I want to start drinking green tea!

marybethbeech
marybethbeech Posts: 181
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
I just brewed and drank my first ever cup of green tea. I'm trying my best to break through a weight loss plateau, and I've been doing research online, including previous forum posts, all morning. It turns out green tea has tons of benefits, including increasing the body's metabolic rate by around 4%.

Everything that I've read suggests 3-5 cups a day. This is going to be kind of hard for me. I've been off caffeine for about 6 months, so I'm not looking forward to the effect re-introducing it into my diet will have on my body, but the benefits of green tea really seem to out-weigh the small amount of caffeine it contains.

So, I have a ton of questions for you guys. What is your favorite way to drink/serve green tea? What are the best brands/varieties? After you started to drink green tea, how long until you saw changes in your body?

Thanks so much!

Replies

  • whitney85
    whitney85 Posts: 13 Member
    Hi!
    Lipton makes a naturally decaffinated kind.
    I add cinnamon and I love it!
    Hope this helps.
    -Whitney
  • erinliz
    erinliz Posts: 43 Member
    I go through a LOT of green tea, as I only drink water and tea (along with my 1 cup of coffee a day:smile: ). I quit soda several months ago and I think that alone has made a huge difference for me. I love STASH and TAZO as far as green tea goes. I put several tea bags in a big pitcher, pour a whole pot of hot water over it, brew 5 minutes, remove the bags then stick the whole thing in the fridge. Then I have my iced green tea whenever I want it! I prefer it without any sweetener in it. You can also get decaf if that's a concern for you, but green tea doesn't have a ton of caffeine in it. Enjoy!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I wouldn't drink that much. I buy the Lipton Diet Green Tea in the jug (it's about $4 and lasts me about 2 weeks if I drink it 8 oz. at a time). The only thing it has is sodium. If you buy the regular (not diet), you have to factor in fake sugars and such and I don't like putting that in my body if I don't have to. The diet tastes just as good and helps when I have a soda craving because it's JUST sweet enough. :happy:
  • unknownndoll
    unknownndoll Posts: 161 Member
    Stash - Chai Green Tea and Chai White Tea are the only green tea i like.... (white is the younger version of green tea and actually has more of the benefits). I do not like the lipton teas, they are gross and have added ingredients.


    EDIT- you also may want to look at yerba mate... it has even more benefits also... i usually just stick with the Stash, but i ocasionally will use yerba mate in it as well (brew the 2 bags together).
  • frogmommy
    frogmommy Posts: 151 Member
    Celestial Seasons makes a Blueberry Green Tea specially cut and bagged for iced tea. No need for sweeteners ~ delicious on it's own. I buy it in bulk from Amazon after finding it one summer in a local grocery store as a "seasonal" item.
  • oxFaithxo
    oxFaithxo Posts: 160 Member
    so i have heard alot of people say they cut pop (soda) and saw amazing results just from that... I only drink DIET pop, i prefer the taste and it obviously is better. SO....

    are people even cutting out the diet pop to see results?
  • BiloxiBelle
    BiloxiBelle Posts: 680 Member
    My favorite brand at the moment is Stash Premium. I like the Chai Green Tea, the decaf Vanilla Chai Tea (black tea) & the decaf Chocolate Hazelnut Tea (black tea). I also like Tazo's Organic Chai. I add a splash of unsweet vanilla almond milk to all of them. Sometimes (bad, I know) I will also do a packet of Splenda, but its good without as well.
  • marybethbeech
    marybethbeech Posts: 181
    so i have heard alot of people say they cut pop (soda) and saw amazing results just from that... I only drink DIET pop, i prefer the taste and it obviously is better. SO....

    are people even cutting out the diet pop to see results?

    I only ever drank regular sodas, I never liked the taste of diet sodas so I never started drinking them. I cut out soda entirely. In fact, the only thing that I drink now is water, and now green tea too.

    I've read that the artificial color in sodas, even diet soda, may make people gain fat around their bellies.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    so i have heard alot of people say they cut pop (soda) and saw amazing results just from that... I only drink DIET pop, i prefer the taste and it obviously is better. SO....

    are people even cutting out the diet pop to see results?

    Yes. Diet soda has fake sugar in it that is proven to make you crave sweets even more and hold onto belly weight.
  • jdsouthernbelle
    jdsouthernbelle Posts: 274
    Crystal Light also has Green Tea Rasberry & Green Tea Mango/Peach Flavors for your Water.
  • unknownndoll
    unknownndoll Posts: 161 Member
    so i have heard alot of people say they cut pop (soda) and saw amazing results just from that... I only drink DIET pop, i prefer the taste and it obviously is better. SO....

    are people even cutting out the diet pop to see results?

    Yes. Diet soda has fake sugar in it that is proven to make you crave sweets even more and hold onto belly weight.

    Arielle, i believe the diet lipton green tea has these in it also?? does it?
  • unknownndoll
    unknownndoll Posts: 161 Member
    Crystal Light also has Green Tea Rasberry & Green Tea Mango/Peach Flavors for your Water.

