Green Tea and Weight Loss

January is national  hot tea month. I am writing about teas and herbal teas this month. January is usually the month when everyone is trying to lose weight and live healthy after all the indulgent foods they've had over the holidays. One tea that has a reputation for being helpful with weight loss is green tea. Green tea has been hailed as being one of the healthiest beverages on the planet, and it has been used in Asian cultures for thousands of years.

There are many studies that have been done on green tea and weight loss. They seem to show that the combination of green tea, caffeine, and an antioxidant called EGCG  improve energy expenditure and weight loss in folks that are overweight and obese. Green tea can help with weight maintenance as well as with weight loss.

There is a substance in green tea called catechins. These catechins appear to help with weight loss. The most important of the catechins is EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate). It works by increasing metabolism and slowing down the development of fat cells. The effect seems to vary with individuals. Most people can lose weight but there are some individuals that it does not seem to work for.

Green tea has been  shown to help burn fat especially during exercise. While green tea by itself can enhance fat loss, it works better when combined with exercise and a healthy diet. Green tea can be taken as a tea or as an extract. The extract can come in liquid or capsule form.

Green tea can be used in tea bags, or as loose tea. Loose tea is often recommended because you don't always know what chemicals have been used in making the tea bags.Various other substances can be added to enhance the taste. Below is the formula for making green tea.

1 green tea bag,  or 1 oz. loose green tea
1 cup hot water
Pour water over tea and steep 3-5 minutes depending on how strong you like it.
Drink and enjoy!

Feel free to leave comments below. I appreciate your feedback.

Sources:
https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/green-tea
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19597519
http://authoritynutrition.com/green-tea-and-weight-loss/
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/health-benefits-of-green-tea
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/70/6/1040.long
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/29/green-tea-extract-effective.aspx

Be sure to check out my website at www.valerielull.com  I'm coming out with a paperback edition of my recently published ebook, Ten Spices for Health and Longevity. Look for it in the near future.

Valerie Lull
Author
Ten Healthy Teas
valerielull923@gmail.com