Green tea, or Camellia sinensis, also commonly known as Chinese tea or Japanese tea, is gaining popularity in North America as its health benefits are being recognized. Coming from the Camellia sinensis plant, it is the same plant used to make black and oolong teas. With green tea, the fresh leaves are steamed, rolled, and dried instead being allowed to wither or ferment. This unique process greatly affects the green tea's catechin content, or antioxidants which are found to help in many ways, including weight loss.
History
Even though it’s been claimed in Chinese health practices for thousands of years that green tea had many health benefits, it didn’t begin to become more widely popular until the 1970s when scientists found how Japanese in tea growing areas had fewer cases of cancer than other areas of the country.
Benefits
More recently there have been studies linking more successful weight loss to including green tea in the diet. The Journal of Nutrition’s study suggests that including green tea in the daily diet aids in the loss of abdominal fat and improving triglyceride levels. Subjects in a study that included 500ml of green tea each day accompanied with 3 hours of exercise per week, lost more weight than the subjects not drinking a beverage containing green tea.
Studies have found that it may aid in the body's ability to manage the metabolism of glucose and lipids, helpful in both losing weight and diabetes. Green extract, a form of green tea found as capsules and sometimes skin products, has been studied in the lowering of blood sugars. This helps with controlling cravings and energy levels. It’s a boost to the metabolism.
Tips
As with everything, one must not assume that adding green tea to a bad diet of fatty food and little exercise will result in a slimmer body. But with healthy food choices and including regular exercise, green tea is a good addition to the diet. Please keep this in moderation because it does contain some caffeine which might cause insomnia, irritability, or stomach ache. And consult with your health care expert when adding alternative, or natural, supplement to your routine.
For a summer refreshment, Weight Watchers July-August Magazine suggests this recipe:
Fill a 2 quart glass jar with cold water and add 4 green tea bags. Let it brew in the sun for a few hours. Pour the tea into a pitcher containing ice, fresh mint, and sliced lemon.
Enjoy the benefits of a beverage that people have been enjoying for thousands of years.
