green tea?

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dee_thurman
dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Currently i only drink water and coffee but i have read where green tea can bring value to your diet. Any recommendations on what type of green tea I should start? What are you guys drinking?
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  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Green tea is a great beverage to drink with pretty close to 0 calories if you do not add anything to it. It has some antioxidants which contribute to general health. It does NOT help weight loss except as a substitute for higher calorie drinks.

    Personally, I am partial to jasmine green tea. The little extra touch of flavor is very nice, especially when I want to relax.
  • lionkingbg
    lionkingbg Posts: 33 Member
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    Just to follow up... Could green tea decrease appetite?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
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    green tea has some good antioxidants and other nutrition, but it's not a magical fat burner or whatever many float out there.
    lionkingbg wrote: »
    Just to follow up... Could green tea decrease appetite?

    I personally have not experienced this...I drink green tea fairly regularly and have a big appetite.
  • Rachel0778
    Rachel0778 Posts: 1,701 Member
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    I drink over 3 mugs of tea a day, mostly because it's cold in Minnesota and the warm liquid makes me feel great. I do find that tea decreases my appetite, but I think that's because I am slowly savoring something hot, and it makes sure that I meet my water quota for the day. If you like tea, that's great! If not, it may not work for you.

    In the evening, I enjoy chai tea with some liquid stevia and almond milk. It tastes like a sweet treat for only 10 calories.

    I tried a coconut green tea recently (Barnes and Noble sells it) that was delicious!
  • KellieTru
    KellieTru Posts: 285 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    Green tea is a great beverage to drink with pretty close to 0 calories if you do not add anything to it. It has some antioxidants which contribute to general health. It does NOT help weight loss except as a substitute for higher calorie drinks.

    Personally, I am partial to jasmine green tea. The little extra touch of flavor is very nice, especially when I want to relax.

    I second the jasmine green tea. It's lovely :)
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
    edited December 2015
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    dee_thurman wrote: »
    Currently i only drink water and coffee but i have read where green tea can bring value to your diet. Any recommendations on what type of green tea I should start? What are you guys drinking?

    I really enjoy Rishi Organic Super Green Matcha. It's like desser with a tbsp of raw honey. I only add the honey once every few months, but when I do it's a treat!

    Another one of my favorites is Choice Organic Green Moroccan Mint. Very refreshing!
  • louubelle16
    louubelle16 Posts: 579 Member
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    I got into green tea by drinking a green tea and cranberry blend, which had me hooked. Now I drink it either plain or with a slice of lemon or some honey.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    I drink green tea with lemon myrtle. It decreases appetite the same way any hot beverage does, and otherwise does nothing for weight loss, but it tastes nice and is pleasant to have on my way to work of a morning.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,010 Member
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    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    I drink green tea with lemon myrtle. It decreases appetite the same way any hot beverage does, and otherwise does nothing for weight loss, but it tastes nice and is pleasant to have on my way to work of a morning.

    This, except I'm drinking Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orchard Decaf Green Tea in the afternoon.
  • dee_thurman
    dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
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    thanks for the input. I do think coffee decreases my appetite because it is a warm drink. I love the fact, especially in the morning and on afternoon on a cold day that you can drink something hot. I am going to try tea. Is there anything special I need to know to make it or is it pretty self explanatory?
  • Nikki10129
    Nikki10129 Posts: 292 Member
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    Pretty simple, just be wary of steeping time, especially for green teas, if you let it steep for too long it will become bitter
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited December 2015
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    dee_thurman wrote: »
    thanks for the input. I do think coffee decreases my appetite because it is a warm drink. I love the fact, especially in the morning and on afternoon on a cold day that you can drink something hot. I am going to try tea. Is there anything special I need to know to make it or is it pretty self explanatory?

