As we all welcomed New Years and made our resolutions, I for one was extremely excited to be embarking upon my very own challenge. teapigs had asked me help spread the word about their fabulous product Matcha and their 2014 matcha challenge – taking matcha every day for two weeks to feel the effects! I visited gyms, yoga studios and various health and fitness centres across London.
As a Nutritionist, I don’t believe in fad diets which always resurface around this time year, I believe in building a healthy and maintainable lifestyle. Matcha is therefore the perfect product to incorporate into a diet and give that desired healthy kick everyone is searching for. It also has the added bonus that it’s extremely versatile, easy to use and completely maintainable.
The Challenge
Across January 2014, I visited some of the biggest gym brands including Virgin Actives and David Lloyds, offering Matcha samples in form of a Matcha shot and asking people to join me in the 2 week matcha challenge.
Regarding your questions about the colour and sugar content of Matcha, I can assure you the colour is as good as it looks, delicious and bright green, all 100% natural with chlorophyll creating the rich colour. Matcha is sugar-free and you can keep it that way too. The powder is extremely versatile and can be used as a plain green tea. Add to soups and desserts, or if you don’t mind the natural fructose then add it to your healthy smoothies for a power punch of goodness.
A lot of you pledged to take the challenge and those coffee drinkers amongst you who needed a boost swapped the caffeine for the antioxidants. Most have said they will never go back!
Matcha Challenge takers who I spoke to reported increased energy during their workouts, a brighter mood, improved concentration and interestingly less sugar cravings.
My Conclusion
Having taken the challenge myself, I have noticed a significant increase in energy. As a nutritionist, I already have a pretty healthy diet but Matcha has increased my performance during my yoga classes. I can concentrate on work with more focus than ever before, and I do really have an elevated mood. I believe Matcha will soon be a must have in every health conscious diet and we will be hearing a lot more about it in the very near future. After all, Japan has had it for 900 years; Buddhist monks use it to focus during meditation and students use it during examination periods.
It’s about time the UK caught on ;-). Take the matcha challenge now!
P.S A special thanks to the wonderful health centres who participated in the Matcha Challenge.
• Ray & Helen in Hammersmith & Fulham
• Alex & the Little Venice Sports Centre
• Kim from the Retreat Cafe, Power Yoga, Parsons Green.
• Niki & Virgin Active, Hammersmith
• Manuela & team at Roehampton Leisure Centre
• Akhtar & Virgin Active, Fulham Pools
• Gareth, Phoenix Sports Centre
• Renata & Laure from the gorgeous Evolve Wellness Centre
• Francois & Virgin Active Riverside
