As much as we wish we could tell you otherwise, there’s no magical potion you can drink to get a flat stomach. Weight loss relies on a combination of factors, and it’s certainly not easy work. However, there are certain foods and beverages that can make it a little easier by boosting your metabolism and aiding your weight loss journey. In fact, there’s one hot drink that experts swear by for slimming down at a healthy rate: green tea
To learn how drinking green tea every day can improve your overall health and speed up your progress towards a flatter belly, we spoke to Dietitian Trista Best of Balance One Supplements and Nutritionist Lisa Richards, creator of The Candida Diet. They told us all about the incredible health benefits of this antioxidant-packed beverage. Find all of their insight below!
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Green tea
If you're looking for a way to get a slight caffeine boost while also promoting weight loss, health experts say you should look no further than green tea. This beverage has a plethora of health benefits thanks to the fact that it's loaded with powerful antioxidants—and it's especially great for weight loss.
How does green tea boost metabolism?
"Tea has been used for many years as a means of improving metabolism," Richards tells us. "The catechins in tea, which are classified as flavonoids, are the metabolism boosting compounds of the drink." And when it comes to these catechins, green tea offers an especially high amount, making it one of the best teas you can drink if you want to boost your metabolism (and one of the best beverages for your overall health).
Best agrees, noting that "green tea is packed with antioxidants which have widespread health benefits from weight loss, preventing illness, reducing inflammation and even potentially preventing cancer." These antioxidants help protect your whole body from toxins and free radicals to reduce cellular damage, which is important when it comes to weight loss because, as she points out, "When inflammation is at a normal level in the body it is able to function at its optimal level. This means our metabolism will improve as it doesn't work against inflammation and fatigue."
Best explains that because of all of this, you'll be able to burn more calories than ever before when you add this beverage to your daily diet: "Green tea will raise the amount of calories the body burns naturally as a result of higher thermogenic effects of food (TEF)." Nice!
Of course, to see real results in your weight loss journey, you'll have to pair this beverage with a balanced diet, regular exercise, and other healthy habits, but it's certainly one simple step you can take every day to get closer to your health goals. With so many benefits, why wouldn't you make a habit out of drinking green tea in the morning?
