In America, tea is tea. The most well known is the finely ground gunpowder known as Lipton that is an assault to the senses…in a BAD way. 

However, in places like Japan, the UK, and many parts of Asia, tea leaves are so nuanced and full of intriguing flavors. Additionally, some teas even have some health benefits–like reving up your metabolism, decreasing hunger, relieving stress, and promoting sleep. When Taiwanese researchers studied more than 1,100 people over 10 years, they found that  those who drank tea had 19.6% less body fat than those who drank none!

To help you with your weight loss goals, here are a list of waist-thinning teas:

Green tea actually helps with FAT LOSS! Researchers attribute the fat-burning characteristics of green tea to catechins, specifically EGCG — a group of antioxidative compounds that burn fat cells by revving the metabolism and then speeding up the liver’s fat burning capacity. Additionally, research also shows that regular green tea drinking with exercise have additive benefits for weight loss. In a study, subjects who combined a daily habit of 4-5 cups of green tea with a 25-minute workout lost 2 more pounds than the non-tea-drinking exercisers.

Lemon tea helps with fighting bloat. So if you ate too much salty foods or consumed alcohol, lemon tea can help. Some animal studies have shown that lemon tea can help with high-fat-diet induced obesity.

White tea has so many beneficial properties — it can help fat cells from forming AND also enhances our body’s ability to break down fat according to a study published in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism. Not only that, according to Dr. Elma Baron, MD–the author of the study–“Chemicals in the tea appear to protect your skin from sun-induced stress, which can cause the cells to break down and age prematurely.” This means it can help you be skinnier and younger. However, even without these benefits, white tea also just tastes GREAT!

Research out of Italy showed that a cup of black tea per day can help with heart function—and the more cups you drink, the more you benefit! Another study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrated that drinking 20 ounces of black tea daily can help with immune function. Black tea is also known to boost energy level. Just make sure to ditch the cow milk which can be pro-inflammatory. An additional study in the European Heart Journal found that while black tea can improve blood flow and blood vessel dilation.

If you have more energy and better heart function, you’ll be able to exercise and boost your metabolism–thereby helping you lose weight!

This is my all time favorite tea! Ginger is one of the healthiest spices ever, and it tastes GREAT! According to numerous studies, ginger, traditionally used to ease stomach pain, blocks several genes and enzymes in the body that promote bloat-causing inflammation.

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So if you need that mid-day pick-me-up, consider a nice glass of TEA!

However, remember, everything in MODERATION. If anything has too much caffeine, try to limit drinking it right before bedtime. If you can’t get a good night sleep, it won’t help your health (or your weight loss efforts).