Best type of Green Tea?

Freidon
Freidon Posts: 169 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've heard that green tea is a good way to boost your metabolism. I've had Lipton's Diet Green Tea before and liked it, but a friend told me that it isn't a "normal" type of green tea.

Is Lipton's Diet Green Tea still a good thing to drink? Its nutritional value only lists sodium and vitamin C, but I'm a little wary of artificial sweeteners. Are there better types of green tea out there? Is its effect on your metabolism overrated? Thanks!

Replies

  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    I've read quite a lot about it and the short answer is the effect on metabolism is real but often exaggerated. You have to drink a fair amount on a daily basis to have a small but measurable impact.

    A good summary of the claimed benefits with references to clinical studies can be found on the World's Healthiest Foods page:

    http://bit.ly/4EjGb

    Hope this helps.

    I buy the Kirkland brand green tea bags at Costco and make my own either unsweetened or with a little honey. It's not the best tasting green tea I've ever had but the price is good.
  • kimleroy
    kimleroy Posts: 50 Member
    Lately I've been brewing my own tea using Lipton Green Tea infused with Acai and Blueberry. They have a bunch of different flavors. I just add a tsp of sugar and I think its delicious. I like to brew my own because then you know exactly what's in it and can make it to your liking.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Matcha
  • Freidon
    Freidon Posts: 169 Member
    Thanks everyone! Gosh, they all sound yummy. Unfortunately, I usually don't have time to brew my own....is there anything wrong with the bottled kind? Or is the self-brewed kind better, nutrition-wise?
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You can't boost your metabolism with foods, actually it's damn near impossible to change your metabolism period. Green tea has lots of good things about it but aiding weight loss isn't one of them.
  • Freidon
    Freidon Posts: 169 Member
    What are some of the good things about it, then? Most information online is just trying to promote the product, and everything else I know is just hearsay. The only thing concrete I see is the vitamin C content.
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    My opinion: the problems with bottled green tea are a.) cost and b.) many have added sugar. If you don't care about the sugar and it fits with your calorie goals then there are a lot of good choices. Otherwise, just keep your eyes on what's in it and the calorie count.

    Edit to answer (partially) the "what's good about it then?" question.

    Like most research on food/health, there are ongoing studies and often no "for sure" answers. But there are *indications*, based on peer reviewed research, that green tea is good for a lot of things, for example:

    Inhibits Atherosclerosis

    Minimizes Damage and Speeds Recovery after a Heart Attack

    Lowers Blood Pressure and Helps Prevent Hypertension

    Helps Prevent the Development of Atherosclerosis and Cancer


    As for the the question on metabolism, I'm not a scientist, nutritionist, or doctor and I'm not certainly not here to argue but green tea has been shown to affect insulin resistance, it contains caffeine, can increase exercise endurance, and has been shown to promote fat loss - see the link I provided above for a description of the research and the mechanism. Whether this equates to "increased metabolism" exactly or not is for others but my understanding is that it can all add up to what amounts to your body working better at converting food to energy.
  • Freidon
    Freidon Posts: 169 Member
    My opinion: the problems with bottled green tea are a.) cost and b.) many have added sugar. If you don't care about the sugar and it fits with your calorie goals then there are a lot of good choices. Otherwise, just keep your eyes on what's in it and the calorie count.

    Edit to answer (partially) the "what's good about it then?" question.

    Like most research on food/health, there are ongoing studies and often no "for sure" answers. But there are *indications*, based on peer reviewed research, that green tea is good for a lot of things, for example:

    Inhibits Atherosclerosis

    Minimizes Damage and Speeds Recovery after a Heart Attack

    Lowers Blood Pressure and Helps Prevent Hypertension

    Helps Prevent the Development of Atherosclerosis and Cancer


    As for the the question on metabolism, I'm not a scientist, nutritionist, or doctor and I'm not certainly not here to argue but green tea has been shown to affect insulin resistance, it contains caffeine, can increase exercise endurance, and has been shown to promote fat loss - see the link I provided above for a description of the research and the mechanism. Whether this equates to "increased metabolism" exactly or not is for others but my understanding is that it can all add up to what amounts to your body working better at converting food to energy.

    Thank you for your detailed post! This was exactly what I was looking for. And I apologize, I apparently didn't see the link you provided earlier. It's very informative!
  • wordena
    wordena Posts: 177 Member
    I make mine in a coffee pot in the morning. 10 cups for one tea bag. Cheap and super vast. I buy real japanese tea. Genmaicha, hojicha, chai, oolong, gun powder etc. Its very important for my day. Although the intial cost can be expensive but once you go to "real" tea I use this term loosely, its difficult to go back. However my method means that I use my tea ridiciulously slowly. 10 cups a day, and I havent gone through one of my boxes in 2 months yet. I really find the flavor profiles are much stronger and complex. Also I know when I sit and sip on tea all day, it definitely has helped to curb my appetite. There is not necessarily anything special about tea, but the tea has a cleansing affect on one's taste buds. You dont need to eat. Similar to just having brushed your teeth? Also I get way more water eachday now.
  • montlucia
    montlucia Posts: 90
    If you take a green tea extract pill every day, it's supposed to provide the equivalent of 6 cups of green tea. And that's apparently the amount you need to make a difference to weight loss according to a study I read about.
  • AnjaZ89
    AnjaZ89 Posts: 235
    i like the Hindu brand. dont know whether they sell in the US or not..
    the one i drink is green tea with peach. yummy !
  • m_shuman
    m_shuman Posts: 179
    I use Bigelow Organic green tea that I buy from Sam's Club in Bulk. It is fairly cheap. About $8 for 160 tea bags. I brew it and make ice tea out of it. I bring a pot of water to a boil. Turn off the burner and add 13 tea bags to it and let it steep for about 30 minutes. I then dilute it down to 1 gallon. The secret to making good green tea is to not boil the bags if you boil the bags then it will turn out bitter.

    As for using it as a weight loss supplement. I drink about a half of gallon of iced green tea a day and it has not contributed to my weight loss. I don't know if you are considering taking the green tea supplement pills but before you take supplements or do the green tea diet read up on the side effects of it. The pills contain a substance called polyphenols and in large doses they can cause liver damage and failure. Green tea also containes caffeine so if you are sensitive to caffeine beware.
  • Princess2012forever
    Princess2012forever Posts: 10
    The reason why good green tea helps perk people up and lose weight is because it is LOADED with caffeine. Sure there may be some antioxidants but if there is a cheaper way to get the part of green tea that works, why not go for that? Just saying this as a person who hates the taste of green tea and tried to torture myself into liking it for weightloss purposes. But if you like green tea, what the hey!
  • AXAGEM
    AXAGEM Posts: 56 Member
    Matcha

    Ditto
  • daisyverma
    daisyverma Posts: 234 Member
    Well stay away from the Stash Chai green tea

    its like a dirt mixed with a hint of dirty spices...ugh

    I read that the green tea extract supplement is like 5 cups of green tea and that excessive intake of green tea has been linked to acute liver failure

    they have new studies every week almost on green tea

    but the gist of these surveys is basically: eat right, exercise and green tea in moderation may help with weight loss

    I drink the Tazo green tea and it is okay but most bagged green tea just tastes wrong to me

    loose leaf is the way to go in terms of better tasting
  • jacquelyn_erika
    jacquelyn_erika Posts: 524 Member
    I think the lipton diet green tea you're talking about is bottled and sweetened with an artificial sweetener. I take regular green tea bags and steep them in hot water and then pour it over ice. I like the lipton tea bags and celestial seasonings makes good ones, too.

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