The so-called green tea diet incorporates the regular consumption of tea as a mechanism to help lose weight. Not surprisingly, green tea is known throughout the world for its slimming properties.
However, what is true in this fame? Is it deserved? Today we try to analyze the green tea diet based on the scientific literature that is around.
What is the green tea diet
The premise of the green tea diet is to add the prescribed consumption of green tea to a specific diet to lose weight. It’s that simple. According to some sources, drinking three cups of green tea every day for 7 days could lose up to 5 kilos. Of course, if so, it would deserve the nickname of miracle diet.
The three daily cups of tea are distributed after three of the four main meals, that is, after breakfast, an afternoon snack and lunch or dinner. However, beyond the intake of this infusion, the basis of the green tea diet is to make changes in eating habits to promote weight loss. Thus, meals should be based on vegetables, fruits and lean proteins, reducing the consumption of carbohydrates and calories.
According to data, adults eat around 2,542 calories a day; a weight-loss diet like the green tea diet would reduce them to 1,500.
What are the properties of green tea
As with any diet, there are supporters and detractors. Below, we look at the many properties of green tea, focusing on those that can help us understand how its consumption could help us lose weight.
When we investigate the benefits of green tea, the first thing we find is that alternative medicine has been using it for thousands of years to relieve ailments such as inflammation, as well as as a detoxifier and slimming agent. This is due to its high content of substances called polyphenols that show antioxidant properties.
Antioxidants are molecules that fight against free radicals that produce oxidative stress, triggering all kinds of diseases ranging from cardiovascular and degenerative diseases to cancer.
Within the polyphenols, the most famous components of green tea are catechins, substances that stimulate metabolism, helping the body burn fat. This is because the main catechin in this infusion is EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a compound that helps the enzyme responsible for breaking down the hormone norepinephrine. Why is this important? Simply because when the level of this hormone increases, fat breaks down. Several investigations concluded that catechins allow fat burning both during exercise and when the body is at rest.
In addition, some studies indicate that caffeine increases the oxidation of lipids, allowing fat burning. Although it is true that green tea has less caffeine (or theine) than coffee and black tea, in our ranking of theine in infusions we have placed it in fifth place, with between 25 and 29 mg/100 g.
On the other hand, we must not fail to mention the diuretic power of green tea that favors the elimination of fluid retention, one of the main causes of body swelling.
How does green tea help lose weight?
Having reviewed together the main properties of green tea, it is easy to infer how this infusion can contribute to weight loss.
First of all, the intake of green tea produces a reaction in our metabolism that benefits weight loss. This reaction is called thermogenesis and implies that the body generates heat due to the consumption of the catechins in the tea. In turn, the heat generates energy that allows you to eliminate undesirable extra kilos.
But that is not all. Green tea, like any infusion, is mostly water. When we drink a glass of water or any infusion near or between meals, we suppress or reduce the desire to eat, thus avoiding snacking and eating less food.
Thirdly, by favoring the elimination of liquids, green tea helps us reduce body swelling, thus losing kilos quickly.
Finally, it is necessary to point out that the green tea diet does not only consist of incorporating this infusion into our daily lives, but also complements a healthy and low-calorie diet. The combination of these three factors is what allows weight loss.
Does the green tea diet work?
The answer to this question is not absolute and it is difficult to indicate how much weight each person will lose. To date, there are numerous scientific studies that analyze the subject, many of them with favorable conclusions.
An example is this scientific based on the systematic analysis of all currently existing scientific evidence on green tea and its effect on weight loss. overweight and obese people. The findings indicated that those who consumed green tea regularly for at least 12 weeks lost an average of between 0.2 and 3.5 kg more than those in the control groups, following the same diet but without tea.
What do you think of the green tea diet? Do you dare to try it? Remember that like any diet, especially calorie restrictive diets, it must be approved by a professional. In addition, like everything in this life, the excess consumption of green tea can lead to some contraindications. Our advice, as always, is that you go to your trusted doctor or nutritionist to prepare a balanced diet that allows you to lose weight without harming your health.