There’s been a lot of hype surrounding weight loss tea—the Next Big Thing in dieting—and many people are wondering if losing weight can really be as simple and inexpensive as Lipton. If this were the case, wouldn’t we see more visible proof of this scientific marvel at work in tea drinking countries like England?
Well, not exactly.
The truth is that weight loss tea, the way its marketed, doesn’t exist. Just ask the English. If pound down scones with clotted cream and afternoon tea, then weight loss should be the last thing that you expect to happen.
Again, reality dominates the situation. There is no magic pill, or powder, for healthy weight loss.
There are certain kinds of teas that you can drink as part of your weight loss plan that will help you stay on target and lose the weight you want.
But again, they are not weight loss tea solutions.
The most famous weight loss tea product is the one that was endorsed by Oprah and Rachel Ray – Wulong tea. Now, that’s not a brand name. That is the name of a specific Chinese tea type.
Oolong tea is caffeinated, and it contains something call polyphenols. This is believed to help activate enzymes in your body that break down fat. However, this has not (yet) been proven by the FDA, there is no hard data that can prove or disprove this theory.
The other popular tea, which has reached critical mass and is now sold in cans, bottles and even as a flavor of ice cram, is green tea. Again, there is no one maker of green tea – it’s simply what the tea leaf is called because of how it is processed.
Thermogenesis, which is a fancy scientific term for heating up the body and raising its metabolism, can be done by, for example, shivering. That’s why you shiver. It’s your body trying to generate heat.
What does this have to do with green tea? Well, studies have shown that caffeinated green tea can increase thermogenesis, minus the shivers, by up to 50 percent.
That’s a pretty big leap, which is why weight loss products make such a big deal out of including green tea in their ingredient list.
Herbal weight loss methods tend to include caffeinated green tea with Ephedra—which, while it will probably cause weight loss, it has a pretty good chance of seriously damaging your body.
You might have heard about the Ephedra scare that occurred some time back that caused many diet remedies to be taken off the market. It’s been shown to raise your heart rate and your blood pressure to dangerous levels.
But is reaching your goal weight really worth that kind of risk?
Adding Oolong or green tea to your diet plan is not a bad thing. First of all, it’s helping you drink more water—always at the top of any dieter’s to-do list—and, a good cup of tea after a wholesome meal will help you digest the food better, as well as raise your metabolism.
Science has yet to deliver the proof necessary to allow the FDA to use the label weight loss tea. Until that day comes, tea should be viewed as supplements to an existing weight loss plan that includes healthy eating and plenty of exercise.