Want to know what all the fuss about green tea is? Apart from being a refreshing, soothing beverage – served hot or cold – it's an easy metabolism-booster, packed with antioxidants that help burn fat.

Green tea and weight loss
Research shows that green tea can lower blood sugar levels and reduce the absorption of fat from the intestine. So, if you're looking to shed a few pounds, you may want to consider adding a cup or two of green tea to your daily diet.

Healthy green tea for a healthy heart
Most teas contain vitamins and antioxidants, but green tea goes one step beyond. Not only does it aid with weight loss, it's also helps fight various cancers and heart disease. The antioxidant in green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), helps to speed up the recovery of heart cells and minimizes cell death after a heart attack.

How to make healthy green tea
There are many different flavours of green tea you can enjoy. So long as those green tea leaves are present, you're going to get all those great health benefits that come with it. If you're steeping green tea leaves in hot water, be sure to throw in your favourite herbs, such as ginger, mint or chamomile. For refreshing iced green tea, just let the fresh tea cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then refrigerate for about two hours.

Healthy green tea recipes:

1. Citrus Mint Iced Tea
Toss some mint leaves, orange slices and green tea bags into a boiling teapot for a delicious homemade tea. Serve over ice and garnish the glasses with orange or lime slices.

2. Green Ginger Mint Tea
Green tea with spearmint is a popular Moroccan digestive. Green tea lives, such as gunpowder leaves, are rolled into small balls that unfurl in hot water to release a slightly bitter, smoky infusion. This refreshing brew is also good iced. Sweeten with honey, if desired.

3. Mango Calendula Ceylon Tea
When sweetened with mango and ginger, delicate teas like green gunpowder make for refreshing afternoon drinks or light, fruity iced teas. Add sugar after steeping if you wish to accentuate the fruity flavour.

Page 1 of 2 -- Discover seven more healthy green tea recipes on page 2. 4. Mint Tea
Chinese green tea is often served before meals, and always after. Spearmint has the best flavour; other infusions, such as cinnamon, saffron and lemon verbena, can also be added for fragrance.

5. Chamomile Mint Tea
For this blend, it's especially nice if you use jasmine tea, which is made from green and black tea leaves, because of its flowers. Chamomile and lavender heighten the floral bouquet and create a pretty pattern when they unfurl in a glass cup or pot.

6. Rose Petal Tea
Choose the aroma you prefer for this blend: black tea leaves offer a floral aroma and citrusy flavour; green tea leaves are more like perfume and tobacco.

7. Peach White Iced Tea
White tea is a mild tea that comes from the same plant as green tea but is picked when the buds are still covered in fine silver hair and not fully opened – it blends perfectly with fresh or thawed peaches.

8. Puffed Wild Rice Green Tea
This blend is adapted from a Japanese green tea that contains toasted puffed rice. We use puffed wild rice and add cranberry-like rose hips for a fruit-and-nut variation. After bringing fresh water to a boil, remove it from the heat and let it stand for two minutes before pouring over leaves; the right temperature is essential for bringing out the best flavour.

9. Raspberry Iced Tea
Bright and colourful, this tea is intriguingly tart and fruity. Serve with lime slices or raspberry ice cubes.

10. Honeydew Mint Iced Tea
Subtle flavours of mint and melon mingle on the tongue with this iced green tea. Serve with fresh mint or mint ice cubes.

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