All these advertisements about Green Tea Diet and Green Tea Extract make me very uneasy. Every year we have a new type of diet or a new miracle drug that seems to have one million and one uses. Green tea seems to be in the press more and more and allegedly does everything from revitalizing your skin to curing cancer.
Although I think green tea is a healthy addition to everyone's diet, I see it being just like fruits and vegetables - a recommended part of your daily diet. Drink a few cups a day of good quality green tea, but stay balanced and don't go overboard. Although it appears you can get green tea extract in pill form, is it as effective? I am not convinced. Typically a lot of these extracts lose their maximum effectiveness when not taken in the natural form, such as a green tea leaf. Personally, I like to hold, smell and brew the green tea leaves myself. I like to see the quality of the green tea before brewing it and make sure it has been stored properly for maximum freshness.
There are some studies that suggest green tea can promote healthy weight loss and be a helpful aid in dieting:
As I mentioned in a previous post, I was glancing at my wife's copy of Us Weekly ( July 18 2005 ) the other day when I came across a health hints section, called 7 easy ways to lose weight!
It turns out the section was an advertisement for a diet pill, but what interested me was tip #1:
- Drink a cup of green tea each morning. It's a proven, natural metabolism booster.
Studies show that green tea helps you lose weight by increasing your body's metabolism. Green tea helps you burn an extra 80 calories a day which adds up to 8lbs a year. For all you diet-conscienc people aout there green tea also helps to reduce cravings. You can check out my previous post here:
If you are new to green tea, I highly recommend you buy your green tea online. The grocery store green tea is either very low quality or way too expensive for the amount you are actually buying. Everyone's taste buds differ, but you may find a good Japanese Sencha, Dragon Well Lung Ching, or Pi Lo Chun a good place to start.