Freshly brewed tea revives you and brings you comfort. But do you know this warm cup of comfort can also help you shed those extra pounds? Today green tea has gained widespread popularity as a weight-loss beverage second to water. Green tea has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicines to treat several health problems. It can help prevent an array of ailments, aid digestion, improve heart and mental health, boost your metabolism, and gently support weight loss. Researchers have found that people who drink green tea and exercise lose more weight than people who simply exercise.
Green teas are available in several varieties and all of them offer some form of weight loss benefits. However, higher quality green teas may provide better health benefits.
What is Great Tea?
Green tea is one of the less processed types of tea and is made from unoxidized tea leaves of the tea plant known as Camellia sinensis. Loaded with essential nutrients and various plant compounds, green tea has quite an impressive list of health benefits. Green tea is higher in polyphenols such as flavonoids – EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) and catechins, which fight and prevent cell damage. As compared to other teas, green tea has lower caffeine content.
Benefits of Green Tea
- Green tea contains the amino acid L-theanine that can help boost your brain function, including mood, memory, and reaction time. L- theanine along with caffeine can have powerful effects in improving brain function.
- It may boost your metabolism and augment fat burning.
- It contains powerful antioxidants that may lower the risk of various types of cancer.
- The bioactive compounds present in green tea can curtail the risk of dementia.
- Green tea has catechins that can suppress the growth of the bacteria Streptococcus mutans, a common bacterium in the mouth that causes bad breath.
- Green tea can also be helpful in lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
- Some studies suggest that green tea can help prevent dental cavities, chronic fatigue, stress, skin conditions such as psoriasis, and improve arthritis by mitigating inflammation.
- Green tea contains the highest amounts of antioxidants which are proven to provide anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects.
- Catechins also help prevent cell damage that can lead to several chronic illnesses.
- Green tea is also known to be a probiotic which is beneficial for your gut health.
- The antioxidants in green tea have been shown to reduce the risk of fracture and prevent bone loss.
- The amino acid L-theanine prevents caffeine rush and provides sustained energy throughout several hours.
How Can Green Tea Help in Weight Loss?
- Due to its thermogenic properties, green tea may boost the metabolic rate and augment fat burning. Potent antioxidants like catechins and EGCG can boost metabolism and help you burn 3 to 4 % more calories each day.
- The active compounds in green tea can break down the fat cells and move them into the bloodstream for use as energy.
- Green tea contains a very important plant compound called caffeine, which is known to aid fat burning. Caffeine can also improve your exercise performance.
- Green tea is also said to curb appetite and prevent fat gain by inhibiting angiogenesis.
- Green tea is also a perfect treatment for combating fluid retention problems. Due to this reason, some studies show that consuming green tea regularly can decrease body fat by up to 19 percent.
- Catechins promote fat loss by increasing fat oxidation and decreasing lipid oxidation by the intestine.
- The presence of EGCG or taking green tea extracts may help you reduce the amount of fat you absorb from foods.
Which Green Tea is Best for Weight Loss?
When it comes to weight loss all green teas provide some benefits. However, higher quality green teas naturally provide better health benefits and should preferably be used whenever possible. There are different varieties of green teas available which differ in taste, texture, and aroma. But the best ones are plain and minimally processed which have the highest nutritional content. You should preferably use organic green tea. These do not contain harmful additives, chemicals, and do not alter the natural flavor of the green tea.
The best green teas are either loose-leaf teas or green tea powder and not teabags. Using tea bags may be more convenient but they contain the lowest quality of leaves. This can result in lower flavor quality. Some of the green teas that you can add to your weight loss plan are given below.
Matcha, a highly concentrated type of powdered green tea also contains the same healthy ingredients as regular green tea and can be helpful in weight loss and fat loss. This tea contains all the nutrients from the entire leaf and contains more antioxidants and catechins.
Sencha green tea is known for its delicate flavor profile with hints of melon and pine. You can always reach for this wonderful tea whenever you feel like eating an unhealthy snack.
Ginger infused green tea blends the flavors of green tea and ginger root. Ginger is known as an appetite suppressant and can help prevent overeating. The tea also offers a refreshing aroma and spicy undertones.
Genmaicha green tea can offer a flavor similar to coffee. This unique tea blends green tea with popped rice kernels for a toasty flavor. The presence of rice kernels makes you feel fuller for longer. The toasted flavor raises body temperature, making the body burn fat.
How Much Green Tea to Drink to Lose Weight?
Drinking 2 to 3 cups of hot green tea should be enough for supplementing weight loss. However, the exact amount to be consumed varies depending upon an individual’s natural metabolism. Consuming large doses of caffeine can be harmful to those with high blood pressure and at risk of heart problems.
When Should You have Green Tea for Weight Loss?
The best time to consume a cup of green tea if you are trying to lose weight is before your work-out. According to a study, consuming green tea 90 minutes before exercise can spike the fat oxidation rate during exercise. You can also have green tea after your meals to lose weight. But, if you have a sensitive stomach avoid green tea after meals because green tea is alkaline in nature and encourages the secretion of too many gastric juices.
How to Drink Green Tea for Weight Loss?
- Never add green tea to boiling water. This is bad for the catechins as they get destroyed. Allow the boiling water to rest for a few minutes before pouring it onto the tea leaves. Let the leaves steep for 2 to 3 minutes before straining them out.
- You can add lemon to increase the absorption of catechins. Conversely, adding dairy can make it harder for the body to absorb catechins. So, avoid adding milk.
- Green tea contains tannins which can interfere with the absorption of iron. Therefore, try not to drink tea with an iron-rich meal and do not drink tea green after at least one hour of having an iron-rich meal.
- If you suffer from sleep issues avoid having green tea close to bedtime.
- Do not add sugar or honey if you are trying to lose weight.
The Takeaway
Adding green tea to your diet can help you make a difference to your weight loss routine, enjoy high energy levels, and rev up your metabolism to burn the calories you eat. However, if you don’t shed pounds, drink green tea anyway. It is one of the healthiest drink on the planet. Green tea is a great swap for sweetened coffee and sugary sodas. It will only take a few days for your taste buds to get acclimatized to its subtle natural sweetness.
