Everywhere you go on the internet, you’re constantly bombarded with products claiming to fight fat, cure cancer, or make you irresistible to the opposite sex. While most of us want these claims to be true, most of the time the foods won’t stand the test of science.
Except for one.
Green tea. The miracle fat-burning food backed by a slew of clinical research. In fact, studies show that green tea can help people lose weight, burn fat, and keep it off.
Here’s how it works:
1. It boosts your metabolism
Green tea interacts directly with your sympathetic nervous system – telling it to ramp up your calorie-burning machine. According to a 2001 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, green tea also significantly increased the amount of calories burned at rest, known as resting metabolic rate.
2. It torches your fat cells
While an increase in metabolism can result in significant fat loss, this isn’t always the case. However, in the case of green tea, it does directly act on fat cells. Research in The International Journal of Obesity concluded that green tea has the unique property of increasing the rate that your body uses up stored fat.
3. It blocks fat absorption
Green tea interferes with your body’s ability to digest and absorb the fat from your diet. It appears that the catechins in green tea blocks many of the enzymes required for proper fat absorption. French researchers found that green tea resulted in a 37% reduction in fat digestion.
4. It suppresses your appetite
Scientists believe that green tea’s appetite suppressing properties is why green tea is linked with weight loss. University of Chicago researchers also found that green tea hinders a pathway that makes you hungry.
How to Drink Green Tea for Maximised Fat Burn
While drinking green tea every moment of the day might unleash some benefits, knowing when and how to drink will fully unlock its fat-burning capabilities. Here are a few tips:
1. Eat the leaves
By only brewing and drinking green tea, you will get a limited amount of green tea catechins. However, if you eat the leaves themselves, you’ll be taking in the full spectrum of antioxidants found in the leaves.
2. Consume enough
Research shows that to reap the benefits from green tea, you need to drink serious amounts of the stuff (at least five to 10 cups each day). This may seem like a lot of green tea to drink. Again – see the point above about eating the whole leaves.
3. Spread out doses
Green tea works best if you take small amounts throughout the day, rather than all at once. This way, you’re giving your body small metabolism “jolts” at regular intervals.
4. Take with meals
Because green tea can block absorption of some of the fat that you eat, it’s ideal to have green tea with meals. The easiest way to do this is to incorporate green tea leaves into your recipes.
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