I know, right! Who comes up with these "holidays". LOL However, I love TEA, hot or cold, but more recently I've been drinking more hot tea than ever. In fact, tea is pretty much the beverage of choice in our household to the point that we have our favorite tea Blood Orange on auto-shipment from a great tea website - Adagio Teas. This tea is a naturally sweet herbal caffeine-free tea made from blood orange peels with hibiscus flowers and rose hips. If you like flavorful herb teas give this one a try.
A new flavor I've been drinking lately is a black tea call Pumpkin Spice, also from Adagio Teas. This black tea is blended with natural pumpkin spice flavor, cinnamon bark, cloves, ginger root, cardamom pods and marigold flowers. I find myself drinking this tea in place of my morning cup of java, which means a lot less calories since I don't add cream to my tea. Speaking of calories let me tell you about a benefit of a certain type tea.
The Beneficial: Green Tea aids in WEIGHT-LOSS
Every January people make New Year's Resolutions and/or goals, which often include loosing weight and/or exercising more, so what a coincidence that the month hosts a "holiday" that can aid in that goal!
Check out some of the facts below I pulled from Adagio Teas website Tea Knowledge section under weight loss.
Trying to lose weight? Another benefit of green tea!!
Compared to the placebo and caffeine, green tea extract consumption produced a significant 4% increase in 24-hour energy expenditure. If you consume 2,000 calories per day and don't gain or lose weight (you're in energy balance), an increase of 4% would translate roughly into an 80-calorie daily difference. Over a year, this could result in 8 pounds of weight loss.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov 1999
Daily intake of the tea burns extra calories
"In a 1999 Swiss study, six out of 10 men taking capsules of green tea extract burned, on average, about an extra 80 calories a day-the equivalent of 3 tablespoons of ice cream, 7 potato chips, or 1 Dunkin' Donuts Munchkin. A second study, conducted by researchers from the US Department of Agriculture, saw an extra 67 calories a day burned in men who were assigned to drink about 5 cups of tea (not green) each day."
Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, June 2003
Recent evidence shows that in the battle of fat loss, green tea may be superior to plain caffeine.
According to a new study, green tea appears to accelerate calorie burning -- including fat calories. Researchers suggest compounds in green tea called flavonoids may change how the body uses a hormone called norepinephrine, which then speeds the rate calories are burned.
Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness, April 2000
Green Tea Helps Melt Off Pounds
Drinking just three cups a day of green tea seems to help you melt off extra pounds. A study by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University found that participants who drank three cups of green tea a day lost twice as much weight as non-tea drinkers. A type of antioxidant known as catechins is credited with the weight-loss benefits of green tea. (Replacing a little tea brewing water with lime or lemon juice can help your body activate even more of the tea’s catechins.)
Rodale.com, June 2010
Green Tea Component Helps Decrease Body Weight
This study evaluated the influence of a green tea catechin beverage on body composition and fat distribution in overweight and obese adults during exercise-induced weight loss. There was a trend toward greater loss of body weight in the catechin group compared with the control group… These findings suggest that green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced changes in abdominal fat and serum [triglycerides].
Journal of Nutrition, February 2009
In light of all these facts, I think it's time I find me a nice green tea to drink on a regular basis. :-)
DISCLAIMER: I am not promoting Adagio Teas, nor do I make any type commission if you decide to purchase from them. I'm sharing with you the company who I personally purchase tea from for myself and my family. You can purchase green tea or any other tea from anywhere. If by chance you would like to try this company out and would like to receive a $5 Gift Certificate see this Twitter Post. Valid for the next 24 hours only. Otherwise you can leave your email address in the comment section below and I can send you one directly.
Seriously ? National Hot Tea Month ? You're right - where do these holidays come up from ?? LOL
ReplyDeleteGreen tea is awesome :) I do quite like it although I don't drink enough of it .. maybe I should stick that as a part of my resolution - drink more liquids (non-alcoholic kind hehee)
Thanks for sharing - the pumpking spice tea sounds yum !
@Dazediva: I need to add more fluids on a daily basis also and I don't drink alcohol ever.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you try out the Pumpkin Spice. I think it's great for the winter, but I'll be looking for something else for the summer.