tea was lost the moment it was made into an instant powder.

[BlueRose]

I think anything that is sacred about green tea was lost the moment it was made into an instant powder.

+2

It's above +1 even.

[jamesndawson]

Thank you!

[beforewisdom]

Green tea smoothies have long been a fixture in Japan and Taiwan.....you can even get them in bubble tea shops in U.S. cities. Nobody has died from them yet.

[beforewisdom]

I think anything that is sacred about green tea was lost the moment it was made into an instant powder.

Taste yes. Health benefits may be a different story. Last year I read a book about the health benefits of green tea. The scientists in those studies didn't actually use green tea. They used highly concentrated extracts.

They also fed the extracts to rats, so any claims about green "tea" may not mean much from that perspective either.

[baldy]

I think anything that is sacred about green tea was lost the moment it was made into an instant powder.

Taste yes. Health benefits may be a different story. Last year I read a book about the health benefits of green tea. The scientists in those studies didn't actually use green tea. They used highly concentrated extracts.

They also fed the extracts to rats, so any claims about green "tea" may not mean much from that perspective either.

Yeah I have read the same, wonder how much of that is simply the caffeine speedup up your metabolism?

I am actually drinking some green tea now (got a nice cast iron tea pot for xmas), might have a smoothie later.

[jamesndawson]

Thanks for the further input.
I've tried ordering Wisdom Instant Green Tea several times over the past year from several on-line sources and it's been discontinued by all of them, so I'm assuming for some reason they didn't seem willing to disclose, they aren't making it any more. I found a small bag in a brick & mortar store for $17, way too much for my budget, and much more per weight than Wisdom.
So, I'm back to tea bags. I'm going through some Liptons right now, though I don't claim they're the best. There are all kinds of "organics" in many stores, even the dollar stores. I don't know how good the quality of any of these are.
I've printed out the Green Tea Wikipedia article & discussion pages and hope to answer some of my questions from this when I get around to reading it. I saw on the news once you have to drink so much GT for it to have any benefits. I've been trying to drink a cup/bag a day, but I wonder if this is too little
There's also all kind of details about the water temp., brewing time, etc. for the "optimal" cup of tea, but I hope my simpler method of just boiling water and guestimating steeping time is good enough. I understand people enjoying the ritual, but I'm not quite into it enough to want to bother with it if it doesn't really improve the nutrition that much.

[baldy]

I'm going through some Liptons right now, though I don't claim they're the best. There are all kinds of "organics" in many stores, even the dollar stores. I don't know how good the quality of any of these are.

Do you have any asian shops you can go to? I get loose green tea leaves from my local asian supermarket, really are infinitely better than any tea bags you can get. If you find a shop, ask about gunpowder green tea, its awesome. No idea about health benefits but it is nice to drink.

[powerlifer]

I would keep it away from your smoothie and consume it at other times.

Most tea's are tannin rich which means that they will bind and lock up many of the nutrients and beneficial compounds in your smoothie.

We sell all the top grade green, white, rooibos tea. Gunpowder green tea is very nice, still prefer rooibos as it is caffiene free, low in tannins and higher in antioxidants than green tea.

[Fallen_Horse]

If you can afford it, matcha is the way to go. It's ground green tea leaves (minus the stems). Costs about $10/oz, but 1 tsp gets you 8oz of tea so it's not any more than other high-end brands. Plus, since you are consuming the entire leaf, you are getting WAY more antioxidants. Check it out!

[kathyjoyce]

Loose green tea has a higher level of polyphenols than tea bags. This makes it more nutritious and has greater health benefits. Loose tea doesn't take long to make. All you need is a teapot and a tea strainer. The flavour is often better as well.