With all the diet products on the market today, choosing the best plan for you can be challenging. The decision to take supplements, herbs or chemical compounds to remove excess fat can be mind-boggling. Natural weight-loss methods have been the ideal plan for almost everyone wanting to shed those extra pounds, as it not only helps with weight, but also health complications such as diabetes and lowering cholesterol. Green tea is one such natural weight-loss aid, and using it is simple.
Green Tea Weight Loss
Green tea is so named because of how it is used. The leaves are harvested and used fresh to brew the tea, compared with black teas, whose leaves are fermented before brewing. What makes green tea so special is it's ability to speed up the metabolism. Green tea contains polyphenols, also known as antioxidants. EGCG, the type of polyphenol in green tea, speeds up metabolism by increasing the heating process in your body. This reaction will not make you hotter, but it will make your body burn calories more effectively as well as take care of excess fat.
Origins of Green Tea
Green tea's origins can be traced back thousands of years to Asia, specifically China. Some may speculate that green tea also can be attributed to the lower obesity rate in this country. In China, its main function is medicinal, improving cholesterol levels, lowering blood sugar and increasing mental awareness. Heart patients seem to be the ideal candidates for green tea therapy, as antioxidants in the tea can help prevent heart attack by lowering LDL, or bad, cholesterols.
How to Use Green Tea for Weight Loss
Green tea comes in a variety of forms from powder, leaf, extracts and pills. With leaves, boiling them in water until desired strength is attained can give you a warm soothing treat throughout the day. Drinking green tea at every meal or afterward is safe and effective. Powders can be mixed with water, cold or hot, to get the same benefits as brewing. Extracts and pills can be taken as a supplement daily. Two to three supplements are recommended for maximum benefits but should not be exceeded since green tea in condensed forms contain higher amounts of caffeine, which could increase heart rate if not used in moderation.
Purchasing Green Tea
Green tea can be purchased from health food stores, grocery stores and on the Internet. The most preferable method to purchasing green teas is on the Internet. The belief regarding store-bought teas is that they are of lower quality and will not provide the full benefit of the EGCG that is responsible for weight loss. The pill forms of green tea, however, have no difference, regardless of where they are purchased.
Substituting with Green Tea
Some people have quite common coffee addictions. According to a recent interview with Dr. Nicholas Perricone, an adjunct professor of medicine at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine, on the "Oprah" show, substituting coffee with green tea can help you lose 10 pounds in six weeks, but it does not guarantee that your weight loss will be that significant. Body makeup has more to do with your weight loss, and green tea boosts that ability.
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