You’ve read about them in the news, and perhaps you’ve even used them. However, how do weight loss teas function? Are they even functional?
Thank you for visiting the Organic Authority Guide to Weight Loss Teas, where you can learn the answers to these and many other questions.
We’ve compiled a list of the best teas for weight loss and consulted specialists to determine how they function. Additionally, we have debunked a few myths about weight reduction teas because they are such a trendy issue.
Let’s be clear about one thing, though, before we proceed: teas are not a panacea. In actuality, that’s never what you should be aiming for when it comes to weight loss.
Before starting any new programme or regimen, Chris Kilham, a herbalist known as the Medicine Hunter, emphasises the significance of having the proper mindset toward weight loss. “Just drinking tea is not a sensible weight loss technique,” he asserts. It’s amusing. People put on weight over protracted periods of time and anticipate losing it soon, but that won’t happen.
Instead, he advises including the consumption of teas with weight loss-promoting characteristics into a lifestyle shift that includes — surprise! — eating fewer calories and moving more. Losing weight affects the entire body. You need to make many adjustments in order to modify your body; simply sipping tea won’t do the trick.
According to Lindsay Kluge, a professional herbalist and certified nutritionist, drinking a “weight loss” tea won’t help you lose weight very much if you don’t simultaneously make changes to your diet and engage in regular exercise.
“There is no magic bullet for losing weight. no easy fix. It’s challenging, “Bryce Wylde, a specialist in alternative medicine and the show’s medical advisor, confirms. “But achieving the optimum weight is definitely possible with a little persistence and commitment. And tea should be included in the winning programme!”
Now that everyone is on the same page, it’s time to get to work discovering
the amazing world of weight loss teas.
Kilham categorises many types of weight loss teas. People can lose weight due to a variety of biological mechanisms, “He claims. “They can therefore lose weight by significantly increasing their metabolism, by reducing water retention through diuretic activity, and by using teas that contain lipolytic agents, which can actually break down body fat, to lose weight.
In order to examine weight loss teas more closely, we’ve classified them into a few groups based on these traits.
Diaphoretics: Purifying Teas
Some teas that promote weight loss actually promote water loss rather than fat loss. But hold on, why would you want to only drop water weight if you wanted to lose weight?
Kilham says it’s a little more complicated than that. “Many people who wish to lose weight undoubtedly eat too much salt, which causes an imbalance between sodium and potassium and causes sodium to store extra water weight in your body, “He claims. “The potassium-rich teas that aid in water reduction fundamentally aid in weight loss.
Additionally, teas that aid in body cleansing, according to Kluge, support better and more efficient digestion and metabolism of a whole-foods diet, which is actually the diet you should be considering adopting if weight loss is your ultimate aim.
A Cautionary Note Regarding Senna and Other Laxative Teas:
Senna and other plants with laxative characteristics are sometimes used in so-called “cleaning” teas, although the majority of our specialists do not advise these. In truth, senna is a potent laxative that can be harmful, especially if used repeatedly over a period of time. Senna, a laxative that is occasionally prescribed by a doctor, is not inherently harmful in and of itself, but utilising laxatives to aid in weight loss is not a wise long-term strategy.
The majority of our specialists prefer herbs that have diuretic effects as opposed to laxative effects.
Tea with Parsley Is a Superb Diuretic:
One of Kilham’s main suggestions is parsley tea, a potent diuretic that allows you to swiftly lose a lot of water weight.
While parsley tea infusions are available for purchase, you can also create fresh parsley tea by adding a quart of water to a bunch of freshly chopped parsley. After 20 minutes of infusion, drain the mixture and serve hot or cold.
Additional Diuretic Teas:
There are dozens of other diuretic teas, including infusions of dandelion, horsetail, and stinging nettle, though parsley may be the most potent. Many of these infusions can be prepared at home with fresh herbs or roots or with an infusion purchased from a store.
