Green tea comes from the Camellia sinensis which is an evergreen-type of shrub. This plant also produces the oolong and black tea leaves. It grows best in areas where the temperature is around 75 degrees. The tea leaves are carefully monitored and special organic fertilizers are used like soya bean cakes to make sure that the plant flourishes. The leaves cannot be picked until the plant is 5 years old, and no Camellia sinensis plant can produce the right kind of leaves for green tea after it has turned 30 years old.

About 10 years ago, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released the results of a study that revealed that green tea extract burns more calories if combined with caffeine. This was a revolutionary because it brought the dieting world to its feet. Finally, a healthier alternative to diet pills and crash diets.

To understand how green tea can cause a person to shed off unwanted pounds, it is important to know what happens when you drink green tea. The byword is known as thermogenesis. Simply explained, this is a process where, if you were to drink an average of 5 cups of green tea daily, you will burn up to 80 additional calories.

Of course, 80 calories is equivalent to a slice of bread, so this means that it won’t make a dent in your weight if all you do is drink green tea and expect to lose weight. Actually, you will lose weight, but at a ratio of about 43 days for 1 pound. For green tea to translate to weight loss, you need to accompany it with some exercise and the right diet.

To lose a pound a week, you need to burn an additional 500 calories a day. This can be done by following something like a 1500 calorie diet. Green tea will help you reach that goal, but it must be done in conjunction with some form of physical exercise. If you just need a little weight loss to tip the scale, then green tea will definitely be a good idea for you, provided you don’t add extra calories to your regular diet.

In any weight loss program, there is no single solution. It must be approached in a holistic manner. This means you have to redefine your lifestyle and make some changes. In addition, you need to want it bad enough to make the effort and stick with the plan. Otherwise, green tea or no green tea, it’s just not going to work.

Keep this in mind when you see companies selling green tea capsules for weight loss or any other green tea weight loss supplement. These products can be useful; however, the aren’t the miracle products that many make them out to be.

In addition to weight loss there are many health benefits of green tea. Even though it may not make the fat melt off overnight, it’s a great idea to include in as part of your diet plan.

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