| With a few strategic adjustments to the normal | | | | 5. Drinking tea targets belly fat. Women who |
| routine of most tea drinkers, tea can seriously | | | | switched from coffee to green tea reduced visceral |
| fast-track weight loss, helping millions of women | | | | fat (the kind that accumulates in tissue surrounding |
| losing 10 pounds every week. | | | | the abdominal area) by 76 percent in four months, |
| Here are the benefits you'll enjoy just by following | | | | according to research in the journal In Vivo. "Tea's |
| these smart -sipping strategies that will make | | | | L-theanine reduces production of the stress hormone |
| slimming a cinch. | | | | cortisol by as much as 47 percent," explains Mark |
| 1. Drinking tea calms cravings. Savoring a strong cup | | | | Ukra, author of The Ultimate Tea Diet (Collins Living, |
| of tea when you feel the urge to eat shuts down | | | | 2008). "Cortisol increases belly-fat deposits and |
| food cravings in as little as two minutes. In fact, the | | | | prevents fat breakdown, so as cortisol levels drop, |
| slimming magic of tea sets in before you even take | | | | belly fat is lost, slimming your waist line." |
| the first sip. "When inhaled, tea's odor molecules | | | | 6. Drinking tea keeps weight off. "On most diets, at |
| travel from the olfactory bulb to the limbic lobe of | | | | least half of the weight lost is calorie-hungry muscle, |
| the brain, where they activate the brain's satiety | | | | which is a recipe for disaster because less muscle |
| center", explains Alan Hirsch, M.D., neurological director | | | | means a sluggish metabolism and a higher risk of |
| of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research | | | | regaining pounds," says Harry Preuss, M.D., professor |
| Foundation in Chicago. | | | | of physiology and biophysics at Georgetown |
| 2. Drinking tea soothes stress eating. Ingesting | | | | University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. "But on |
| L-theanine, an amino acid in tea, stimulates the | | | | a tea-rich diet, up to 90 percent of weight lost is fat, |
| production of alpha brain waves, UCLA scientists | | | | and many women actually gain three to four pounds |
| report. This includes a calm state that inhibits stress | | | | of metabolism-boosting muscle. This makes it easier |
| eating in as little as 10 minutes. | | | | to stay slim since metabolic rate hasn't slowed down". |
| 3. Drinking tea speeds metabolism. Research suggests | | | | What's more, preliminary research reveals that the |
| that within 24 hours of starting a tea-drinking habit, | | | | powerful tea antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate |
| your resting metabolic rate rises. "This helps the body | | | | (EGCG) helps block the formation of new fat cells. In |
| burn 100 additional calories daily," says Jeffrey B. | | | | one study, taking EGCG helped women keep off 60 |
| Blumberg, Ph.D., senior scientist at Tufts University at | | | | percent more weight than those taking a placebo. |
| Boston. That alone can shed 10 pounds a year. | | | | Look at what Tea can do: |
| Thanks to tea's catechins, they block the breakdown | | | | Tea's health benefits extend beyond slimming. It's a |
| of noradrenaline, a hormone that stimulates the | | | | proven remedy for bad breath and dry mouth, it |
| release of trapped fat so it can be rapidly burned for | | | | lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and it doubles |
| energy. | | | | the effectiveness of antibiotics. |
| 4. Drinking tea steadies blood sugar. Drinking 8 oz. of | | | | Drinking five cups a day can also reduce: |
| tea 15 minutes before meals helps dieters lose four | | | | 1. Breast and colon cancer risk by 30%. |
| times more fat than women who count calories | | | | 2. Ovarian cancer risk by 46% |
| without adding slimming tea, according to research in | | | | 3. Rheumatoid arthritis risk by 50% |
| The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "The credit | | | | 4. Stroke risk by 69% |
| goes to tea's theaflavins, tannins and other | | | | Drink five-plus servings of tea a day, including one |
| polyphenols," says Steven Pratt, M.D., assistant clinical | | | | cup before each meal. For best results, eat three |
| professor at the University of California at San Diego | | | | balanced meals that contain at least 50 percent |
| and coauthor of The SuperFoods Rx Diet (Rodale, | | | | veggies, fruit and whole grains, plus a serving of lean |
| 2008). "These antioxidants nourish the body's | | | | protein and a bit of fat. |
| insulin-regulating system and optimize the burning of | | | | Learn what are the best Foods for Weight Loss. |
| carbs and fat." | | | | |