People have been talking about green tea as a helpful supplement for weight loss for a very long time. But now it’s not just talk. If you’ll excuse the pun, the idea of green tea and weight reduction has been gaining weight as the body of scientific evidence gives it strength.
In 2004, the world began to talk about the green tea diet, after it received some focus on the popular Oprah television show. Oprah’s guest at that time was Dr. Nigel Perricone, an author who is known for his many books on diet and health. During his visit to Oprah, Perricone went on and on about the myriad benefits of green tea. He spoke about its anti-aging properties, its ability to rev up the metabolism, and its tendency to increase the oxidation of fats.
Replace Coffee Perricone reiterated what he had written his eponymous book, The Perricone Prescription: that if we were to replace our coffee addiction cup for cup with green tea, we would lose as many as 10 pounds in up to six weeks. That statement knocked the socks off viewers and created reverberations that have yet to die down. Many health and weight aficionados sat up, took note of the Perricone Prescription and began quaffing the brew in record amounts.
It must have boosted the green tea industry even more when Oprah herself said that green tea is a crucial component of her own diet. The Green Tea Diet, she says, has helped her achieve her diet and weigh loss goals which have long plagued the well-liked talk show host. She also claims that green tea has improved her overall health and well-being. Fans are listening up.
Magic Bullet? Among the claims for green tea we can find evidence that it prevents cancer, acts as a defense against aging, increases the metabolism, increases fat oxidation, suppresses the appetite, and serves as a low-calorie substitute for coffee. Of course, caution the experts, no one should assume that green tea is the magic bullet that supplants healthy living as a means to attaining the ideal weight.
That means that if you insist on eating large amounts of french fries, fried chicken, and chocolate ice cream, but you drink many cups of green tea every day, you will still become or remain obese.
What green tea can do is complement a well-balanced diet in combination with exercise. It can move you off a weight plateau and give a bit of a boost to the good stuff you are already doing.So, you’re persuaded. How much green tea do you need to drink in order to obtain the full benefit of the brew? Experts haven’t been able to agree on an exact amount, but in general, you should try to drink 3-5 cups daily. In theory, this would help you burn another 70 calories a day or the equivalent of 7 pounds a year. If you don’t care for the taste, tea extract, tea patches, and tea pills work just as well.