Yes, green tea makes you lose weight. Unfortunately, having it in a hot cup or in the form of ice cream does not count.
According to Dr. Kristin Morris, senior research scientist at Amway’s Research and Clinical Investigations, our bodies have a really hard time absorbing the compounds in green tea.
“We absorb maybe as little as 7 percent of the total amount of the compounds (in the green tea needed to induce weight loss) and aside from absorption, our bodies also find it difficult to move the healthy compounds to our tissues for them to be useful,” she added.
This is why, Morris said, Amway developed Nutrilite Green Trim, a food supplement designed to help the body absorb and benefit from green tea’s healthy components, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which was found to help in weight management.
She explained the product Green Trim uses a special technology called Greenselect Phytosome which helps in the absorption of EGCG.
Morris added: “The technology produces a small, natural complex that binds EGCG together to help it cross lipid-rich intestinal membranes, so more is absorbed into the body instead of being eliminated. In a clinical study, subjects showed increased blood serum levels of EGCG after ingesting EGCG with Phytosome technology, compared to non-Phytosome preparation.”
Morris suggested that Green Trim be taken every day to experience its weight-loss effect.
She reminded, however, that the benefits of taking the tablet can only be maximized if one also tries to live a healthy lifestyle like:
1. Drinking more water. Since we lose water every day through perspiration, urination, breathing, and moving our bowel, we need to replenish our water intake. Moreover, drinking more water helps fill our stomach, making us less hungry and less likely to overeat.
2. Getting enough sleep. When we don’t rest well, we compensate by eating more. Researchers at the University of Chicago found that 14 individuals who were sleep-deprived consumed nearly 1,000 calories in snacks in the early evening compared with 600 calories when they had a full night’s sleep, and when they were sleep-deprived they ate twice as much fatty food.
3. Exercising daily. Research has shown that exercising daily brings tremendous benefits to our health, including lowering our risk of diseases, higher bone density and weight loss. Choose walking over transport for close distances and climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Exercise isn’t about suffering and pushing yourself so pick exercises you enjoy. Moreover, adding variation in your exercises will keep them interesting.
4. Cutting down on processed food. Processed foods are not good because most of their nutritional value are lost and worse, the preservatives (mostly salt) added are bad for our health. While they are easier to prepare and even tastier, many processed foods contain a high amount of salt content, which leads to higher blood pressure and heart disease. Processed foods are those that are not in their raw form. In general, most of the food in supermarket are processed—the more the ingredients on the label (especially the ones ending with ‘ite’ or ‘ate’), the more processed they are. Watch out for those with salt/sugar as the first 5 ingredients and go for natural foods as much as possible.
5. Eating bright-colored fruits and vegetables. They are usually high in antioxidants because they remove free radicals that damage our cells. These fruits and vegetables include bananas or mushroom (white); watermelon, apple, strawberries or tomatoes (red); orange or papaya (orange); pineapples or mango (yellow); cucumber, lettuce, avocados, celery or guava (green); blackberries, eggplant or prunes (purple).
6. Getting out more often. If you have a regular job, chances are you spend most of your times holed up in your work station and not a lot of time going out. During weekends, you’re probably busy with home chores. Make it a point to go out with friends at least once a week. Get some sunlight. Go out and have a change in environment. It will be great for your body and your soul.