MSNBC Today recently praised green tea as one of the most effective ways to target trouble spots – those bulgy areas you can’t seem to discard, no matter how much you exercise and eat right. Of course, we already knew that it is a proven way to shed pounds. It’s particularly great because it comes with a slew of natural health benefits. In addition to whittling away the pounds, green tea is loaded with antioxidants – it kills bacteria and suppresses free radicals to keep your immune system strong. Research has even found it to help prevent heart disease and some types of cancer.

It isn’t just the caffeine in green tea that makes it effective for weight loss (and it actually contains less caffeine than coffee, black tea and Red Bull). While the little caffeine boost does play a role in speeding up metabolism and increasing your energy level, green tea also contains catechins which further break down the fat. Best of all, the results last: as long as you keep sipping, the excess pounds will stay off.

Some wonder if having their metabolism work at a faster rate will lead to feeling hungry sooner or eating more. But adding to its long list of benefits, green tea is an appetite suppressant!

Getting the Most from Green Tea

It doesn’t matter whether you drink a cup of green tea or take the extract in pill or powder form. But you will have to drink quite a few cups to get the same effect as one capsule or powder dose. So unless you really love the taste, a weight loss supplement with green tea extract might be the best option. Plus you’ll get all the other weight loss facilitating ingredients from the supplement. Just be sure to choose one with at least 300mg of a high quality green tea extract.

The Journal of Nutrition recently confirmed green tea’s weight loss potential. The results of their study: over a 12-week period, those who drank four cups (or its equivalent) of green tea every day saw eight times the weight loss results of those who drank other caffeinated beverages. Participants reported shedding pounds from their trouble spots especially.

But don’t think four daily cups of tea are your golden ticket to health and weight loss. Green tea performs best with (not in place of) a complete fitness program. The subjects of the above study were exercising regularly while consuming the beverage. In addition to adding green tea to your diet, your fitness plan should include a regular workout program and healthy eating habits.

Detoxifying and fat-blasting? It almost sounds too good to be true. But green tea has proved itself to be an effective tool for losing weight and staying healthy. So enjoy!

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