Anti-aging weight loss teas

Claims for miracle teas that promote weight loss and maintain youth and vigor can seem outlandish, but some anti-aging weight loss teas do seem to have beneficial effects on weight and health, and these effects can be verified scientifically.

Any weight loss regimen that doesn’t involve eating fewer calories while getting more exercise is doomed to fail. Tea is not a magic bullet for weight loss. Even so, once common sense weight loss basics are covered and a good diet and exercise program is in place, a few teas and drinks really do boost weight loss and contribute to long life. Some of the most popular anti-aging weight loss teas include:

• Oolong (Wu Long) Tea. The color of tea reveals how much processing is involved in its manufacture. Processing is neither good or bad, it just gives tea a different taste and different properties. White tea and green tea receive the least processing. Green tea leaves are simply dried and packed. Black tea leaves are left to oxidize, which gives them their black color in the box. At the farthest end of the scale, some black teas are heavily fermented to create a red color when brewed. Oolong tea falls in the middle of the black tea fermentation process. Oolong tea has naturally high levels of polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that reduce appetite and boost metabolism. Tea also has a slight diuretic effect and can clear water retention and puffiness.
• Green Tea. Green tea contains high levels of antioxidants called catechins, and is also very high in a specific catechin called epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. Antioxidants help slow the aging process by removing toxins called ‘free radicals’ from the bloodstream. Animal studies have shown that catechins and EGCG block the absorption of fat and boost metabolism. At least nine cups of green tea per day is required to get the fat-burning effect, but if that is too much green tea for you, cut the amount in half and take green tea supplements in place of three or four of the cups of hot tea.
• Guggul & Garcinia Tea (Ayurveda). Ayurveda is an ancient form of medical practice that dates back thousands of years and is native to the country of India. In Ayurveda, different foods and herbs are recommended according to body and metabolism type to treat various illnesses. Guggul and Garcinia tea is an herbal tea that has been used to promote weight loss since ancient times. The tea may not have the words ‘guggul’ or ‘garcinia’ in the title, and may simply be advertised as ‘Ayurvedic Weight Loss Tea’. Look at the ingredients and they will most likely be listed near the top.
• Hot Cocoa. Recent studies on weight loss have shown that when two groups of women were put on the same weight loss regimen, but one group received three to four servings of cocoa milk each day and the other did not, the group receiving more milk lost more weight and kept the weight off longer than the group that got less milk. Cocoa contains magnesium and zinc, micronutrients often lacking in dieters that boost mood and promote good sleep. Drinking a cup of hot cocoa every night can actually increase weight loss, reduce appetite, and improve sleep. Try making it with skim milk and sugarless cocoa mix to keep the calories under control.

Staying hydrated while losing weight and reducing caffeine consumption are good ideas in general. Drinking tea through the day and cup of cocoa at night will drastically reduce the amount of caffeine in your system while still providing a diuretic effect that keeps water weight down. What’s more, tea is known to help prevent cancer and a host of other diseases associated with growing older.

So drink up! Tea is really good for you. Once you start including tea in your daily diet, you might just discover that it’s tasty stuff, no matter what your weight.

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