green tea?

i drink it (brewed hot) in the morning instead of coffee. occasionally in the evening, too.

Green tea contains natural chemicals called catechins that increase fat burning-burning and stimulate thermogenesis, which is the calorie- burning process that occurs as a result of digesting and metabolizing food.

Dr. Mike Moreno, author of the '17 Day Diet' reccommends drinking 3 cups of green tea a day. He doesn't specify if you should drink it before or after, but based on the meal plans in the book, Green tea is always included as part of the 'meal'. I would just drink it when you feel like it. Sometimes I drink it with my mid morning snack, other times with lunch.

Coffee is also permitted on the 17 Day Diet. The caffeine kicks your metabolism into high gear. Caffeine also jump-starts the breakdown of fat in the body. 1-2 cups a day is ideal, if you can't stomach the taste of green tea.

I personally have kicked the coffee habit. I started to develop high blood pressure, and decided to go off coffee. Green tea has approx. 2/3rd less caffeine, so I don't get the jitters. My blood pressure has improved (mostly through diet/exercise) as well.

There's a number of great tasting green tea 'blends' out on the market that are more flavorful than plain green tea. Try Lipton's with the Superfruit varieties. Tazo makes some good ones as well (Zen, which is mixed with Lemongrass). Also, try just plain greeen tea with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice with honey or Splenda to give it some zing.

2 venti iced green teas a day from Starbucks. Used to get coffee everyday but don't get jittery and feel great with the green tea.