Best Teas For Weight Loss: Does Tea Aid In Shedding Pounds?
Today most of us rely on a cup of caffeine to kick-start our day. The hustle and bustle of life and the stress all call for an extra shot of coffee into our system. But even with a menu full of beverages, tea remains a favorite. This simple yet potent beverage is made by brewing the leaves of the camellia sinensis, which by the way, is actually a tree and not a shrub as we would usually presume. Tea is one of the oldest plants in existence.
While tea is prevalent worldwide as a refreshing beverage, it is also a potent medicine in ancient oriental cultures. Even today, in many Asian households, tea is a remedy for flu, gastric troubles, headaches, and even menstrual pain. When properly consumed, tea is full of antioxidants. Combining tea with other spices and ingredients helps enhance its effects and allows the goodness of the additional ingredients to be easily absorbed into the body. Some of the most common ingredients that go with tea are honey, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, lemon, mint, and leaves of the holy basil. The best part about tea is that you can customize it any way you want.
In this article, we’ll discuss 5 of the best teas that you consume to achieve healthy weight loss. Before that, let’s see how tea helps to burn fat.
How Does Tea Help With Weight Loss?
Tea of any variety is a beverage that contains a lot of antioxidants. This helps to flush out toxins from the body and keep it healthy. Further, tea is a light and calming beverage and helps to relieve us from stress, anxiety, and panic. It calms down the nervous system and helps to subdue the body and maintain balance.
Tea contains catechins that help to boost metabolism and aid in the digestive process, thus helping in weight loss. In comparison to other drinks, tea has significantly fewer calories. Hence, it contributes well towards your fitness goals.
While tea, in general, brings you a step closer to weight loss, some varieties of tea help in faster weight loss. Always choose the tea depending on your taste preferences and your requirement. If lack of sleep is the problem, teas containing caffeine will do little to help compared to chamomile or lavender tea.
It is best to switch your morning coffee to tea as it is refreshing and healthy. Tea also helps to fight food cravings and helps control sudden temptations. All this helps to keep our diet under control and aid in weight loss. So now let’s take a look at some of the best teas that aid in weight loss.
Top 5 Teas To Consume For Weight Loss
1. Green Tea
Green tea will always occupy the No.1 position when discussing foods that help lose weight. It is packed with antioxidants and has no calories. Green tea boosts bodily metabolism at a high rate and heightens the fat-burning rate. Combined with a healthy lifestyle and proper exercise, it helps in quick and easy weight loss.
There are also different types of green teas that can be significantly used for losing weight. Green tea contains caffeine and an antioxidant named catechin, and this directly works on the body to boost its metabolism and helps break down food faster.
This helps to burn fat much quicker than usual. One or two cups of green tea daily is considered healthy and safe. Larger quantities may cause problems as green tea does contain caffeine. It is always good to limit the intake to a minimum amount. Drinking more tea will not hasten weight loss. People with heart issues and high blood pressure may consult a physician before drinking green tea, as caffeine may not be advisable for everyone.
When consuming tea of any kind, it is best to brew it rather than use tea bags. Brewing tea releases more nutrients and helps to enhance flavor. Though green tea has no calories and is as hydrating as water, it does not mean it can be consumed frequently. Green tea is best had in the morning, about an hour after breakfast.
It is best to replace your morning coffee with green tea since the latter also contains caffeine and would give you a much-needed caffeine boost and focus. Further, consuming green tea before a workout helps burn fats quicker. It is best to avoid drinking green tea at night as the caffeine may cause difficulty in sleeping and other related constraints.
A healthy green tea is made with water that is neither too cold nor too hot. Also, it is best to lightly brew the tea as prolonged brewing causes it to become bitter. The flavor of green tea can be enhanced with lemon, honey, mint, or ginger.
2. Cinnamon Tea
Cinnamon has always been a favorite spice in fitness and weight loss. This aromatic bark has a unique smell and taste that often tingles the senses. It is very commonly found in Asian kitchens as a significant ingredient in cuisines and also as a medicine. It is used to cure ailments internally and is also used in aesthetics.
Cinnamon is packed with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This helps boost bodily metabolism and thereby helps digest food easily without bloating or other gastric troubles. The spice is known for its role in hormonal health, boosting immunity, cholesterol, and blood sugar control, and relieving menstrual pains. Cinnamon is a spice that is effective in small quantities. Hence, one can derive maximum benefits with a minimal amount. Though it is a caffeine-free beverage, consuming cinnamon tea once or twice a day is best.
