Health Benefits of Ginger Tea

Benefits of Herbal Tea

5 Things You Should Know About Green Tea & Dieting

Green tea has long been revered for its remarkable healing qualities. In recent times, modern science has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the antioxidant power of green tea can fight cancer and disease, boost the immune system, promote healthier skin, and enhance focus and mental function.

But these studies have found out some other things about green tea. Things that you'll be very interested in if you're sick of that extra weight and want to lose a few pounds. Let's take a look at them in order of importance.



5. Green Tea Increases Endurance & Helps You Exercise Longer

Everyone knows that dieting isn't nearly as effective if you're not pairing it up with some sort of exercise. This, of course, is because exercise burns calories and builds muscle, which in turn boosts your metabolism and leads to even faster weight loss.
Antioxidants in green tea stimulate the use of fatty acids by liver and muscle cells. This reduces the rate that carbs are used and increases endurance while allowing for longer exercise times. A study on lab rats found that green tea increased the time they could swim by as much as 24%.

4. Switching to Green Tea Leads to Calorie Reduction

Want to do something really smart? Stop drinking coffee and soft drinks and switch to green tea exclusively. If you're worried about losing the caffeine burst that you get from your morning cup of Java, don't be. Green tea has just enough caffeine to do the trick, and absolutely no calories!

Many people add sugar and creamer to coffee which sends the calories through the roof. And let's not even talk about the nutritional disaster called soft drinks! Switch to green tea and you'll be getting a healthy dose of powerful antioxidants while simultaneously dropping the calories and sugar.

3. Green Tea Helps Calm Cravings

A recent study found that lab rats injected with green tea consumed 60% less calories than other rats. I'm sure you can imagine how this can help you during a diet. Frequent consumption of green tea also fills up the stomach reduces appetite even further.

2. Green Tea Increases Metabolism

An antioxidant in green tea called EGCG, along with the caffeine, stimulates the central nervous system and causes fat to be released into the blood stream for the body to use as fuel. This process is called "thermogenesis" and it greatly boosts the metabolism.

Caffeine alone can stimulate the metabolism this way, but researches have found that the combined ingredients in green tea do a much better job than caffeine by itself.

1. Green Tea Burns Fat

Green tea's ability to stimulate the metabolism also causes the body to burn calories at a faster rate. Once the body runs out of carbs, it will turn to fat as a source for fuel. This is exactly what you want if you're trying to burn off those pesky pounds!




So there you have it. These 5 things are helpful enough individually, but put them together and you have one heck of a head start on losing weight. Pair green tea with a good diet and exercise and you're well on your way to a slim, fit body!

Energy Drink Slashes Belly Fat by 77%

Article by  Michelle Schoffro Cook  - May 3, 2012

Forget Red Bull, Monster, Rock Star, and the other so-called “Energy Drinks” that line the refrigerators at every convenience store these days. Not only are they loaded with stimulants, most are usually packed with artificial ingredients and sweeteners. If you’re looking to be the rock star with the enormous gut and bad teeth, the high fructose corn syrup found in many energy drinks, is sure to help.

One of my Facebook fans, Kate Morgan, asked me to provide a healthier energy drink option. (Connect with me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/drmichellecook). So here’s my solution: Super Fat-Busting Green Tea Lemonade. Not just any green tea lemonade will do though. I’ve included my recipe at the end of this blog for my—a sneak preview from my upcoming weight loss book. I created this recipe because I couldn’t stand the taste of green tea but wanted to reap the health benefits of drinking it. My Super Fat-Busting Green Tea Lemonade takes minutes to prepare, is all-natural, super healing, and delicious!

Keep reading to learn how green tea slashes belly fat by 77%...

Not only does green tea give you an energy boost, research shows that it protects your body against colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers, slows wrinkling and skin damage linked to aging. But, there’s another great reason to drink green tea. Green tea contains a potent plant nutrient known as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, for short. Multiple studies that EGCG seriously targets belly fat.

Research at Tufts University indicates that EGCG in green tea, like other catechins, activate fat-burning genes in the abdomen to speed weight loss by 77 percent. New research published in the Journal of Nutrition found that overweight adults who drank four to six cups of green tea daily lost at least seven percent more abdominal fat than those who didn’t drink green tea.


Dr. Michelle’s Super Fat-Busting Green Tea Lemonade
Now you can reap all the fat-busting benefits of green tea lemonade without the excessive amounts of calories. This tea is sweetened with stevia—an herb that is naturally sweet.

6 green tea bags
1quart or litre of pure alkaline water
4 lemons, juiced
10-20 drops of liquid stevia (or to taste)
Ice
Fresh mint (optional)

Bring the water to boil. Add the 6 green tea bags and let steep for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, juice the lemons and add the stevia. Add ice to the green tea and allow to cool before adding the lemon juice-stevia mixture. Stir until mixed and enjoy served over ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint if desired.