‘’Eat Your Greens!’’ Many of us have been listening to this sentence since childhood.
All of us conscious adults try to add healthy food and drinks to our daily life. Green tea is one such tea that we drink either to maintain the body.
But is it possible to be eating green tea leaves just like other leafy veggies instead of drinking them?
Let’s discover if you can safely consume green tea loose leaves, are there any risks, and what benefits are associated with it.
We also included the best edible green tea varieties online in the article below.
Can You Eat Brewed Green Tea Leaves?
Yes, brewed leaves can be eaten. Raw green tea leaves may be slightly bitter and not that flavorful. But when you brew the leaves, they become soft and easy to eat.
Make sure to grab a good-quality green tea brand for this purpose.
Else, some low-quality brands contain pesticides, other ingredients, and low-quality oxidized leaves that have less value and may be harmful to eat.
Is It Safe to Eat Green Tea Leaves?
Yes, it is safe to eat green tea leaves. The plant Camellia Sinensis has leaves that create a lot of infusions.
The green leaves may be more beneficial than its brew. In tea-growing areas like China, many people use green tea leaves as a leafy vegetable.
You can make a meal out of it. These leaves may not taste flavorful like the brew but they contain Vitamin A and many other nutrients that do not release when steeping green tea.
Matcha tea is an example that you already consume green tea leaves in powder form in brewed matcha. Therefore, green tea leaves are edible. You can start with making a great salad out of it.
Benefits of Eating Green Tea Leaves
Green tea leaves eaten raw or brewed have a lot of benefits. It has a lot of antioxidants more than a brewed cup. Let’s see what can we gain out of them.
1) Rich in Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a type of antioxidants that are a key compound in green tea. These antioxidants fight infections and diseases in our bodies.
Green tea leaves have double the antioxidants than its brew.
Thus, eating the leaves will help lower the risk of multiple health issues like flu, infections, diabetes, and cancer.
2) Catechins
The green tea plant contains 90 times more amount of catechins than its brewed content. Catechins provide a lot of benefits to the body.
They help in making your immunity stronger. It also helps in weight loss and burning the number of fats from the body.
3) Caffeine
Caffeine is helpful in a lot of issues in the body. Green tea leaves, especially the ones that are sun-grown have a lot of caffeine in them due to photosynthesis.
It helps in giving power to the body making you more focused and alert. It also helps to boost weight loss and fat reduction.
Caffeine along with polyphenols helps in opening the clogged arteries and blood flow to the body. Thus, Helpful in reducing the risk of strokes and improving heart health.
Best Edible Green Tea Leaves Varieties
Now you know that eating green tea leaves is a rich source of vital nutrients and vitamins.
If you are more of a person who would rather eat the leaves. You can put them in your food rather than drink it. We have some edible green tea leaves options for you to buy online.
1) Tai Chi Green Tea – Spring Sprouts, The Edible Green Tea
It is a loose tea Chines type of green tea. These edible green tea leaves are a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It is a calorie-free tea that aids weight loss, relaxes your mind and body.
It can be eaten raw, free of pesticides and bacteria. You can make a warm or iced green tea, put it in your food or sprinkle it over your desserts. A great option for many health benefits.
Price Range – Starting from 24 $
2) Green Boxed Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder – 100% Pure
It is a certified organic Matcha green tea powder. It is a pure stone-ground and one of the types of Japanese green tea, grown in beautiful Uji, Kyoto.
They promise not to add filters so you get an authentic experience. It is suitable for everyone taking any kind of diet including vegan, keto, paleo, gluten-free, and sugar-free.
The green boxed powder is perfect for Smoothies, Protein shakes Pre-workout drinks, Baked goods, etc.
Price Range – 15$
3) Edible Green Sencha Green Tea Powder Regular
It is an authentic Japanese Sencha Green Tea in fine powder form. You can drink or put these edible leaves powder in your food for cooking or baking.
This brand focuses on organic sun-grown green tea. It is providing more nutrients like antioxidants and catechins and less caffeine.
Price Range – Starting from 19 $
Side Effects of Eating Green Tea Leaves
The downsides of eating green tea leaves are as follows.
1) High Amounts of Caffeine
Taking a lot of green tea leaves can cause caffeine overdose which can have a lot of side effects like heart palpitations, digestive issues, trouble sleeping, and liver issues.
Therefore, never try to take green tea leaves in excessive amounts, as they have 3.5% caffeine more than the brew.
2) Risk of Bacteria
Dry green tea leaves rarely expire but there is a risk of bacteria contamination of steeped leaves. Leaving them after brewing for a long time and consuming them later can be dangerous and tastes sour. Water encourages bacterial growth.
Therefore, if you plan to eat brewed green tea leaves do so as soon as possible. They can remain safe in an airtight container or by freezing them.
3) Ingesting Pesticides
Eating green tea leaves always has the risk of pesticides. You should always wash them thoroughly and use high-quality organically grown green tea brand.
Low quality or marketed products may have pesticides or traces of them. Thus, a possibility of ingesting toxins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some frequently asked questions are answered by us about green tea leaves for you.
Can You Eat Green Tea Leaves from Tea Bag?
Yes, you can eat green tea leaves from brewed tea. But keep in mind that the tea leaves used for the teabags are often of low quality than the original loose-leaf teas.
Does Eating Green Tea Leaves Help in Weight Loss?
Yes, eating and drinking green tea both boost your metabolism and aid in weight loss. Eating the tea leaves may help more in breaking down excess fat.
How Often Can I Eat Green Tea Leaves?
Eat one to 2 servings of green tea leaves in a day. Excessive amounts of consuming them may lead to caffeine overdose which is not recommended.
Conclusion
Many people throw the brewed green tea leaves, that’s a loss of many vital nutrients!
Green tea leaves are edible. You can consume them fresh or after brewing.
We recommend you to eat brewed green tea leaves rather than fresh ones as they may upset your stomach and taste bitter too.
Adding Matcha powder to your smoothies and food is a safe and easy way to consume green tea leaves.