    I dont think the flavors have the same benefits as the actual teas though, does it?
  • emalay
    emalay Posts: 159 Member
    Green tea with mint is my favourite...refreshing hot or cold!:smile:
  • mandikaye
    mandikaye Posts: 72 Member
    Have any of you tried Steaz brand sparkling green teas?
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
    Hi there, I have also been trying to abstain from caffiene and understand your concerns, but I'm sure the minute amount of caffeine in the green tea will be harmless.

    I have tried "TWINNINGS" green tea infused with Mango...it is absolutely devine! :flowerforyou:
  • marybethbeech
    marybethbeech Posts: 181
    so i have heard alot of people say they cut pop (soda) and saw amazing results just from that... I only drink DIET pop, i prefer the taste and it obviously is better. SO....

    are people even cutting out the diet pop to see results?

    Yes. Diet soda has fake sugar in it that is proven to make you crave sweets even more and hold onto belly weight.

    Arielle, i believe the diet lipton green tea has these in it also?? does it?

    I looked on the Lipton website, and their diet green tea is flavored with aspartame and acesulfame K
  • Amber030583
    Amber030583 Posts: 490 Member
    I cut out soda from my diet last year. (I fell off the wagon though) But I started drinking the lipton diet green tea with citrus and i was able to get over my plateu and ended up losing a total of 85 pounds. Unfortunatly I am soo tired of it I don't really drink it anymore. Considered taking the capsules though. It does work is basically what I am getting at. :)
  • saverys_gal
    saverys_gal Posts: 808 Member
    I HATED green tea any way it was served until I tried Stash Chai Green Tea. So yummy! I drink it hot as is or if I want it sweeter I serve it with a splash of milk and a splenda. I've fallen so in love with it that I'm even thinking of trying some of the other sweeter or spicier Stash green teas. :laugh:
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    I brew a couple bags of green tea (store brand, I'm broke) in a kettle of water, let it steep for about 15min, pour it into a pitcher with about a tablespoon of honey, add more water if the pitcher isn't full, and stick it in the fridge. Delicious and sweet without being artificial.

    I can sometimes swallow a cup of hot, unsweetened green tea, but I just don't like hot drinks, and it doesn't taste good cold without sweetener, to me at least. I generally only do this if I'm cold or have a sore throat or something. If I do have a cup of hot tea, I actually prefer oolong.
  • heidiberr
    heidiberr Posts: 643 Member
    I've been drinking 1-2 cups of brewed green tea a day and it's amazing! Even if I feel bloated, it helps me feel better. I feel like I'm burning more effectively now! I love mint green tea, mango green tea, and have been drinking rosemary green tea.
  • Becka77
    Becka77 Posts: 284 Member
    I drink Stash green tea and it is naturally decafeinated. Also, according to my Eat This Not That book, a USDA study has found that Stash brand green tea has highest level of antioxidants and catechins than other brands.

    I drink it either with a Splenda or Agave nectar.
  • jdsouthernbelle
    jdsouthernbelle Posts: 274
    Actually it does have real green tea in it.
  • jdsouthernbelle
    jdsouthernbelle Posts: 274
    Crystal Light also has Green Tea Rasberry & Green Tea Mango/Peach Flavors for your Water.

    I dont think the flavors have the same benefits as the actual teas though, does it?

    Actually it does have real green tea in it.
  • Heather75
    Heather75 Posts: 3,386 Member
    I buy whole leaf green tea in Chinatown and drink about a litre a day. It's delicious.

    Yerba mate is lovely, but it has tons of caffeine, so bear that in mind of you decide to start drinking it.
  • Nina74
    Nina74 Posts: 470 Member
    I drink Yogi Green Tea. They have one that is caffeine-free, but there are tons of varieties. My other favorite is Tulsi green tea. It has tulsi in it, which is known to calm you, which is great if you have a stressful job (like me!) Two birds, one stone! Twinnings is also good. The main thing I found was that unlike regular tea, you shouldn't brew more than 3 minutes. It makes the flavor more bitter.

    There are so many varieties, it really comes down to personal taste preference. I didn't like the Tazo or several other of the "gunmetal' green teas. Seems I like the lighter variety.

    I haven't tried the Stash, but after all of the raves here, I will have to try it! I sweeten with stevia (natural, no cals).
  • neglet
    neglet Posts: 20
    I really like the Tazo "Zen," which is green tea with lemongrass and mint. I use a little Splenda, but if it's hot I could probably do without, it's so refreshing.

    When I have iced green tea, I like to put fresh lime juice in it to give a little more flavor.
  • marybethbeech
    marybethbeech Posts: 181
    I had a box of Bigelow green tea at the house and I drank 4 cups last night. This morning, I had lost .6 lbs after not losing anything for weeks. The green tea was the only thing that I did differently. So I think there really may be something to it!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories