Green Tea and Weight Loss

This time of year everyone is looking to drop a few pounds or loose that weight we put on over the holidays.

We hear a lot about diet and exercise, what to eat, what not to eat, and then of course all the rapid weight loss aides, pills and fads. One of the products that has gotten a lot of attention lately is Green Tea. We hear about all the Green Tea Benefits, but we're also hearing now how it can help us lose weight.

Let's take a look at green tea and see what the benefits are and if there truly is any truth to the idea that drinking tea will aide in weight loss.

For thousands of years, people all over the world have been drinking tea. In fact, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, second only to water.

When most people think of tea, they think of the little tea bags, or a big pitcher of sweet tea on a hot afternoon. This is generally whats called black tea, but it comes from the same plant as green tea, white tea or any other true tea.

All tea, or all true tea anyway, comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant, and starts as a green leaf or bud. What differentiates one type of tea from another is the processing that the leaf undergoes after being picked. Black tea for example, is allowed to oxidize longer than a green or oolong tea. This process leads to a darker leaf and stronger flavor.

Green Tea undergoes less processing, it is generally picked and then steamed or pan fired to stop oxidation right away. This decreased processing leaves a tea with a cleaner and often greener taste. It also results in a lower caffeine level in green tea than in black or oolong teas.

You can find bagged green tea or black tea, almost anywhere, loose green tea and other loose teas are becoming more widely available, and these teas offer the most benefits.

So what is there to know about Green Tea and Weight Loss? This is exactly what a number of studies in the last several years have been trying to find out, and the results are pretty good. Some of the weight loss benefits include:

• Green Tea may help reduce appetite

A study conducted at the University of Chicago showed that rats injected with a green tea extract over the course of seven days showed decreased appetites and consumed up to 60 percent less food

• Green Tea can increase your metabolism

According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a 4 percent increase in metabolic rate was shown over a 24 hour period after the addition of green tea extract.

• Green tea can help you cut empty calories

Switching from that morning Latte to a glass of green tea will not only add the healthy benefits of green tea to your diet, but it will also cut out all those often overlooked calories in your favorite soda or morning pick me up.

So how can you get these benefits?

Although, recommendations from experts vary, the general consensus is to drink 3-5 cups of green tea per day. Doing so can burn an extra 70 calories per day, which equates to about 7lbs per year.

While drinking green tea may not be a magic weight loss bullet, the added calorie burning is yet another thing to add to the already numerous benefits of drinking green tea. So do something good for yourself and have a glass of green tea today.

The strongest concentrations of the beneficial compounds in green tea can be found in the loose leaf varieties, but benefits can be gained by all kinds. Because the quality of the tea can directly affect the taste, I would always recommend a higher quality tea, especially if you're trying it for the first time.