GREEN TEA WEIGHT LOSS

Coffee is so last year. Switch to green tea with all its great health benefits and you won't look back!

When that coffee calls mid-afternoon, pick up a green tea instead. It contains levels of caffeine, although a lot less than what's found in a coffee, so it's a great way to reduce your daily intake of the hard stuff. It's also a weight loss wonder, health booster andperformance enhancer! Still not convinced? Here are seven reasons why you should be drinking green tea.

1) Boost your metabolism Drinking green tea may increase your metabolism and reduce body fat and weight – it’ll also help to keep you hydrated, which is vital for maintaining a healthy metabolic rate.

2) More benefits than your diet cola Think ‘diet’ means ‘better’? Think again. Guzzling diet versions of fizzy drinks can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in women by a huge 60 per cent, according to a new study by the National Institute of Health and Medical Research in France. It’s thought that aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in diet soda, has a similar negative effect on blood glucose to the sucrose used in ordinary soft drinks. Swap your can of diet or regular cola for a cup of green tea for a beverage with serious benefits.

3) Reduce your risk of stroke Sipping on a cup of green tea every day could slash the risk of stroke by up to a third, according to the latest large-scale study. We’ll pop the kettle on for that!

4) The fat-burner This waist-trimming tea is crammed with antioxidants called catechins and just enough caffeine to give you a buzz without leaving you wired. A study published in the journal Obesity found that EGCG, a powerful compound in the brew, helped slow down weight gain.

5) Better runs Brew up a cup of green tea for faster, longer runs. Research from Colorado State University found that the tea’s main antioxidant, EGCG, can improve your V02 max – a measure of how efficiently your body uses oxygen.

6) Memory aid Green tea doesn’t just help your heart and ward off wrinkles. A pot of the fragrant brew can also help sharpen your memory. A study by the Third Military Medical University in China found EGCG also helps to improve cognitive function by boosting the generation of neural progenitor cells. According to scientists at Newcastle University regularly drinking green tea could protect the brain against developing Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.

7) Lower blood pressure Studies have found that green tea may also help to lower blood pressure AND cholestorol.

We're also going mad for Matcha. It's like green tea's more energetic younger brother. It's a very concentrated version of green tea and is rammed with nutrients, plus it boosts concentration like no other!