Iced Mint & Honey Green Tea

Have sizzling summer days got you overheated and thirsty? Cool down and quench your thirst with some iced green tea!

Not only is it refreshing, green tea is loaded with inflammation-fighting polyphenol antioxidants, which help promote healthy aging in just about every way you can imagine. Specific to the heart, green tea contains theobromine, which relaxes the blood vessel walls and improves circulation. More importantly, green tea is rich in antioxidant flavonoids like epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG), which help protect the body against free radical damage and arterial disease.

Packed with an antioxidant called rosemarinic acid, mint also brings anti-inflammatory benefits to the table. If you don’t have fresh mint leaves on hand, use mint or peppermint tea bags. Lime juice adds additional antioxidants and even some electrolytes to the mix. For those of you that like your tea sweetened, try a adding little bit of raw honey!

Ingredients:

• 10 to 12 cups water
• 7 to 10 Tbsp loose green tea or about 8 green tea bags 
• juice of 2-3 limes
• 1-2 handfuls of fresh mint (or mint/peppermint tea bags)
• 7-8 tsp raw honey, optional 
• Optional: ice

Steep the tea with hot water for 15 minutes or in the sun for 3-5 hours. While still warm add the honey and stir well. Put in the fridge to chill. Once chilled add the lime juice, and muddle a small bunch of mint in each glass before serving.

Enjoy!

Additional Resources:

• Sinatra, ST. What’s So Powerful About Polyphenols? HeartMDInstitute.com, last accessed July 26, 2020.
• Sinatra, ST. Is Tea Good for Your Heart? HeartMDInstitute.com, last accessed July 26, 2020.