Is decaf green tea good for you?
Just 8 ounces of green tea contains between 20 and 50 milligrams of caffeine. While this is not an excessive amount — it is around three times less than the average cup of coffee — if you drink multiple cups a day, your caffeine intake can easily add up. If you are particularly sensitive to caffeine, or even if you’re just trying to cut back, decaf green tea is a great option.
Green tea benefits
Aids weight loss
A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrated the ability of green tea to burn fat, highlighting links between intake and fat oxidation. If you are trying to lose weight, including green tea in your daily diet can help boost your metabolism, which can burn calories and fat.
High in antioxidants
Green tea is high in antioxidants, which work to protect the body from damaged cells that can result in various chronic illnesses, including cancers. While more research is needed to establish a clear correlation between green tea’s antioxidants and chronic illness, one review of observational studies found that women who consumed green tea frequently were at 20%-30% lower risk of developing breast cancer compared with those who did not.
May help prevent cardiovascular disease
Researchers have evidenced that the risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and heart disease, can be lessened through the consumption of green tea. This is likely to be because green tea has been suggested to reduce high cholesterol, which is one of the most significant risk factors for these diseases.
Read more Decaf Green Tea Benefits for Your Health & the Best Alternatives
Decaf green tea benefits
The benefits depend on the method that has been used to decaffeinate the tea. If the tea is subjected to a chemical process to strip its caffeine content, then it can lose up to 70% of its natural antioxidants, meaning its health benefits are significantly decreased. If, however, a natural water process is used to decaffeinate the tea, then it loses only around 5% of its antioxidants, leaving 95% of the same health benefits as regular green tea. So, as long as you choose a tea that is naturally processed, you can receive almost all the same benefits without the added caffeine.
Best decaf green teas
Yogi Decaf Pure Green Tea: available at iHerb
These tea bags are inexpensive and offer all of green tea’s natural benefits. They are naturally decaffeinated rather than processed through the use of chemical solvents, meaning that all the tea’s antioxidants are not stripped away.
Clipper Fairtrade Organic Decaf Green Tea: available at Amazon
This green tea is organically grown and is decaffeinated using a natural carbon dioxide process that leaves it packed with its natural antioxidants and allows you to reap the benefits of green tea without upping your caffeine intake.
Twinings Nightly Calm Green Tea: available at iHerb
As well as being naturally decaffeinated, this tea’s ingredients are also 100% natural, meaning it retains all the great benefits of regular green tea.
Heather Roy is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
