Tea Blog

Green Tea: A True Fat Burning Food

Supermarket checkout lines are full of magazines with eye-catching headlines like “7 negative calorie superfoods” or “Delicious foods that fight fat”. While the headlines may be compelling, when these claims undergo the scrutiny of science, the concept of a fat burning food is usually revealed as too good to be true.

Or is it?

Green tea leaves are a fat-burning food out there with the support of a slew of clinical research. In fact, studies show that green tea can help people lose weight, burn fat, and keep it off. Here’s how green tea works at burning fat:

1. Metabolism Boost: Green tea interacts directly with your sympathetic nervous system –telling it to ramp up your calorie-burning machine. A 2001 study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that green tea significantly increased the amount of calories burned at rest, known as resting metabolic rate.

2. Torches Fat Cells: While an increase in metabolism can result in significant fat loss, this isn’t always the case. However, in the case of green tea, it does directly act on fat cells. Research in The International Journal of Obesity concluded that green tea has the unique property of increasing the rate that your body uses up stored fat.

3.Blocks Fat Absorption: Green tea interferes with your body’s ability to digest and absorb the fat from your diet. It appears that the catechins in green tea blocks many of the enzymes required for proper fat absorption. French researchers found that green tea resulted in a 37% reduction in fat digestion.

4. Stops Appetite: Scientists think that green tea’s appetite suppressing properties are much of the reason behind the correlation between regular green tea drinking and weight loss. In fact, University of Chicago researchers found that green tea hinders a pathway that makes you hungry.

While you may get some of these benefits by taking in green tea every chance you get, here are some tips for maximizing green tea’s fat burning:

1. Eat The Leaves: While you only get a limited amount of green tea catechins from brewing and drinking green tea, eating the leaves themselves gives you the full spectrum of antioxidants found in the leaf itself. Or, have you tried matcha?

2. Take Enough: Research shows that to reap the benefits from green tea, you need to drink serious amounts of the stuff (at least 5 to 10 cups /day). This may seem like a LOT of green tea to drink, but don’t worry: there are so many amazing flavors to choose from. (Again – see the point above about eating the whole leaves.)

3. Spread Out Doses: It seems that green tea works best if you take small amounts throughout the day, rather than all at once. This way, you’re giving your body small metabolism “jolts” at regular intervals.

4. Take With Meals: Because green tea can block absorption of some of the fat that you eat, it’s ideal to have green tea with meals. The easiest way to do this is to incorporate green tea leaves into your recipes.

Republished with permission from EatGreenTea.com, the original edible green tea.

Somehow, somewhere, a rumor was started that tea did not hydrate you. And regretfully, the answer boards at Yahoo.com are not always a reliable place to get information. Zhi would like to set the record straight.

Tea hydrates as well as water. Recent studies from India compared two controlled groups: one drank water and the other drank tea. There was no measurable difference between hydration indicators, leading to the conclusion that drinking tea is just as effective for bodily functions as water. This validates results from a 2010 study that showed the same conclusion: the trace amounts of caffeine in tea did not compromise hydration.

Additionally, there is evidence to show that tea actually hydrates better than water! Tea contains beneficial elements that water does not: antioxidants, polyphenols, and flavonoids. Plus, since tea has such a range of flavor, your eight cups a day could each be unique! Today, we’ll have an eight cup marathon of our current favorite: Cherry Sencha. What will you hydrate with today?

More than two-thirds of the adult population in the United States is overweight or obese. Because weight is a risk factor for diabetes, the US Department of Agriculture is spending significant time and money studying soaring incident rates. Can tea help address the serious health concerns of weight management and diabetes?

In 2007, the USDA shared preliminary findings that showed tea to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. This year, researchers in London completed another study that shows similar claims. Specifically, their research cites that 4 cups or more of tea a day lowers one’s risk of diabetes by 20%. Read more about the details of the study here.

Interestingly, 3 cups or fewer a day did not lower a subject’s risk of diabetes. Our take? Don’t stop at 3 cups! As we have yet to find a study documenting harmful effects of tea consumption, we will continue to imbibe with enthusiasm.

Note: Consumers worldwide are being offered a plethora of ready-to-drink “teas” that market their ability to reduce weight. While Zhi has seen our share of success stories, we can’t claim that tea is a magic bullet. We suggest realistic expectations when confronted with such “tea-washing.” We also look forward to more studies on this important finding.

We’ve proclaimed iced tea the beverage of the season; and this week, we’re all about Lady Lavender white tea, one of Zhi Tea’s premium summer specials. The subtle hint of sweet florals make this brew the perfect candidate for a refreshing organic beverage, tasty even without any added sweeteners.

Plus, lavender has that delightful cleansing feeling that we crave on these blistering hot afternoons. Did you know the word lavender comes from the Latin lavare, “to wash”? For a truly invigorating experience, this is truly a wonderful pick.

The tea is comprised solely of Oothu white tea and our organic and aromatic lavender flowers – no flavors added. The taste is light and simple, the perfect combination to cool you off and soothe your soul.

Most restaurants don’t really give much thought to the iced tea that they serve. This is pretty surprising considering statistics show that it is the most ordered beverage for spring and summer. If you are brewing tea from large tea bags or using syrup varieties from a gun, you may want to consider offering your patrons a little higher quality product.

Most restaurant owners and managers are not even aware that you can order quality teas at a wholesale level, but you certainly can! You probably take great pride in offering an exceptional roast of coffee, especially to the breakfast crowd; don’t your tea drinkers deserve the same? After all, tea is quickly becoming the new coffee, as the vast majority of the population looks for easy ways to live a healthier lifestyle.

The Iced Tea You Serve Can the Key to Your Success

Competition is stiff these days. Sure, you have exceptional food and fantastic service, but is there a WOW factor that makes you stand out from others? Is your restaurant name being brought up in conversation around the water cooler or at yoga later or at the spa on the weekend? When your patrons appreciate that you offer a high quality iced tea, it will! What a powerful yet effortless marketing tool a simple beverage can be!

Green Tea Gifts – Perfect for You!

Who says that you can’t buy green tea gifts for yourself? Is it only acceptable to buy a gift basket or enroll someone else in a tea club for a special occasion? Don’t you deserve to do something healthy and enjoyable just for you? If you are looking at the beautiful variety of green tea we have available here at Zhi Tea and feeling a little guilty that you want to order yourself something, you can join the club. You may be surprised at how many people come here shopping for someone else but end up buying for themselves instead.

Buy Green Tea Gifts for Someone Else and Add a Club for You

Zhi Tea can essentially be your one-stop shopping place for everyone in your life. When you are buying green tea gifts for someone else, why not add a monthly club for yourself to enjoy?

You can choose a six- or 12-month cycle, and every month you receive a new tin with a different flavor. These are not tiny servings either; our tin holds as many as 50 cups of tea. Just a few of the mouthwatering flavors you may get to enjoy include Moroccan Mint, Jasmine Green, and Cherry Sencha. Just imagine how much you will enjoy that satisfying cup of tea after a long hard day. It is better than dessert, and better for you!