    Use water that is slightly under boiling temp, like 190° to 195° (I boil mine, then let it sit a few minutes before pouring it over the tea). Steep for a short period of time. If you use a high quality loose leaf, you can steep for about 2 minutes the first time, and get 2-3 more cups from the same leaves, just steeping a little longer each time. Tea bags (no matter the brand) should not be re-steeped.

    If your tea has a bit of bitterness, either your water was too hot and it cooked the leaves or you steeped it too long.

    The blacker the tea, the hotter your water can be and the longer you steep it.
    • White tea: 2 minutes max
    • Green tea: 2-3 minutes
    • Oolong: 3-4 minutes
    • Black: 4-5 minutes (although I prefer 3-4 minutes)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    _nicolemarie_ wrote: »
    Pretty simple, just be wary of steeping time, especially for green teas, if you let it steep for too long it will become bitter

    Also .....water temperature. Avoid using boiling water. Too hot water will singe green tea leaves. You want it just 180°
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    _nicolemarie_ wrote: »
    Pretty simple, just be wary of steeping time, especially for green teas, if you let it steep for too long it will become bitter

    Also .....water temperature. Avoid using boiling water. Too hot water will singe green tea leaves. You want it just 180°

    Depends on the tea. Most green tea that I buy recommends 190°, my silver needle white recommends 180°.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    Tea may be beneficial to your health in some measure but it has nothing to do with weight loss.

    Water, tea, coffee, are all essentially water and affect weight loss the same.
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
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    I love green tea. Actually I love all tea, but H and I switched to mostly green because of its anti-inflammatory properties. I am at risk for cancer and H has heart disease, so both are helped by lowering inflammation. I would be drinking tea anyway, so might as well drink green!

    Longer steeping time is good for the anti-inflammatory compounds, but it is a stronger more bitter taste, so a new tea drinker may not care for it. You can get the same effect by re-steeping a second cup right after the first. We do the low-class brew temp method, lol, of putting a bit of cold water in the bottom of the tea cup, and not worrying about being exact.

    Source: The book Anti-cancer by David Servan-Schreiber MD. It references a lot of dietary studies on reducing cancer risks.
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
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    Also, Harney and Sons coconut green is amazing, you can get it at Target and Trader Joes has it at Christmas time (and maybe longer?). Jasmine green is also amazing.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
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    I go to an oriental grocery and pick up a box of 100 tea bags for around $5-6. My favorite green tea is called Lunching (aka Dragonwell) Green Tea (I buy the Foojoy brand). It is made from young tea leaves from the West Lake region in China and it has a wonderful slightly sweet flavor. To maximize the nutritional benefits, unlike many other greens I can leave the bag steeping in the water indefinitely without the tea getting harshly bitter.

    If you want to nail the water temperature, I'd recommend considering getting a hot water kettle. Good ones don't come cheap - they make great Christmas gifts! -but they are very convenient and ensure your hot beverage is prepared at the optimal temperature. I have the Cuisinart CPK-17 and I really like it.

    Here's a review: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-home-kettle/
  • clh72569
    clh72569 Posts: 280 Member
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    I have a question. Why can't you re-steep with tea bags?
  • foreverfitforeverstrong60
    foreverfitforeverstrong60 Posts: 17 Member
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    dee_thurman wrote: »
    Currently i only drink water and coffee but i have read where green tea can bring value to your diet. Any recommendations on what type of green tea I should start? What are you guys drinking?
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    Currently i only drink water and coffee but i have read where green tea can bring value to your diet. Any recommendations on what type of green tea I should start? What are you guys drinking?
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    Currently i only drink water and coffee but i have read where green tea can bring value to your diet. Any recommendations on what type of green tea I should start? What are you guys drinking?
    KellieTru wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Green tea is a great beverage to drink with pretty close to 0 calories if you do not add anything to it. It has some antioxidants which contribute to general health. It does NOT help weight loss except as a substitute for higher calorie drinks.

    Personally, I am partial to jasmine green tea. The little extra touch of flavor is very nice, especially when I want to relax.

    I second the jasmine green tea. It's lovely :)

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