From lemon water to apple cider vinegar shots, there are countless trendy drinks that influencers on TikTok and Instagram claim can help you lose weight quickly. It goes without saying that there is a large market for “weight loss tea”. Unfortunately, there is no one food or drink that will magically work when it comes to losing weight. The wisest approach to weight loss is multifactorial and includes eating lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, exercising regularly, and adopting healthy sleep habits. .
If one of your goals is to eat healthier and lose weight, choosing nutritious foods to maximize your calorie intake is a great place to start. Sugar-sweetened beverages are high in calories, but unlike other nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, they provide little or no additional nutritional value. Additionally, sugary drinks don’t make you feel full like solid foods. And according to this 2023 review, most people don’t eat less to replace liquid calories. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
So what should you drink if weight loss is your goal? Read this article to find out the best drinks for weight loss.
How drinking tea helps with weight loss
When trying to lose weight or improve your health, a lot of attention is focused on how to fill your stomach. However, choosing the right drinks to keep you hydrated can help you reach your weight loss goals. Here’s why we recommend reaching for tea more often.
Tea is the second most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. There are mainly two categories of tea. True tea and herbal tea. Real teas such as green tea, oolong tea, black tea, and white tea are all made from the leaves of the same plant. Camellia sinensis Herbal teas, on the other hand, are made from spices, flour, and leaves of edible plants other than tea.
Replacing high-calorie beverages, such as sweetened coffee drinks, with low-calorie, unsweetened tea can effectively reduce your total calorie intake.by National Center for Health StatisticsAmericans consume an average of 145 calories each day from sugary drinks, so choosing drinks with less sugar can make a big difference over time.
According to a 2020 review, all real teas contain some amount of catechins, naturally occurring polyphenols that are associated with increased metabolism and stimulate the body to break down fat for energy. International Journal of Molecular Science. Green tea, especially matcha grade green tea, contains the highest levels of catechins.
best drinks for weight loss
When choosing a better drink, the number one drink for weight loss is green tea. All teas have potential health benefits, but here’s why green tea is superior.
Helps reduce sugar intake
Research supports the negative health effects of consuming too many sugary drinks on a regular basis, according to a 2019 study. Circulation. Replacing sugary drinks with things like unsweetened green tea is a good strategy to reduce your overall added sugar intake. In addition to being a sugar-free option, drinking two to three cups of green tea per day has other health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, according to this 2019 meta-analysis. may provide health benefits. Molecular nutrition and food research.
Supply plenty of catechins
All real teas contain some amount of catechins, but green tea has the highest catechin content. As mentioned above, catechins are the active components of green tea that are of interest to researchers. The most well-known and abundant catechin found in green tea is called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
According to this 2018 review, green tea (especially EGCG) may be beneficial for weight loss by increasing metabolic rate and promoting fat burning for energy. molecule. Metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns through daily activity, so a high metabolic rate can lead to weight loss.
Combining green tea with exercise appears to enhance the effects of EGCG. One of his small studies conducted in 2018 found that International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Science Researchers found that women who drank a cup of matcha before exercise burned more fat than women who didn’t drink it.
Over the long term, research on green tea intake and weight status is limited. However, a 2022 study based in South Korea International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health They found that drinking four or more cups of green tea daily reduced the risk of abdominal obesity by 44%. But it only worked for women.
Contains caffeine
One reason green tea is particularly beneficial for weight loss is its unique combination of catechins and caffeine. Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that helps increase alertness and improve athletic performance. When it comes to burning calories, caffeine and his ECGC seem to work in tandem.A 2017 systematic review by nutrition hospitalaria They found that green tea extract was effective in weight loss only when combined with 80-300 mg of caffeine per day.
potential side effects
Green tea extract is a popular ingredient in many weight loss supplements and products.by National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, green tea supplements are associated with potential side effects such as constipation, nausea, liver damage, and increased blood pressure. However, no safety concerns have been reported for consuming green tea as a beverage.
Sleeping disorder
An 8-ounce cup of green tea contains about 30 mg of caffeine, which is much less than the 90 to 100 mg of caffeine found in a typical cup of coffee. However, if you’re sensitive to caffeine and it affects your restful night’s sleep, choosing decaffeinated green tea may be a better option.
May interfere with iron absorption
Green tea contains tannins and natural compounds called oxalates, which can interfere with your body’s ability to absorb iron. Studies have shown that tannins can reduce iron absorption after a single meal, but long-term studies have conclusively shown that tea drinkers are more likely to develop iron deficiency. Not proven. Current developments in nutrition.
conclusion
Although the effect of drinking green tea for weight loss is probably small, it still has some health benefits over plain water. When reviewing drinks for weight loss, consider drinking green tea. Green tea can hydrate you, give you energy from the caffeine, and provide powerful antioxidants in the form of catechins.