As more people are looking for natural weight loss options, many are turning to a green tea diet to help meet their weight loss goals. Although there can be some benefits to a green tea diet plan, there can also be a few drawbacks to using green tea as a weight loss tea. As with any diet, one should consult with a healthcare physician before undergoing any kind of green tea diet weight loss regimen. It is also important to know a few facts about green tea.
Green Tea Types
There are many kinds of green tea, but some of the most well known are the blends that come out of China and Japan. Chinese blends include dragonwell, hyson lucky dragon, green snail spring, green tip, gunpowder, monkey tea and snowy mountain Jian. Japanese blends include bancha, genmaicho, gyokuro, houjicha, kukicha, matcha and sencha. Green tea tends to be lighter than black tea and also has the added benefit of having antioxidants that help the body fight free radicals linked to some cancers and heart disease among other degenerative diseases.
How To Diet With Green Tea
People go about this kind of diet in many different ways. For instance, some people take green tea diet pills while others will add the tea itself to their weight loss regimens. In any form, green tea is believed to suppress the appetite and to have fat burning properties and the ability to boost metabolism, which gives it its weight loss properties. However, it is important to be careful if using green tea in a diet plan. People who use diet pills need to stay hydrated because of the diuretic properties of the tea.
Benefits And Side Effects
There are other drawbacks to the green tea diet. Green tea contains caffeine, albeit less caffeine than coffee, so it can lead to abdominal pain, jitteriness or nausea. It can also interact with other drugs including antibiotics, aspirin, beta-blockers, benzodiazepines, blood thinners, chemotherapy drugs, lithium and oral contraceptives. People with conditions such as anxiety disorders, heart problems, kidney disorders and stomach ulcers should not use the tea. It is also possible to abuse this type of diet, rendering it into a crash or fad diet.
One should not use green tea alone as a diet plan. Rather, it should be used as part of an overall healthy and balanced diet along with exercise and other healthy activity. Also, it is important to use a tea with a good amount of catechins, which is most prevalent in teas made from young tea buds. Young tea buds also contain a naturally decaffeinating substance called theanine that helps reduce anxiety in young women.
It is also essential that one only drinks as much tea as needed. The amount will depend upon the quality of the tea. The higher quality of the tea, the less one needs to consume. It is most ideal to drink the tea in the morning and/or between meals since the catechins and caffeine help produce gastric acid and aid stomach indigestion, which is good for those with sensitive stomachs.
