I have finally managed to coerce one of my friends into taking the organic challenge and dumping pesticide-ridden toxic food! I must admit I was a little proud of myself and even more with my friend. I had so much information to offer about the health benefits of organic food that he thought I might know about the benefits of drinking organic tea and which ones are the best to consume for optimum health benefits and weight loss. I was embarrassed to say that I knew very little.

He mentioned green tea as a healthy option and this sparked my curiosity so I did a little research to find out what I've been missing if anything. Apparently, I've been missing a lot. Not only is organic food great for your health but tea can contain many benefits as well, in fact it contains more nourishment than I had originally imagined. I plan to limit my coffee intake and supplement it with organic green tea.

Green tea is abundant with antioxidants that work to protect our bodies from free radicals that are responsible for the aging process. There's nothing as simple as having a few cups of tea to keep the wrinkles away. This sure beats the expensive overnight miracle creams that we buy at a high price in the pharmacy. These creams are filled with chemicals, yet they promise the fountain of youth and the bigger the name, the bigger the price. People who have tried different methods over many years to fight acne will take comfort knowing that green tea helps to clear your skin. It works to get rid of toxins allowing your skin to become more healthy, even-toned and radiant.

Dirty mouth? Clean it up. Green tea contains fluoride so drinking it and using it as a mouth wash will help fight cavities, strengthen tooth enamel and keep your breath fresh. It also helps to tighten your gums to your teeth while building a wall against bacterial infections, plaque and gum disease. You will have a smaller chance of developing loose teeth in your older years. Use green tea to wash your hair to build the strength of each strand and make your hair less susceptible to breakage.

Are beautiful skin, hair and teeth not enough for you to take the plunge and give green tea a shot? That's okay because the benefits continue well beyond your face and hair. Have you struggled for years to lose weight? A healthy organic diet is sure to get rid of those extra pounds, but drinking green tea will maximize those benefits by raising your metabolism. Exercise and green tea are a wonderful combination. Green tea is an anti-inflammatory that will help you rid of those post-workout aches and pains. It is an astringent that helps your muscles contract including the ones right under your skin helping your body become toned faster. You will crave longer workouts as green tea boosts your stamina and endurance giving you the desire to keep on going.

We are now aware of what green tea can do for the outside of your body, so what about the inside? Green tea seems so fair in color and light in taste that I never knew how powerful this little drink could be until I read more about it. I was completely shocked with the amount of benefits one can receive outside as well as inside. Green tea contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and vitamin E. The antioxidants that are found in green tea are so powerful that they work multiple times better than vitamin C and vitamin E supplements!

Catechins are polyphenolic antioxidants found in green tea that help to keep bacteria away from the cell walls in your body so they do not attach themselves and this protects your body from infection. It might not be a bad idea to have several glasses of green tea per day, especially during cold and flu season!

The catechins in green tea help to protect your body against carcinogens. Every time I look at the health benefits of food, I always have my eyes open for those that help prevent cancer and it seems I should be reading about drinks as well. Green tea is powerful at preventing colon, rectal, pancreatic, prostate and intestinal cancers. It fights against the development of stroke, heart disease, high cholesterol and arthritis. Epigallocatechin gallate, better known as EGCG, is a type of catechin that has been known to actually destroy cancer cells without damaging any of the healthy tissue.

According to organicfacts.net, "In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol," found in red wine, "which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers."

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute determined in a 1994 study that green tea was so amazing at fighting esophageal cancer in the Chinese men and women that were tested that it lowered their chances by 60% or more.

More Fun Facts About organic Green Tea:

It is said that pregnant women can drink green tea because the stimulation effect is very mild.

Green tea can destroy a hang-over!

Put some green tea in your kitty's litter box and it will not smell.

You can cook with green tea and you can use it to make green tea iced-cream!

Green Tea & Coconut Cake

(Here is a recipe I found online at thaifood.about.com and, as with all non-organic recipes, you might want to tweak it a little to make it healthier. Leave the xylotol out because it's toxic!)

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients: 5 eggs separated 1 cup brown sugar, or 3/4 cup white sugar, OR 3/4 cup xylotol (sugar substitute)

• pinch sea salt

• 1/2 cup canola oil

• 1/3 cup coconut milk

• 1 tsp. real vanilla extract

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 cup white flour, OR light spelt flour, OR gluten-free cake flour

• 3 tsp. green tea powder, such as Japanese "maccha" (look for this at health food or Japanese import stores)

• 2 Tbsp. dry shredded coconut (the type used for baking) 1/2 to 1 tsp. icing sugar

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an angel food cake pan (or a 9-inch cake pan), either by greasing it well, or lining it with parchment paper. Crack eggs into 2 separate mixing bowls, with the egg whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.

Beat the egg whites until stiff, and set aside. (I use an electric hand mixer.) Add the salt and sugar (or sugar substitute) to the yolks and stir well until smooth.

Add the coconut milk, oil, and vanilla to the yolks, and beat until mixed in (or stir it well).

In a 3rd bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and green tea powder. Now add (or sift) this into the yolk mixture. Stir well or beat to incorporate. Note: the batter will turn green from the green tea - this is the effect you want.

Now fold in the egg whites, stirring and mixing by hand and just until egg whites have dissolved into the batter (do not over mix).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes (depending on your oven). Check cake after 25 minutes by inserting a fork into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. (Note: the center should form a peak - if it is concave, your cake isn't nearly finished).

While cake is cooling in the pan, toast the coconut. Place coconut in a dry frying pan (no oil) over medium heat. "Dry fry" for 1 minute, stirring constantly - or until coconut turns light golden brown.

Decorate the cake with a sifting of the icing sugar, and add a sprinkling of toasted coconut on top. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Well, I must go and make my tea. Stay tuned for more articles on the benefits of drinking organic teas.

By: Bob Jackson