Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea: Camellia sinensis. The difference is that green tea is less processed, which results in more healing properties. Catechins in green tea are antioxidants that help your body break down fat and speed up your metabolism. Green tea contains caffeine, which revs up your energy levels and might also help you lose weight. Add green tea to your weight loss plan in hot tea, extract, or powdered matcha form after talking to your doctor about its use.
Step 1
Drink hot or cold brewed green tea two to three times a day to boost your metabolism. Although you might want to drink green tea all day to lose weight, it can cause an upset stomach or constipation. The amount of caffeine in over 5 cups of green tea a day can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, an irregular heart rate, headaches and other general side effects of caffeine. Drinking too much green tea can cause toxicity and even death if you have 10 to 14 g of caffeine from it. Consider caffeine-free varieties instead.
Step 2
Take green tea extract after talking to your doctor about its use. A 2007 article in "Obesity" found that green tea extract with high levels of catechins reduced LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, body fat and systolic blood pressure in obese participants. However, green tea extract is associated with a number of side effects and drug interactions. Green tea extract might cause liver problems, although the US Pharmacopeia believes the concern is from taking these extracts on an empty stomach.
Step 3
Add powdered green tea, called matcha, right into your recipes to better break down your food. According to Boulder Tea, you can mix ingredient-grade matcha powder into smoothies, lattes and yogurt, or add it to low-fat cookies, cakes or ice cream for a treat. Matcha might have similar side effects to other forms of green tea, so check with your doctor first.
Tips and Warnings
- MedlinePlus notes that although green tea seems to cause weight loss, it does not appear to promote the maintenance of that weight loss.
- Talk to your doctor before taking any form of green tea if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you have anxiety, a heart condition, high blood pressure, anemia, diabetes, glaucoma, liver disease or osteoporosis. Discuss the use of green tea with your doctor if are on any kind of medication, as it interferes with many medications. Avoid green tea if you have a bleeding disorder.
References
- "20,000 Secrets of Tea"; Victoria Zak; 1999
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Green Tea
- MedlinePlus: Green Tea
- "Obesity"; A Green Tea Extract High in Catechins Reduces Body Fat and Cardiovascular Risks in Humans; Tomonori Nagao, et al.; June 2007
- Herb Research Foundation; USP Investigates Safety of Green Tea Extracts; Rob McCaleb; February 2009
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