After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Should you drink more of it?
Tea And Fat Loss
Like coffee, tea can support your fat loss. The keyword here is “support”. Tea won’t multiply your fat burning rate, but it’s shown to:
- Have thermogenic properties and promote fat oxidation
- Improve insulin sensitivity and carb tolerance
- Help maintain lean body mass and decrease your body mass index
- Lower your body’s absorption of carbs
Other Health Benefits
There are a ton of other reasons why you might want to drink more tea (aside from weight loss):
- Protective factors against cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, arthritis, and many cancers
- Improved body response to bacterial infection
- Reduced risks of arthritis
- My personal best benefit – you usually aren’t tempted to add sugar, chocolate and whipped cream to your tea
Choosing The Right Tea
Tea can get confusing really fast. These tips should help you choose the right kind:
- Loose leaf tea is usually fresher than bagged tea, but both are worth your time
- Try to find a local importer; they usually sell tea that hasn’t been sitting on shelves for months or years
- If you want to avoid caffeine, stick with herbal tea
- When buying any tea, get informed about the preparation method and time – it varies for each kind, and infusing it for too long will make your tea taste bitter
Caffeine Content In Tea
A lot of people think that color (green, black, white, etc.) is a good way to determine the caffeine content in your tea, but that’s actually a big myth. Studies that have compared the caffeine content of different teas have found that caffeine levels vary more among individual teas than across broad categories of tea such as black, white, green, oolong, or pu-erh:
- A study published in 2005 found a broad range of caffeine content among both green and black teas
- The same study found white tea contained the most caffeine, dispelling the myth that all white teas are almost caffeine-free
- A more recent study in 2008 found no observable trend in caffeine concentration due to the variety of tea
There’s no reliable way to determine the caffeine levels in your tea. If you want to avoid caffeine, you’ll have to choose herbal teas or rooibos (naturally caffeine-free).
Simple Tricks To reduce Caffeine In Tea
To reduce the caffeine content in your tea, use less leaf and brew your teas with slightly cooler water for a shorter period of time. Or – since nearly 80% of the caffeine will be extracted within 30 seconds of infusing – simply steep the tea in hot water for 45 seconds, discard the liquid, and then add water to the leaves and brew your tea normally.
Summary--> Tea may slightly boost your fat burning rate, but is primarily a great choice because of its health benefits.
--> If you’re very sensitive to caffeine, stick with caffeinefree herbal teas and rooibos – or use my simple tricks to reduce caffeine content.
--> Prepare your tea according to the manufacturer’s instructions for the best results.