All of these teas are used for various water retention adverse effects like bloat and puffiness due to their diuretic characteristics. Even if it is not directly related to weight loss, reducing these symptoms might help you feel better fast and continue on your path to weight loss.
Teas that Boost Metabolism for Thermogenesis:
Not all weight loss connected to tea is brought on by its diuretic properties. Some teas actually speed up thermogenesis, which boosts metabolism and increases fat burning.
Scientists have looked into how tea affects metabolism, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and free radicals and oxidative stress, which is why we’re advised to eat more blueberries and drink more tea, according to Wylde. “Not merely extra fat is burned off during metabolism. That is what prevents fat from building up in the first place!”
In light of this, increasing our metabolism should be one of our primary aims when selecting foods and teas to include in our meals in order to lose weight, and this is where the following teas come into play.
Green Tea: A Super Drink to Burn Fat:
When it comes to fat loss, green tea is somewhat of a celebrity. While all green tea comes from the same species of plant as black tea, Camellia Sinensis, which was initially grown in China but is now grown all over the world, green tea has additional advantages due to the way it is processed. Green tea is not oxidised before drying, unlike black tea, giving it a whiter colour and a milder flavour.
The epicallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) catechin, which is present in green tea, is one of the many ways that it can aid in weight loss, according to Kris Sampson, a certified health coach and the creator of the Vail Diet.
In the course of his research on teas, Wylde has come across EGCG. He claims that this antioxidant can boost metabolism by as much as 6%, which is undoubtedly an intriguing statistic if weight loss is your primary objective.
Sampson claims that people who consumed 690 mg of catechins per day for 12 weeks—roughly 4-5 cups of tea per day—had significantly lower body weight, BMI, waist circumference, body fat mass, and subcutaneous fat area.
This may seem like a lot, but it’s actually based on a 2005 Japanese study that she cites. Kilham emphasises the value of drinking a lot of tea, especially green tea, nevertheless, in order to notice improvements.
If you’re going to drink green tea, he advises, drink three cups every day. “Drink it daily. Drink it for a long time.
It will only benefit you in positive ways; it will lower your risk of developing cancer, improve your cardiovascular health, support your immune system, and help you lose weight gradually.
But when it comes to weight loss, green tea has more advantages than only fat burning. Simply because it includes caffeine, green tea can also assist burn fat, according to Sampson. We all understand that caffeine is a stimulant.
It has been demonstrated to enhance exercise performance, enabling you to burn more calories. Studies have demonstrated that the caffeine spike found in all Camellia Sinensis-derived teas might assist increase thermogenesis and metabolism, especially when combined with the aforementioned catechins.
White tea: the younger cousin of green tea:
White tea, which has been consumed in China since the Ming Dynasty, likewise has high quantities of catechins that are present in green tea. Because white tea is derived from the same plant that produces green and black tea, it includes similar active components.
White tea, on the other hand, has its leaves harvested when the buds are still completely covered in the white-silver fuzz that gives this tea its name.
White tea shares many of the same advantages as green tea because they both come from the same plant.
Debbie Joyce, owner of Tea72, argues that white tea has a fat block that stops the development of new fat cells, effectively halting weight gain. That’s not all, either.
White tea is similar to green tea in terms of health benefits, according to Wylde, as it contains the highest amounts of EGCG.
White tea is a comparable, if not superior, option to green tea due to its milder flavour, higher level of antioxidants, and lower caffeine content. However, its cost can occasionally be prohibitive.
Tea Oolong:
Oolong tea is a fourth type of tea produced by the same plant as black, white, and green tea, bringing the total number of teas produced by the Camellia Sinensis tea shrub to four.
Oolong differs from the others due to a particular process that requires for shaking the tea leaves so that they become slightly bruised before drying them, opening the door for the light fermentation that gives this tea its distinctive flavour.
Oolong tea has some of the same metabolism-enhancing qualities as white and green tea, according to Joyce.
According to Joyce, oolong tea will speed up the metabolism and help it to digest lipids. According to studies, people who drink oolong tea often lose 1 lb every week.
