Green tea??

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Is green tea really good? xx

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  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
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    yes!!!!!! counts as your water, super tasty and rumour has it that is speeds up metabolism (before you all jump on me, I said rumour has it!!!)
    drink about 7 cups a day and it actually helps stave off hunger, but that might be psychological!
  • haylz24
    haylz24 Posts: 225
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    I drank a lot last year (wasn't on diet or exercising) it made me pee a LOT. I guess it will help. Don't overdo it though cause it has caffeine in.
  • emccand
    emccand Posts: 195 Member
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    I think if you drink a natural green tea without lots of sugar and additives it will be good for you. There is also an old wive's tale that green tea increases fertility too so be careful lol
  • emma1488
    emma1488 Posts: 175
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    Tea acts like diuretic, hence making you pee lots. I drink 1-2 cups of tea a day, but i can't imagine 7 cups would be good for you... Peeing that often can cause dehydration and loss of essential salts and electrolyes
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
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    Tea acts like diuretic, hence making you pee lots. I drink 1-2 cups of tea a day, but i can't imagine 7 cups would be good for you... Peeing that often can cause dehydration and loss of essential salts and electrolyes

    I drink decaffeinated, its the caffeine that makes it a not so great. For me personally I'd rather drink 7 cups of green tea than 7 cups of water. It makes it more exciting for me :smile:
  • PastorTrelle
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    I drink 2 cups of green tea every morning and I have found it to be a great diuretic, if nothing else. I've heard it said if you are going to drink green tea then drink it before noon. i guess that may be because of the caffeine. However, they do have decaffeinated green tea.
  • sgtlittle
    sgtlittle Posts: 258 Member
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    Drinking natural green tea is good for you, not the bottled Lipton kind that has tons of sugar in it. As stated by emma1488, tea is a natural diuretic, but contains a lot of antioxidants that carry toxins out of the body. It does have a small amount of caffiene, but not as much as black tea and certainly not as much as coffee. The weight loss effect is probably attributed to the caffiene content, since caffiene is a stimulant and boosts the motabolism unaturally. Most of your "diet pills" are loaded with caffiene for that very reason. You can drink a lot of tea, but be sure you are compensating with plain water.
  • seyran
    seyran Posts: 43
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    Green tea is great but tea and coffee don't count as water because they are diuretics and make you loose more water than their volume. But 2-3 cup of green tea per day is great for speeding up metabolism plus antiaging effects..
  • emma1488
    emma1488 Posts: 175
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    id rather drink water. I can only stomach one green tea a day. Just not that big of a fan of the taste:S
  • MissWangle
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    I have a decaffeinated version because too much caffeine makes me jittery! Think I will give a go ;) x
  • emma1488
    emma1488 Posts: 175
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    so long as you dont add sugar/sweeteners, you may as well give it a go:)
  • Fit_ClaudiaQ
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    Supposedly it helps burn 30% more calories & speeds up metabolism BUT do not drink green tea with added sugars...it defeats the purpose. Go natural...it tastes tangy, oh & yeah try drinking 3 cups a day before your meals.
  • HannahPendrigh
    HannahPendrigh Posts: 147 Member
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    i drink 2 cups a day :) it's not the best tasting drink in the world, but you get used to it.. don't leave the teabag in for too long though because then it gets really bitter and nasty i think!
  • jemmur
    jemmur Posts: 57 Member
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    If your green tea tastes funky, make sure you're giving your freshly boiled water five minutes to cool before pouring it into your mug/teapot. Using boiling water scorches the leaves and will make your cuppa taste bitter!
    Green tea is great but tea and coffee don't count as water because they are diuretics and make you loose more water than their volume.
    Source? I think that one's an old wives' tale ;) It's not as great for hydration as plain water but I'm pretty sure you retain some of it.
  • ArlVAMom
    ArlVAMom Posts: 42 Member
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    I love the green tea with mint in it - it is a less bitter flavor and I don't need any sweetener with it.
  • CindyWard4u
    CindyWard4u Posts: 40 Member
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    when I feel like I am coming down with a cold I load up on green tea...I will drink 5-6 cups a day and 9 out of 10 times the cold symptoms go away within 2-3 days. If my throat feels scratchy I add a little bit of honey to the tea and that always helps. I really believe that a good green tea has more pros than cons. :)
    I get the japanese green tea at costco...kirkland brand...it is actually green colored in my tea cup..not brown like many others I have tried. this also has Matcha powder which is finely ground green tea I believe?
  • ajmorris91
    ajmorris91 Posts: 8 Member
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    Some info I found on webmd.com:

    Green Tea and Weight

    Green tea and its extract have been shown to fight obesity and lower LDL "bad" cholesterol -- two risk factors for heart disease and diabetes -- but in very limited studies. One study in the Netherlands and a study in Japan showed that green tea did both.

    In the Dutch study, participants who drank caffeinated green tea lost more weight, but even those who typically drank the decaf variety saw a decrease in their waistlines and body weight. Researchers speculated that the caffeine helps with fat oxidation.

    In the Japanese study, 240 men and women were given varying amounts of green tea extract for three months. Those who got the highest amount lost fat and weight and had lower blood pressure and lower LDL "bad" cholesterol.

    Green Tea's Powerful Antioxidants

    Green tea's antioxidants, called catechins, scavenge for free radicals that can damage DNA and contribute to cancer, blood clots, and atherosclerosis. Grapes and berries, red wine, and dark chocolate also have potent antioxidants.

    Because of green tea's minimal processing -- its leaves are withered and steamed, not fermented like black and oolong teas -- green tea's unique catechins, especially epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), are more concentrated.

    But there's still a question of how much green tea you need to drink to reap its health benefits. EGCG is not readily "available" to the body; in other words, EGCG is not always fully used by the body.

    "We must overcome the issue of poor bioavailability [and other issues] in order to get the most out of their benefits," says Tak-Hang Chan, PhD, professor emeritus in the department of chemistry at McGill University in Montreal. Chan has studied the use of a synthetic form of EGCG in shrinking prostate cancer tumors in mice, with success.

    Green Tea Straight Up

    Taking weight loss supplements that contain green tea extract probably won't hurt, unless you have liver problems.

    But the best way to get the most out of green tea -- even if your main goal is losing weight -- is to drink it.

    "Taken altogether, the evidence certainly suggests that incorporating at least a few cups of green tea every day will positively affect your health," says Diane McKay, PhD, a Tufts University scientist who studies antioxidants. "It's not going to cure anything and it shouldn't be consumed as a drug, but it can complement the rest of the diet."

    McCullough bears the same reminder: eat your fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, and nuts -- and go ahead, drink as much green tea as you want.

    "I don't think it can hurt to drink it. I'd focus on dietary sources rather than supplements because there are several compounds in green tea that might need to be consumed together. We just don't know yet," she says.
  • moylie
    moylie Posts: 195
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    If you are pregnant or nursing or concerned about folic acid, watch your green tea consumption. Green Tea blocks folic acid from being absorbed, so you would want to take a folic acid supplement to add to your levels.
  • lizlee8
    lizlee8 Posts: 92 Member
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    totally agree with jemmur on both points. Water for green tea should NOT be boiling hot. And yes myth, the amount of liquid used to make the tea (or coffee) cancels out the diuretic. (maybe not if you drink more than 2-3 cups a day though :S)
    Oh and even decaf tea/coffee is not fully without caffeine.
    x