The best way to drink the tea is to brew it with a cinnamon stick or a little cinnamon powder. Honey can be added as a sweetener to enhance the flavor and make the drink more delicious. Drinking tea at night will also help relax the body and helps in the metabolism. Cinnamon tea is also a preferred winter drink as it helps prevent the flu. It can also be mixed with turmeric, ginger, or other varieties of tea leaves to enhance its effect and flavor.
3. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea has recently received widespread recognition due to its popularity as a pain-relieving beverage. Different studies have articulated the effects of chamomile tea in relieving menstrual cramps, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and gastric or digestive disorders. Chamomile tea has healing ingredients that calm down our body and helps it to rest.
This induces sleep and facilitates proper diet control. As we know, rapid weight loss is not possible without a good and healthy lifestyle. Cutting down on unhealthy foods or reducing your portion size only matters if you bring in a good eight hours of uninterrupted sleep and exercise to your lifestyle. The importance of sleep in weight loss cannot be exaggerated, and chamomile tea is a perfect solution for those who suffer from sleeping troubles. Further, it also relieves the body of digestive disorders and thereby reduces bloating, indigestion, and other ailments.
Chamomile can be brewed or dipped as a tea bag for maximum benefits. It can be slightly cooled before drinking. Since it is mainly a relaxant, consuming chamomile tea at night or when the body needs to rest and be calm is best. Chamomile is a flower, and some people may be allergic to it; hence it is best to consult a physician before drinking.
4. Black Tea
This is a common variety of tea manufactured through oxidation, which gives it a bold color and flavor. It comes in many types and has a potent flavor. Black tea is often consumed as it is or can be combined with milk, sugar, honey, jaggery, spices, lemon, and other ingredients to create new variants. The standard chai found worldwide is a preparation made using black tea. Black tea is consumed both hot and cold. It is a refreshing beverage to calm and relax the body, prevent flu, and help with digestive and gastric disorders.
Black tea can be consumed any time of the day and is best brewed. A concoction of black tea, lemon, mint, and honey is commonly used to relieve gastric and digestive distress, whereas black tea with mint, pepper, honey, and spices is used to combat the flu. It also energizes the body and helps to keep food cravings in check. Since it contains caffeine, avoiding black tea at night is best.
5. Pu-reh Tea
This is a type of fermented tea that originates in China. It is much rarer than the other varieties. It comes in different varieties and usually has a very earthy taste. This tea is highly beneficial in aiding the digestive process and is commonly consumed after large meals, especially if they are high in fat. The tea is frequently found as cakes and sometimes as loose powder. Tea bags of pu-reh tea are hard to find. Unlike regular tea, pu-reh is aged rather than cooked; hence, washing it before using it is best. The leaves can be brewed for about five minutes and then consumed.
Pu-reh tea can aid in weight loss by hydrolysis of old stored fat to new fat. It also activates the gut microbiota and boosts metabolism. This helps in reducing BMI and abdominal measurements. It also promotes better liver health and skin.
What Else To Consider While Consuming Teas For Weight Loss?
Before consuming tea, it is best to understand the different varieties of tea and its effects. Since some of them contain caffeine, it is not preferred to be taken at night. Tea is best consumed in the morning, an hour or two after breakfast.
Also, tea is only a supplement for weight loss. It is not the ultimate elixir. Some teas are made from spices and other plants such as hibiscus, lavender, chamomile, or even citrus fruits. Hence, it is best to avoid these if you have allergies or suspect allergies. While tea is a safe beverage, it is best taken in moderation to prevent complications.
Bottom line: Best Teas For Weight Loss
A popular misconception about consuming tea for weight loss is that it will alone produce significant results. This is not true. While tea aids in rapid weight loss, if you want to make substantial changes, it must come from a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy food, proper sleep, and good exercise.
Tea adds to this and helps to burn fat faster or relax the body to digest food better. We have mentioned some of the best teas that assist in weight loss above which you can try. It does not create any drastic results in isolation. Further, you can boost the effect of tea by adding other spices or ingredients to it. This not only enhances flavor but also helps in weight loss.
FAQs
Milk tea, a refreshing and preferred beverage, hardly promotes weight loss. Milk is usually a fattening ingredient and hence not preferred for weight loss.
Tea is usually grown in hill stations and in cool climates. It requires specific environmental factors to facilitate proper growth and quality. Hence, it may not be possible to grow tea at home.
The cost of tea depends on its varieties. While regular black tea is easily affordable, variants such as white, matcha, green, and pu-reh cost significantly more. Also, dried tea leaves, as a whole, are more expensive than the powder.
