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Hi all, my question concerns green tea. I am wondering if it is a good idea to consume 10 grams of loose leaf green tea(apparently organic?) imported from China to Canada per day mixed in omelletes and not steeped or drained but simply 'as is'. If anyone knows anything about the nature of the relationship between green tea, its caffeine content(at this amount) and cortisol levels it would be nice to hear about it. Also: at this dose would the fluoride content be a health issue? Currently I have no sources of fluoride where I am living and would like to keep myself as free from as possible. Generally: Do the benefits of 'administering' green tea in this form and at this dose outweigh the detriments? It is sure an ENRG booster!

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I know this doesn't answer your question, but I would like to know more about cooking it. Is it yummy? How much do you use? How many eggs? Thanks! – Sara Apr 27 2011 at 22:16
coconut(shredded) + turmeric, paprika, cayenne, ginger, greent tea, egg whites...to me it all tastes the same... – PersonMan Apr 28 2011 at 0:37

8 Answers

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I would estimate that there is probably ~30-70mg caffeine in 10g green tea depending on when it was picked e.t.c, most of which can be removed by first rinsing the leaves in cold water. Remember that green tea also simultaneously promotes relaxation due to its theanine content (think GABA).

Fluoride interacts with minerals like copper, zinc and magnesium, so less fluoride is aborbed when the body is in a fully mineral replete state. In this respect I would take my cue from the Japanese, who have traditionally (and successfully) combined a mineral rich diet (lots of sea vegetables e.t.c) with heavy tea consumption.

Green tea has some unique and interesting properties, one of which is ECGC, however this is bound by casein, rendering it useless when consumed with dairy. On the other hand, vitamin C improves the stability and absorption of the catechins, so make sure that you consume your tea with a high vitamin C meal.

Finally, I don't know how well your body can absorb these compounds from whole tea leaves - you might try purchasing some matcha, finely powdered Japanese green tea which is often used in Japanese cooking.

Edit: One final contraindiction is that green tea contains substances which hamper mineral absorption (oxalic acid, tannins e.t.c.), so consume it in a different time window from any supplements.

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Hi Simibee thanks for the reply. Given the oxalic acid, tannins, etc. would this dose(10 loose leaf grams) be excessive? What would you recommend. I've had great difficulty finding info. on the caffeine amount per dry leaves also(also ref. is made to 'steeped tea' in volume measures.). Is the tea worth the effort? Dr.K mentioned its value on one of his posts so I thought I'd give it a shot. – PersonMan Apr 28 2011 at 1:51
Personally, I think that given its protective effects with regards to cancer, obesity, CVD, e.t.c. green tea is definitely worth it. According to epidemiological studies, benefits start from 3-4 cups/day, so assuming 2-3g of tea leaves in each cup, your 10g is just right. Remember that nothing is perfect; lots of "high value" plant foods come packaged with similar inhibitory substances ( e.g. phytic acid/oxalic acid in cocoa and spinach), but still show great benefit in the context of a whole foods diet. Finally, you could circumvent the issue by simply drinking the tea away from your meals – Simibee Apr 28 2011 at 13:34
You can also buy decaffeinated green tea capsules. – Simibee Apr 28 2011 at 13:36
I'll stick with the cheaper(and free from my source) loose leaf green tea; I have heard that decaffeination increases fluoride content and something else problematic that slips my mind at present. Thanks for the quantitative info though, I've been scouring the net for the precise numbers. I will break the dose into two 5 gram doses. As to the caffeine issue, would it be excessive to include 100 kcal. worht of bakers chocolate and its caffeine into the diet if cortisol and testosterone hormones are sought to be managed in a balanced way(eg. min. chronic cortisol, mod. test)? – PersonMan Apr 28 2011 at 15:43
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The fluoride content in green tea is very high according to thehealthyskeptic. One cup of green tea has the fluoride of 22 liters of city water.

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/bad-news-for-tea-drinkers

Caffeine can cause cortisol to release but green tea would provoke less then the other caffinated beverages as it also has l-theanine which is known to be calming. Black tea or coffee does not contain l-theanine.

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I didn't see much proof in that thread. An interesting link, sure, but nothing there to actually convince me of the floride content (and if it's sodium or calcium floride) being that exponential. – Joshua Apr 27 2011 at 23:35
That is indeed the question. The asnwer makes me skeptical as I just came from a city with fluoridated water and recently including green tea and drinking unfluoridated water leads me to think(on the basis of feel) that the fluoride content is not significant but... – PersonMan Apr 28 2011 at 0:39
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Fluoride is an issue at any dose. Yes, green and black teas are the two highest fluoride containing consumables. Sorry, true.

I personally ended up in 3rd stage kidney disease before I found out about the health effects of fluoride. I quit drinking fluoridated water and quit all green and black teas (high in fluoride) and in four months my kidney function had improved by 90%. Because of fluoride, I was headed straight for kidney dialysis.

The National Kidney Foundation stated that people with reduced kidney function should avoid fluoride. In 2006 the National Research Council said that people with lowered kidney function should avoid fluoride. There's even recent research showing that just the amount of fluoride in fluoridated water can damage kidneys, beginning the downward spiral to kidney dialysis. Add the HIGH amount of fluoride in tea to it and you have the recipe for kidney failure.

Organic? Sorry there is no research that's been published that demonstrates organic green and black teas are lower in fluoride than conventional teas. And it does NOT matter that it is NATURAL fluoride. Fluoride is fluoride is fluoride. It's a toxic poison almost as toxic as arsenic on the toxicity scale.

See this article for more information on fluoride in green and black teas: http://fluoridedetective.com/tea-travesty/

Golda Starr

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Thanks for the shock. I will omit the teas from now on(why not save a little money and cortisol as well?) – PersonMan May 2 2011 at 23:58
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Is it bad to make tea the usual way? (hot water, dip'n bag, and all that jazz)

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Not bad at all. – Shari Bambino Apr 27 2011 at 23:55
Time-wise yes. Also, avoiding teeth stains is a plus... – PersonMan Apr 28 2011 at 0:37
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Would Rooibos be a viable flouride-free alternative to green and black teas?

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Flouride levels in green tea is highly dependent on where the tea is grown. I think china is one of the worst countries to get green tea from.

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The Japanese consume green tea powder in many foods and they don't seem to have issues with it. I went to Japan just last year and trust me, they eat a lot of foods made with green tea powder (ice cream, cakes, cookies, drinks, food). The difference though between the fluoride in tea and the fluoride in water is that tea leaves contain Calcium Fluoride and tap water contains Sodium Fluoride. Its the sodium fluoride that's made from waste and considered toxic. If calcium fluoride was so bad we'd definitely be seeing a high number of the Asian population suffering from their high tea intake.

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Hey here's a company that sells a green tea with no pesticides or fertilizers and is watered with spring water (should eliminate fluoride). http://verdanttea.com/teas/mrs-lis-shi-feng-dragonwell-green-tea/ Here is another article about this tea and the village it's grown in. http://verdanttea.com/dragonwell-village-visiting-mrs-lis-shifeng-tea-fields/

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