Unique, Fermented Tea: Pu-Erh Tea:
The same plant that produces oolong, white, green, and black teas also yields pu-erh tea, albeit the robust black tea is produced using a particular large leaf type of this plant.
While the Chinese refer to what we know as black tea as red tea, Pu-Erh tea is a true black tea with some intriguing health advantages.
Pu-Erh tea is squeezed into a cake form and sold after being fermented for a protracted length of time.
Studies have suggested that the tea may be utilised to aid in weight loss because drinking the tea reduced the expression of fatty acid synthase in rats.
Fluorine levels in Pu-Erh tea cakes increase with age and can finally become hazardous. Pu-Erh tea is frequently sold by vintage year because of this.
Yerba Mate: Energizing and Fat-Burning:
Yerba mate, a plant grown in South America that is often consumed in South American nations such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, is another another tea that increases thermogenesis.
It should come as no surprise that certain energy drinks contain yerba mate.
Kilham claims that yerba mate is one of the few non-tea bush teas that contains a significant amount of energy-inducing caffeine, which might help you feel psyched for a workout in addition to having “quite good calorie burning qualities.”
How to Use Teas for Weight Loss:
Before making any changes to your regular dietary habits, it is usually advisable to speak with a doctor.
When consumed in high quantities or when used in conjunction with drugs, several of these teas can have negative consequences. Before ingesting teas, make sure to consult your doctor, especially if you are taking medication, pregnant, or nursing.
Following your doctor’s approval, follow these suggestions for picking the best weight-loss tea routine for you.
Keep in mind that every person is unique:
It’s crucial to keep in mind that not everyone will have the same outcomes from each tea.
Expert in health and wellness, author of “Optimal Health for a Vibrant Life,” and creator of Yoga Medicine is Tiffany Cruikshank (L.Ac., MAOM, RYT).
She customises each weight reduction tea regimen for each of her unique clientele, recommending Gymnema Sylvestre for women with blood sugar problems or adaptogenic herbs for older clients.
Additionally, it’s not simply an issue of who you are, but also of how you initially put on the weight.
If stress is the primary cause of your issue, you should drink soothing teas to indirectly lower cortisol levels “Orsoni advises.
“You need a tea with cleansing flushing ingredients if your weight problems are caused by a toxic diet and surroundings. Additionally, in addition to dramatically lowering your salt intake, a tea with cherry and dandelion stems will be quite beneficial if your additional weight is related to water retention.
It will be simpler to choose the best course of action for decreasing the weight after you identify the cause of your weight increase.
Take into account when and how you sip your tea:
Not every tea is appropriate at every time of day. Some teas, such green, oolong, and white teas that contain caffeine, are best consumed in the morning or right before exercise. Other teas are better suitable for the evening since they are more peaceful or soothing. These include sweeter infusions like mint and cinnamon that, especially for those with a sweet tooth, can take the place of an evening snack in front of the TV.
How about whether hot or cold tea should be consumed? Some experts, like Kilham, who states that “either method is good,” claim it doesn’t matter.
When it comes to weight loss, Sampson notes that “hot tea has been demonstrated to be far more effective than cold.” It might be because hot tea has more antioxidants, or it might be because iced tea is frequently sweetened.
For the time being, experts aren’t in agreement, so drink it as you like. However, watch out for adding too much sugar or milk to your tea because doing so can increase calories and reduce its health advantages.
Have some tea:
Although our experts have different perspectives on particular elements of weight loss teas, they all concur on one thing: teas should be consumed.
According to Garcia, isolated theanine, such as that found in concentrated supplements or added to goods, may not be as efficient as the theanine present naturally in green tea.
It’s possible that isolated theanine won’t pass through many people’s blood-brain barriers, rendering it practically ineffective.
There is a lot of data to process! To assist, prepare a cup of peppermint tea, which improves digestion, and review our helpful charts outlining the various advantages of weight loss drinks.