Green tea is full of promise for a healthy lifestyle
I am not a coffee drinker, love to smell it and hold a cup in my hands, but just cannot develop a taste for it. I have tried on several occasions to drink coffee but for the life of me just cannot savor the flavor.
Now that does not necessarily include the mochas and lattes. I probably could like them a lot, but the calorie and sugar content is high in most of those. It’s better to choose flavored coffees in moderation and avoid developing your taste buds for those. On the other hand, tea is one of my favorite drinks. I love tea, all kinds, steaming hot with lots of flavor. As I tell my clients most teas are full of wonderful natural ingredients that can enhance our health and boast our immune system.
Like fruit and vegetables, tea is rich in antioxidants. (In tea these are known as flavonoids). Antioxidants in the diet may help the body in its management of free radicals – highly reactive substances capable of causing damage to body cells. We are also seeing the latest research suggesting that coffee is also full of these treasures.
One tea that is full of promise is green tea. New research published in the online journal “Obesity” suggests that green tea may help prevent weight gain. According to an article titled “Green Tea: A Dieter’s Secret Weapon” found on the American Council of Exercise (ACE) website, researchers at Penn State looked specifically at a compound found in most green teas, called apigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to determine its effects on weight gain. Two groups of obese mice were fed high fat diet, but only one group also ate EGCG. Compared to the control group, the mice consuming EGCG in addition to the high fat diet gained weight 45 percent more slowly. The mice fed the green tea supplements also appeared to be absorbing less fat .According to the article both groups of mice ate about the same amount of high fat food, suggesting that EGCG does not suppress appetite. The bottom line to all this according to researcher Dr. Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences at Penn State, is that EGCG found in green tea reduces the ability to absorb fat and second, it enhances the ability of the body to use fat.
The question is how much green tea does it takes to make a considerable difference in our body. According to Lambert, recent studies examining the effects of green tea in humans suggest that drinking even a cup or two of green tea per day may be enough to have a positive effect on body weight.
Of course there are many more factors involved in weight loss and weight gain. You must watch your total caloric intake and burn calories with activity. Don’t drink green tea like it’s going out of style and continue to eat too many calories and expect to lose weight, that is not what I am suggesting, but adding some green tea to your wellness regimen might be a good addition to your overall plan.
Of course tea contains caffeine, so check with your physician if you are limiting your intake of caffeine. Try to avoid the green teas that have added sugars as well.
See you in the gym!
Linda Stollings