Each of these 5 Best Teas for Weight Loss has its own individual, magic properties, from dimming your hunger hormones to upping your calorie burn to—literally—melting the fat that’s stored in your fat cells.
They can also help reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, too. (Stick to 3-4 cups—or tea bags—of tea per day, and choose brewed varieties over bottled to avoid extra calories and sweeteners.)
Green Tea
Several studies have suggested that the flavonoids and caffeine in green tea can help elevate metabolic rate, increase fat oxidation and even improve insulin activity. One study showed that those who consumed green tea and caffeine lost an average of 2.9 pounds during a 12-week period, while sticking to their regular diet. Another study suggested the increase in calorie output was equal to about 100 calories over a 24-hour period. You don’t need to drink a lot of green tea to help you lose weight. While weight loss benefits vary based on different dynamics, they have been found by drinking as little as 2.5 cups of green tea per day.
White Tea
White tea, which has a clear color and a fruity taste, originated from China, a country that has a huge reputation for natural medicine. Thus, they know and are experienced in the use of medicinal plants, like white tea, for the treatment of various illnesses. Due to its different properties, it is an excellent way to lose weight naturally. You don’t need to do a specific diet that includes this drink. They recommend drinking three cups a day: one for breakfast, one after lunch, and one before you go to sleep.
Pu-erh Tea
This fermented Chinese tea can literally shrink the size of your fat cells! To discover the brew’s fat-crusading powers Chinese researchers divided rats into five groups and fed them varying diets over a two month period. In addition to a control group, there was a group given a high-fat diet with no tea supplementation and three additional groups that were fed a high-fat diet with varying doses of pu-erh tea extract. The researchers found that the tea significantly lowered triglyceride concentrations (potentially dangerous fat found in the blood) and belly fat in the high-fat diet groups. Although sipping the tea could have slightly different outcomes in humans, we think these findings are promising enough that it’s still well worth your while to fix yourself a steaming hot cup.
Black Tea
Italian researchers found that drinking a cup of black tea per day improves cardiovascular function—and the more cups you drink, the more you benefit! Better cardiovascular function means you can breeze through that 5K you signed up for. And a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that drinking 20 ounces of black tea daily causes the body to secrete five times more interferon, a key element of your body’s infection-protection arsenal. Just make sure to ditch the dairy. A study in the European Heart Journal found that while black tea can improve blood flow and blood vessel dilation, adding milk to the tea counteracts these effects.
Hibiscus Tea
According to numerous studies, flavonoids and other compounds found in the hibiscus plant help to counteract bloating by influencing how aldosterone, the hormone that regulates water and electrolytes balance, affects the body. Enjoy a cup of hibiscus tea and watch your pooch slowly–but surely–deflate.
How to Drink Pu Erh Tea for Weight Loss
Pu-erh tea is one of the favorites in the weight loss tea category because it has a number of properties that will help you lose weight more quickly and effectively.
Tea with Caffeine
Caffeine occurs naturally in tea. A mild stimulant, it accounts for tea’s reputation as a beverage that clears the mind and lifts the spirit.
Chinese Black Tea Benefits
Chinese black tea is often confused with red tea because black tea in America is something completely different. Chinese black tea can also be called fermented tea or more commonly known as dark tea.
