The Best Sugar-Free Way to Start Your Day

If you’re looking for a healthy, sugar-free alternative to coffee and tea, matcha is an excellent option. Matcha is an incredibly versatile alternative, commonly used to make tea as well as an ingredient in cakes, desserts, lattes and smoothies. With sugar awareness week, right around the corner, we wanted to highlight the best way to start your day with energy and focus, and without sugar!

The health benefits of matcha are vast, as it contains no sugar and is packed with antioxidants. It has also been shown to help combat a wide range of medical complaints like cancer and liver disease. Starting the day with a steaming cup of matcha tea or a frothy matcha latte can transform your morning routine. But what is matcha and how can you enjoy the benefits?

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a type of powdered green tea that comes from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Although it derives from the same place as traditional green tea, it is produced differently, giving it a unique appearance and flavor.

During growth, bamboo mats are placed over the plants, allowing more chlorophyll to enter the leaves, which results in the vivid green color that makes matcha so distinctive. Matcha is made from the youngest and freshest parts of the Camellia sinensis plants, and the leaves are steamed and dried to preserve as much flavor and nutrients as possible. Finally, the leaves are ground and used to make tea and other hot beverages. As a result, when you drink matcha you are consuming the entire leaf rather than just an infusion. 

The Benefits of Matcha

Matcha has so many benefits for those who consume it regularly. Here are a few of great reasons to make it part of your daily routine.

It is sugar-free

It’s important to minimize the amount of sugar in your diet, and matcha is a great alternative to sweet beverages as it tastes incredibly rich and delicious without any added sugar. This makes it easier to lose weight, meet fitness goals, or just get your day off to a healthy start.

It contains antioxidants

Matcha contains a high amount of catechins, which are natural antioxidants. These protect your body against compounds called free radicals, which are known to damage your cells and cause chronic disease. Regular matcha drinkers have a reduced risk for various health concerns including cancer, liver disease, diabetes, and heart disease.

It is versatile

A cup of matcha tea is incredibly easy to prepare, and will only take a few minutes out of your morning. But one of the great things about matcha is how versatile it is. Since it comes in powdered form, it can be added to almost anything. Use it to make lattes or smoothies, or add it to your porridge or yogurt for an added health kick.

It boosts brain function

Matcha can improve your performance at work as it is shown to boost cognitive function.Studies have demonstratedthat drinking matcha has a positive impact on memory, attention span, and reaction time.

What Makes Matcha Better Than the Alternatives?

3 out of 4 Americans start their day with a coffee, while plenty of others use tea, juice, or energy drinks to wake themselves up in the morning. Although these drinks may be effective, they are not the healthiest options.

As we have seen, matcha is full of antioxidants, sugar-free, and has a range of amazing health benefits that can improve your wellbeing in the long term. Although it does contain caffeine, matcha gives you an energy boost in a different way to beverages such as coffee and tea. Matcha contains l-theanine, and the caffeine kick is released and absorbed far more slowly, allowing you to feel energized for longer and avoiding a crash later on in the day. This makes it easier for you to focus on your work and stay alert into the afternoon. 

In addition, matcha is not packed with sugar and chemicals like many store-bought juices and energy drinks, so you are not doing any damage to your gut health or weight in the process.

You can drink matcha each and every day, safe in the knowledge that you are taking charge of your health and wellbeing. Not to mention that it’s an incredibly delicious and luxurious drink with enormous variety. Try a smooth matcha latte on a cold winter’s morning or add it to smoothies and homemade juice with some ice in the summer.