2020 has been full of surprises and every business is adjusting to shifts in consumer habits. Many of us find ourselves safer at home, brainstorming and innovating ways to make our brands stronger during and after this remarkable time.
At Ikeda Tea World, it's our mission to help our customers thrive, so we want to offer you strategies – backed by research, nutrition, and experience – to inspire creative solutions to the challenges your brand might be facing.
Ikeda’s area of expertise is premium Japanese bulk matcha and green tea, so we’re sharing our knowledge with brands interested in health and wellness. First, we want to stress that the CDC and WHO have the most up-to date and accurate information regarding staying safe and healthy during this pandemic. We should all practice social distancing whenever possible, wear face masks in public, and wash our hands frequently.
In addition to these strategies, what can we do to adapt during this time? As businesses, our communities rely on us to innovate wellness and self-care options. There is currently no known cure for COVID-19, but we can offer strategies to reduce stress and provide a bit of comfort via healthy food, drink, and supplement options.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School recommend that people reduce stress to help protect the immune system. When you’re stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol that decreases non-essential body functions so your body can focus on survival in a fight or flight situation. This reaction would have been helpful long ago when danger was more common, but it unnecessarily strains our immune, reproductive and digestive systems in modern life. When stress is chronic or prolonged, cortisol can eventually cause inflammation and decrease the white blood cells that help fight common infections like viruses or the common cold. The result is an incapacitated immune system that has a hard time protecting you when you encounter viruses.
One of matcha’s health benefits is that it calms you and fights the negative effects of cortisol in the body. Matcha contains a healthy dose of an amino acid called L-Theanine that has been linked to improved levels of GABA, dopamine and serotonin in the brain. These chemicals produce feelings of relaxation, well-being and calm that reduce the very real effects of stress on our immune systems.
As part of maintaining overall health, Harvard Medical School also recommends eating a healthy diet and taking a multivitamin if you are not getting all the nutrients you need. Ingesting nutrients through the food you eat rather than via supplements helps your body absorb them more effectively, and matcha is a perfect way to get the vitamins you need to support your natural defenses. A 1.5g serving of matcha provides:
More than ever, it’s important to take care of ourselves and of the people around us. Encouraging someone to look away from the constant barrage of info on a screen can launch a much-needed moment of self-care. For many, the act of preparing a cup of matcha is an opportunity to check in with your thoughts and come back to the moment. L-Theanine, the amino acid in matcha that promotes relaxation, reinforces this feeling of calm and peace. Enjoying matcha can become a routine that provides a bit of comfort during times of uncertainty.
So please get in touch and tell us your brand’s needs – we’d love to send you a sample of Ikeda’s bulk matcha and a copy of our Matcha Health Benefits Cheat Sheet.
Keep Calm & Matcha On!
