Promoted for many years now as a super food, it is no surprise that dieters have caught on to the benefits and moved on to exploit the health claims and push a green tea diet. The health benefits of green tea have been well known for ages in Asia where the Japanese and Chinese have regularly drank it for thousands of years. Green tea is a less processed drink than many choices and includes significantly more antioxidants than black includes or oolong teas do. Several studies have found promising benefits of drinking green tea regularly, particularly associated with a compound it contains called EGCG for short. The health claims are many and varied including among other things, cancer prevention, lower risk of gallstones, preventing atherosclerosis, lowering blood pressure, protection against kidney disease, building bone, quicker recovery from a heart attack, and minimizing brain damage from a stroke. Some studies have shown that EGCG increases thermo genesis in the body, or heat production. Weight lifting, for instance, also increases thermo genesis, which just means that it increases the number of calories burned in all activities from digestion to sleeping to exercising, which can be a very good thing. There is also evidence that suggests that EGCG can help control insulin levels and boosts insulin sensitivity. Low insulin sensitivity is most often linked with obesity and type 2 diabetes and can certainly make the weight loss process harder than it already is.
It is easy to find outrageous claims and programs such as “super green tea diet” and “lose 10 pounds in one week drinking green tea”. Green tea diet supplements are a dime a dozen including both green tea diet pills and a green tea diet patch. A green tea diet plan suggests drinking a cup of green tea before or after each meal, probably not a bad idea considering the antioxidant levels alone. Combine this approach with an eating regimen of at least three meals per day made up of minimally processed whole foods and you have got yourself a sound healthy eating plan that maximizes much of what we know in nutrition today. An average of 3-4 cups of unsweetened green tea per day should be more than enough to receive the health benefits of green tea while minimizing the disadvantages. While the eye-catching promises and claims are probably exaggerated, one could certainly lose weight at the healthier level of 2-3 pounds per week by drinking green tea with an eating plan the spreads meals out across the day and emphasizes minimally processed whole foods.
Before starting a green tea diet, know what problems could arise. While green tea contains significantly less caffeine than black tea or coffee, it could affect sensitive individuals. Green tea consumption may need to be limited to mornings and early afternoon if caffeine affects your sleeping habits. It can also trigger anxiety in those prone to panic or anxiety attacks like any other source of caffeine. Caffeine-free green tea has not been found to have the same health promoting properties as the caffeinated version. In addition, green tea consumption should be limited or avoided by women who are pregnant or nursing as it can reduce the body’s ability to use folate, which is of utmost importance to a growing child and deficiency during pregnancy is known to cause birth defects. While the negative effects are minimal and specific, the benefits to drinking green tea can be great, and you just might lose a few pounds as an added bonus.