Green tea... how much does it really help?

  • For a while last year I took green tea pills but they made me anxious and I didn't really see results.

    Today I started adding green tea to my daily menu. If I drink a cup when I get up, a cup after lunch, and a cup after dinner, will this have any positive effect on my weight loss efforts?
  • I love tea

    I've read that a cup of green tea every day for a year may help you lose up to 8 lbs within the year. I think it is because drinking green tea satiates you and you may eat less.
  • I was just reading about the possible health benefits of green tea, in addition to helping a bit with weight loss. One article I read said that .. suppose you burn 100 calories by climbing stairs. If you are also including green tea in your diet, that same flight of stairs would burn 117 calories. So it does have some benefit regarding burning calories, but not really a whole lot. There are numerous other benefits in addition to that, though. You might try looking at this link for the other benefits:

    http://www.benefitsofgreentea.org/

    I would like to start drinking green tea. My problem is that I don't like the taste of tea in general. What brand/kind of green tea would be the best to brew?

    Also, I add fat free half and half and truvia to coffee. What can be added to the tea to make it more palpable?
  • I'd recommend Jasmine, its a white/green tea mixture. It is lovely.
  • I have bizarre green tea habits as I use it as a facial rinse. It's good for my skin and I have rosacea so it needs all the help it can get. I drink a cup a day but I still prefer black tea. I have noticed no difference whatsoever from drinking green tea in terms of weight loss, but if having a cup a day helps you lose 8lb a year, I'm not going to be aware of that on a weekly basis.
  • I would suggest Moroccan mint green tea (my favorite!). It has a little spearmint in it and for me that softens it. You may also like Tropical green tea blends. Revolution has a yummy one, and Mighty Leaf has a nice green/white variety pack. I use one pack of splenda in my green tea, but everybody else in my family drinks it straight.

    To keep from killing the antioxidants in the tea, bring your water to a boil and then let it sit for one minute before putting on your tea. Or, you can remove it from the eye just before it boils. Adagio also makes a great electric kettle that has a green/white setting.
  • I drink a ton of green tea. I don't drink any more soda (only drank diet), and I've nearly stopped drinking Crystal Lite. I drink Seltzer water (unsweetened). I don't put any sweetner in the tea (my preference, I hate sweet tea).

    I do still love coffee.

    I also love Trader Joe's Orange Bergamot tea in the bottle.

    I can't say how much of my weight loss can be attributed to the tea but 1) it certainly hasn't hurt and 2) I believe I have noticed a significant diuretic effect from the tea.

    Green tea makes me feel better, I drink probably a liter a day.
  • I like the Tazo Zen, which is green tea with mint, and right now I'm drinking a dried Acai berry/green tea blend from Republic of Tea. I don't like the taste of green tea by itself, so I always try to get a blend. I add about a teaspoon of honey and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon to it as well (cinnamon is supposed to be good for insulin absorption).
  • Wow.. all great suggestions here. Lots of brands out there, so it's good to know which ones others like. I think maybe I should try a blend just to see if I can drink it - I like the idea of it blended with mint. I've got Truvia on hand to sweeten if I need to - thanks for the great ideas!
  • I just bought a box of Stash green chai tea, since the Stash line was on sale at Pathmark this weekend. I'd never seen that combination before, of green tea & chai spices. I hope it's good. I'll let you know if it is, since you may be able to find Stash fairly easily.

    I have wondered about green tea, too, but on the days I drink it, I don't notice any sort of appetite suppression happening.