Do you or your teenagers suffer anxiety issues or lapses in concentration or both? If so, drinking just one cup of high-quality matcha green tea every day may help. Tea leaves contain an important amino acid called L-theanine which plays an important role in cognitive performance, mental focus and stress reduction.
How Does L-theanine Work?
Because matcha green tea includes the entire tea leaf ground into an ultra-fine powder, matcha tea contains nature’s highest source of L-theanine. Studies also suggest the presence of caffeine enhances the effects of L-theanine. Matcha naturally contains both substances working synergistically just as nature intended.
The most abundant natural source of L-theanine (i.e. not found as an isolated substance) is high-quality, ceremonial-grade matcha tea like our Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha. As the grade of matcha drops slightly — say to a latte grade like our Barista’s Matcha — the L-theanine content also drops and the taste becomes less smooth and somewhat more astringent. As such, the price per gram should drop accordingly.
How Much Matcha is Enough?
Keep in mind, at 16mg/g and 13mg/g respectively, both the ceremonial and latte grades of My Matcha Life tea mentioned here are significantly higher in L-theanine than most other matcha brands currently available. Generally, most ceremonial grades contain only about 10mg of L-theanine per gram of tea, while latte grades contain approx. 25% less at 7.5mg per gram. Add My Matcha Life® matcha to your morning plant-based yogurt, cereals or breakfast smoothies. Your kids will be calmer, more focused and ready for school. And you can look forward to a less stressful day!
Since there is no proven safe amount of caffeine for teenagers, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry advises against caffeine for kids under 12 and recommends limiting caffeine to less than 100 mg for those 12-18 years old. The recommended maximum dose for adults is 400 mg. 1 serving of matcha is 1 gram (1/2 tsp) and has between 25 and 35 mg of caffeine.
Is Caffeine Safe for Teens?
Caffeine is generally thought of as an ‘adult’ substance. Still, with the addition of caffeine to so many foods and products (like soda), more and more children are regularly consuming caffeine. There are even some caffeinated products that specifically market themselves to young adults. As a result, children and teenagers actually make up the fastest-growing population of caffeine users, with an increase of 70% over the last 30 years.
Although this is the trend, we do caution against drinking too much caffeine for anyone. For teenagers looking for mental calmness and focus, and who want to reduce anxiety, we recommend drinking a cup of Tea Lover’s Organic Ceremonial Matcha made traditionally with hot water (and without sweeteners) before they go to school. ½ to 1 tsp of Matcha can also be shaken up in their water bottle and drank during the day, the Matcha pUre Ceremonial Single Packets are excellent for taking to school, work, travel etc.
Fun and Delicious Recipes for Teenagers!
Any smoothie bowl can be made fun! Check out our Recipe Section and Video Tutorials and get your child involved in learning about their health and well-being.