Monday, March 2, 2009

Green tea for weight loss and health

By Foong

One of the healthiest drinks you should have at home is green tea. Although it may seem that all this hype about the benefits of green tea may seem to be just hype only, it is not because green tea is really healthy. There is a reason why this ancient Japanese tea has survived for centuries especially when it is one of the best kept health secrets of the Japanese. It seems that in recent times, research has shown that green tea is also good for weight loss, not only for health.

Nowadays, when we talk about green tea, people think about its weight loss benefits. So, the link between green tea and weight loss is pretty much common knowledge by now. So much so that a lot of weight loss programs and diets include green tea as one of the must have drink. Drinking green tea is always a better choice compared to any other drink if you don't only want to drink water.

The reason for green tea's growing popularity is due to its anti-oxidant nutrients that also double up as fat fighting agents. It is now common to drink green tea for weight loss because it is easy and hassle free. Also, if you tire of the plain green tea, there are also flavored ones you could try out. Here are three main reasons why you should be adding green tea to your diet:

1. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have concluded that green tea extract could improve your metabolic rate by 4%. This means green tea could increase your metabolism, all thanks to its catechin polyphenols.

2. It seems that green tea can fight off fat by controlling your blood sugar level. Its catechins are able to stop your blood sugar level from skyrocketing after you eat and this ultimately resulted in your fat absorption slowing down. It then cut down insulin spikes, so your body won't absorb fat.

3. If you need an appetite suppressant, green tea is a good one. This is because it regulates your blood glucose level and this will lead to a better control of your sugar cravings. With lesser sugar cravings, you won't indulge that much in sweet stuff and high fat food. Instead, you may even have lesser appetite and eat less. With less food intake, it will mean you are consuming less calories and finally this will lead to weight loss. - 16004

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