By now you have probably heard green tea is a healthy substance you should want to add to your daily diet. But, is it as good as it’s cracked up to be? Are there any cons associated with this type of tea? The fact is, while this tea is mostly good and should be consumed by most people, there are a few things you will want to know.

Let us look at the pros and cons so you can make an informed decision about whether you should include green tea in your diet…

1. Pro: Metabolic Enhancement. The first significant benefit to adding green tea to your day is it could help stimulate a brief increase in your resting metabolic rate. If body weight control is a concern for you, this could become quite helpful over time. Everything you do to boost your resting metabolic rate will help you burn more calories 24/7, which will then augment the weight loss process.

Keep in mind though; it is not going to have you burning up hundreds of more calories daily. The boost will be quite modest, so you will still want to follow a sensible diet.

Con: Caffeine Content. Green tea does contain caffeine, so do keep that in mind. If you consume too much caffeine, this can interfere with your sleep quality and eventually lead to burnout as well, so you will need to monitor how much you are taking in.

The good news is green tea does contain less caffeine than what you find in a cup of coffee, so at least it is not quite as potent as other options. Some people may view the caffeine content to be a benefit as it will give a slight boost to your energy level, but it all depends on how you use it and how sensitive you are to caffeine.

2. Pro: Antioxidant Support. The next pro is green tea does provide considerable antioxidant support. This beverage helps to combat free radical damage and will help ward off disease in the long run.

Drinking a few cups of this tea daily may lower your risk factor for conditions such as heart disease as well as cancer if you stick with it over time. While it will not prevent these conditions, you may not be quite as at risk as without green tea.

Con: Added Sugar. The next con is the fact some green tea you purchase can contain high amounts of sugar. Note this tea type on its own does not contain sugar – rather, it is all in how it is made. If you are buying it from your local Coffee House and it is flavored green tea, there is a good chance it has some sugar added.

Drink it plain to avoid this from taking away from the positive benefits.

3. Pro: Low Cost. The last beautiful thing about green tea is it is relatively inexpensive to buy as well. Considering the many health benefits it has to offer, you are not going to pay an arm and a leg to get it. Compared to some of the other available “superfoods,” it is quite cheap by comparison.

Consider adding green tea to your diet plan more regularly. As long as you limit yourself to just a cup or two to keep the caffeine under control and avoid serving it with sugar, you will reap many significant benefits from its presence in your daily menu.