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The Benefits of Green Tea When Dieting

Green tea has been used by the Chinese for more than 4,000 years. Not only because they enjoy it, but because they have known that green tea is good for you. It is rich in antioxidants, a property that may fight viruses and slow aging, inhibit the growth of cancer cells and lower the negative cholesterol levels in the body. But green tea offers more benefits than this. It may also offer weight loss benefits, especially for those who are already dieting.

  1. Metabolism Booster

    • Green tea is a natural source of caffeine, which may raise the heart rate. When the heart rate is raised, the metabolism instinctively follows. Therefore, the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you may burn. The number of calories burned will depend on the amount of weight needing to be lost. The more you weigh, the more you will burn.

    Fat Burner

    • The fat burn you experience from drinking green tea is a natural burn, and occurs due to the increase in your metabolism. It may not only burn stored fat, but can possibly block and prevent new fat from being stored when drank daily.

    Glucose Levels

    • Drinking green tea either with or after a meal, especially one rich in carbohydrates, may help slow the rise of glucose levels. When glucose levels spike quickly, they drop quickly. This can leave you hungry and void of energy, looking for anything packed with sugar to pick you up fast. If you find yourself in these situations, drinking a cup of green tea may help balance your glucose levels naturally so your craving for that afternoon candy bar goes away.

    Appoetite Suppressant

    • If consumed daily, green tea may help control your appetite naturally, helping you stay in better control between meals. Eventually, your levels may begin to balance out and you may find you are not as hungry all the time.

    Calorie Reduction

    • Green tea may be excellent in numerous ways for this. First, replacing your morning cup of coffee laden with sugar and cream with a cup of green tea gives you the same amount of energy and caffeine while removing the extra calories from the add-ons. Second, if you replace your afternoon soda or pre-packaged beverage with green tea, you are eliminating the calories and high fructose corn syrup these products contain. You can brew a pot of green tea the night before, chill it, and take bottles of it with you to work the next day.

    Amount

    • The recommended dose varies depending on who you are speaking to. Some people believe that in order to get the all the benefits this tea has to offer, you need to consume 10 cups a day. However, drinking 4 to 5 cups is sufficient. These do not have to be drank back-to-back. They can spread out through the day. For those who do not like green tea in its natural form, there are supplements available at many drug stores.

    Tips

    • Though some enjoy the taste of pure, natural green tea, there are others who prefer a little flavor added to it. If you want to retain the benefits for your diet and weight loss plan, you need to be cautious. A good choice for flavoring your tea is lemon or citrus juice squeezed directly from the fruit itself. Another option is a drop of natural honey.

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