How to Drink Green Tea for Weight Loss

How to Drink Green Tea for Weight Loss

If you like tea, and you like healthy beverage options, you’ve joined the ranks of the other 158

 million Americans who are enjoying a cup on any given day. It’s estimated that last year, over 80 billion—that’s right, billion—servings of tea were consumed by the tea lovers of America. That translates into roughly 3.60 billion gallons.

Although black tea is the most popular—it accounts for about 84 percent of all tea consumed—green tea is reported to be growing at a much higher volume than black. Our guess is that’s because of green tea’s potential role in weight loss. We decided to take a closer look at how you can drink green tea for weight loss.

Not into green tea? Check out these other best teas for weight loss and discover the aweome rooibos tea benefits.

Green tea can help you lose weight. Several studies have suggested that the flavonoids and caffeine in green tea can help elevate metabolic rate, increase fat oxidation and even improve insulin activity. One study showed that those who consumed green tea and caffeine lost an average of 2.9 pounds during a 12-week period, while sticking to their regular diet. Another study suggested the increase in calorie output was equal to about 100 calories over a 24-hour period.

You don’t need to drink a lot of green tea to help you lose weight. While weight loss benefits vary based on different dynamics, they have been found by drinking as little as 2.5 cups of green tea per day.

Some green tea varieties are better for weight loss than others. If you’re all about that green and on a weight-loss mission, you might want to choose Matcha green tea—the richest green tea source of nutrients and antioxidants. Registered dietitian Isabel K Smith explains why: “The whole leaf is ground and consumed as part of the beverage, as opposed to other (most) types of green tea where the leaves are steeped and then the tea is consumed.”

There’s a right and wrong way to brew green tea. When brewing green tea, take a little extra care, as boiling water is bad for the precious catechins (tea’s healthy chemicals). Do bring your water to a boil, but let it rest for about ten minutes. Then, pour the water over the tea and brew for about one minute before serving. Of course, the brew time can be made shorter or longer, depending on your taste.

Green tea has many health benefits. “It contains many nutrients, including antioxidants and anti-cancer and brain-healthy compounds,” Smith reminds us. One thing is for sure: regardless of whether or not you’ll shed pounds with green tea, drink it anyway. “All teas contain many healthful nutrients; it’s one of the healthier choices for a beverage!” Smith says.

But…Just be careful not to pile on the honey or sugar!

See all weight-loss content on ihealthwoman.com.

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Drinking green tea before bed

Drinking coffee or tea just before bed does not affect quality of sleep, a new study has found.

US researchers from Florida Atlantic University and Harvard Medical School monitored 785 people for a total of 5,164 days and nights, recording how much caffeine, alcohol and nicotine they consumed.

The team then compared their consumption to results from sleep diaries and wrist sensors which recorded the participants’ sleep duration, sleep efficiency and how quickly they woke up after drifting off.

The study found that while nicotine and alcohol did disrupt sleep – with a pre-bed cigarette taking 42 minutes off total duration of sleep for insomniacs (a person who is regularly unable to sleep) – caffeine seemed to have no effect.

Writing in the journal Sleep, Dr Christine Spadola, of Florida Atlantic University, said that up until now relatively few studies have thoroughly investigated the association between evening substance use and sleep parameters.

Loss weight while you sleep

For most of us, the thought of shedding body fat is a daunting one with complicated diets and exercises needed to achieve the end goal.

But it doesn't have to be that hard - it's simply a matter of re-balancing our lifestyles.

Sleep really does affect weight loss

We tend to store a lot of fat around our middles if we're exposed to high and prolonged periods of stress.

Stress comes in many different forms but the effect on our metabolisms is basically the same.

If you're disproportionately storing more fat around your lower belly, then you need to start thinking about reducing your stress levels and getting a good night's sleep.

Pre-bed tea time

An easy way to start improving the quality of your sleep and boosting your weight loss is by drinking a cup of tea before bed.

We're not talking about the kinds of dubious diet teas that promise to help you shed a stone in a week.

And we're not talking caffeine rich builders, which could keep you up at night.

Instead, try these herbal teas to satisfy sweet cravings, calm the mind and prepare the body for rest...

Cinnamon tea

Cinnamon has tonnes of health benefits.

It's naturally anti-inflammatory, meaning that it'll help you de-bloat and reduce your overall physical stress load.

It's also said to increase insulin sensitivity and decrease blood sugar - both of which are vital for losing weight.

The spice is also thought to boost metabolism because your body uses more energy to process it.

"Though it has a slight metabolism/thermogenic effect, it is more about balancing blood sugar and insulin resistance, which in turn aids weight loss and can lessen food cravings," nutritionist Helen Bond told The Sun.

"Again, this does not replace the need for dietary changes. A far better way of balancing blood sugar and insulin resistance is to follow a sugar-free, low-carbohydrate diet."

Dr Sally Norton told The Sun that cinnamon can be added to desserts or hot drinks as a healthy alternative to sugar, as it can have a subtle sweetness.

So if you want something sweet after dinner, a cup of cinnamon tea might be the ideal solution.