TEXT Anita Parker
SUPER FOOd:
MATCHA L
ess than 400 mg of caffeine daily has no reported adverse
health effects for the average adult. But even the 3-cup-a-
day coffee drinker knows the side effects accompanying
that afternoon pick-me-up — diuresis, irritability,
headache, nervousness, insomnia...not to mention the withdrawal
symptoms if a usual caffeine fix isn’t satisfied.

What if you could switch to a beverage (or whatever your preferred
caffeine source may be) that offered the same mental alertness and
ability to focus without the jitters? See you later, caffeine. Hello,
L-theanine! 22 December 2015 washingtonFAMILY.com
L-theanine is an exceptional amino acid found in tea — every kind of
tea. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on matcha green tea,
since it offers the “best bang for your teacup” with L-theanine and
every other nutritional benefit of tea.

Dietary amounts of L-theanine increase alpha wave activity in the
brain, which are the brain waves associated with a state of alert
calmness. This is not an oxymoron. It is possible to be alert and
calm at the same time, and how wonderful would that be at 8 a.m.

every morning and 3 p.m. every afternoon? L-theanine cancels out
the jittery effects of the caffeine contained in tea, relaxing the mind