All About Why Matcha Is Good For The Brain
How to buy, brew, and cook with matcha + discount codes
Hello, brain health ambassadors. I’ve been loving your enthusiasm as we plunge deeper into the topic of tea all this month on BHK. First, we unpacked the body of science to see if drinking tea was actually good for the brain. I was happy to report that it is! There is ample evidence to say regular tea drinkers have reduced dementia risk. Next, I covered how to buy, brew, and cultivate a tea-drinking practice.
Throughout all of my research, green tea rises to the top as the brain-healthiest tea. Not only does green tea consistently provide the highest polyphenol counts, it gives you catechins (an especially potent polyphenol) and L-theanine, an amino acid with calming effects on the brain. As you may recall from our discussion of the Green MED diet study, boosting the Mediterranean diet with green tea resulted in measurable brain volume gains.
So today I’d like to shine our brain health spotlight on matcha—a type of green tea. Matcha deserves its own post because it may be the most efficient way to flood the brain with polyphenols by drinking tea. Read on for what to look for in a high-quality matcha (and what to avoid), the science behind matcha’s potency, how to cook with matcha, a recipe for making perfect matcha, and my curated list of best brands.
Plus, I have discount codes for BHK subscribers on my favorite products—from the best affordable matcha to a surprisingly delicious mushroom matcha and a splurge-worthy milled-to-order one.
Matcha Takeaways
Matcha is a type of green tea that uses the entire leaf, dried and pulverized into a powder.
High-quality matcha is cultivated to have a high polyphenol count.
Matcha is the greatest dietary source of the brain-boosting polyphenol EGCG.
Matcha is both stimulating and calming, with about ⅓ the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.
Not all matcha is created equal. It’s important to use strategic shopping skills to find a brand with the most brain health nutrients while avoiding added sugar and fillers.
What, exactly, is matcha?
