Green tea is so much more than just a tea. It provides numerous health benefits, but it’s best known for its power to speed up the fat-frightening metabolism. There are even researches which show that people who exercise and consume this tea lose twice as much weight as those who just exercise without consuming it.
That’s right, and before heading to your local grocery stores to buy everything with green tea flavor, like noodles, ice cream, etc., know that the real weight-loss properties are found only in the health-boosting antioxidant EGCG, or epigallocatechin gallate found in green tea.
This means that consuming ingredients with green tea flavor won’t help you lose your excess pounds.
This leads to the question of what kinds of green tea will help you reap the fat-fighting powers of epigallocatechin gallate. But also, does the temperature have any effect on the green tea potency? Is green tea extract effective? Keri Glassman, registered dietitian and Women’s Health’s nutrition expert, has the answers to these questions.
Are The Flavored Green Teas Providing the Same Benefits as Green Tea?
Glassman explains that the addition of flavors shouldn’t reduce the benefits of green tea. Some of these flavored green teas are cranberry green tea, pomegranate green tea, etc. But, they will have higher-calorie content than the unflavored ones, if the flavoring includes sugar. She recommends Numi’s Jasmine Green Tea, and avoiding green teas with any added artificial sweetener or sugar.
Is the Brand of Green Tea Significant?
Green teas from different brands can contain tea leaves with different quality, as well as different number of additional unnecessary ingredients. So, yes, the brand of green tea does matter. Just make sure you choose brands which don’t add artificial preservatives and use only natural ingredients. Also, even though it does provide various health benefits, green tea is not a great source of vitamins!
Another thing to keep in mind is to drink your cup of green tea without adding any sugar, as this will mess up with its powers. Some of the brands than meet these criteria are Yogi or Traditional Medicinals.
What about Iced Green Tea?
Any iced tea can be diluted in water, including this one. So, even though it might be the same tea only colder, you’ll get the maximum weight-loss properties if you drink it freshly prepared. To make yourself a nice cup of green tea, pour hot water (right before it boils, when the small bubbles start to form) over the tea bag, and let it steep for 2-4 minutes.
Can It Go Bad?
Even though green tea can’t spoil, it’s always better to use it as fresh as possible. If you use tea bags or loose tea, Glassman recommends drinking them within 6 months. Older teas lose the power of its antioxidants.
Will a Green Tea Extract Do the Job?
If you’re not in a tea mood, you can get the same benefits by adding green tea extract to water. Glassman explains that 1 milliliter of green tea extract will give you the benefits of consuming around 8-10 cups of green tea rich in antioxidants, although this depends on the concentration of the formula.
Via Prevention | Women’s Health
