Have you ever thought of including green tea as part of your diet regimen? Do you known that drinking green tea can be a part of your serious
weight loss program? Drinking green tea is not any faddish nutritional supplement nor just a style statement. Latest research has shown that drinking green tea has a whole lot of benefits. And if you are not aware,
green tea not only helps in cancer prevention but has weight loss properties as well.
Green tea comes from Camellia Sinensis, the same plant as does black tea.
Green tea was in the diet of the Chinese some 4000 years ago. Though several stories are associated with the origin of green tea, there is one story that talks about a renowned Chinese leader and medical specialist, Sheng Nong. One day while boiling water, under a tea tree, some tea leaves dropped into Sheng's vessel of boiling water. After drinking the tea, he realized its medicinal properties and instantly added it on the list of medicinal herbs. In ancient China, tea was an expensive beverage and only the elite could afford it. It was only during the Ming rule that tea drinking spread from the elite to the commoner. Tang Yin, a famous painter of the Ming dynasty recorded tea drinking of the Chinese in his celebrated painting titled "Drinking Tea" which is now on display in the Palace Museum Beijing.
Another interesting story is attached with the
green tea and its benefits. Emperor Chien-lung of the Ching Dynasty was used to drinking only black tea till he was offered green tea by his servants while traveling to the countryside. After having two sips he found it too bland and tasteless. But after traveling for some time he realized that the tea tasted good. The taste of green tea comes only after a few sips.
Green tea is better when compared to black tea in terms of medicinal properties. Production of black tea includes dried and fermented leaves while green tea is unfermented and therefore an improved source of antioxidants and flavnoids required for weight loss. Though the metabolism rate differs from individual to individual, studies show that green tea increases the rate of
metabolism and burns about 78 calories of fat each day. Green tea contains a plant compound called EGCG which contributes significantly to weight loss. Green tea extract increases a bodily process called thermogenesis which generates heat in the body from digestion, absorption, and metabolism. The EGCG compound, along with caffeine, results in a tremendous increase in thermogenesis, which in turn amounts to weight loss.
However, if you are obese and think that simply drinking
green tea can help you in drastic weight loss, then it is not to be so. Green tea should be part of your
diet but at the same time you should balance it with proper nutrition and other weight loss techniques as well.
