WHAT TEA IS BEST FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

At one time tea, and especially coffee, were on the negative list for your health.  Then both drinks gained in  respect by health authorities. More recently tea has further improved its standing, even for resulting in loss of weight.  More so than coffee.

Healthline lists six best teas to lose weight and belly fat.  This aromatic beverage is most commonly made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, a type of evergreen shrub native to Asia.

• 
  Green tea.
• 11 studies have shown that green tea should help reduce BMI for those with type 2 diabetes.  But will it work if you are normal?  Probably, too.
• It is believed that catechins, naturally occurring antioxidants in the green, increase your metabolism for gat burning.
• Matcha, a highly concentrated powedered green team also works.
• Puerh tea.
• 
  This is a type of Chinese black tea that has been fermented.
• Has an earthy aroma that increased with time of storage.
• Animal studies also show that puerh tea halps lower blood sugar and regulate fatty acid metabolism,
• Other evidence found that daily consumption was associated with drop of BMI, triglycerides and cholesterol.
• A 2014 study of 70 males showed that those taking a puerh tea capsule instead of a placebo lost 2.2 pounds more after 3 months.

• 
  Black tea.
• The more generic black tea undergoes more oxidation compared to white or oolong teas, turning the green color to black.
• Earl Grey and English breakfast are black teas.
• A 2014 study of 111 people found that drinking 3 cups of powdered black each each day for 3 months significantly increased weight loss compared to other caffeine-matched control beverage.
• The reason?  Black tea is high in polyphenols and flavones, which provide antioxidant properties to reduce calorie absorption.
• 
  Oolong each is another Chinese tea that has been partially oxidized, putting it somewhere between green and black teas.
• Said to improve fat burning by speeding your metabolism,
• One study found drinking oolong tea twice daily for 14 days increased fat burning by 20%.
• White tea.
• Is minimally processed and harvested at a young age.
• Improves oral health, and kills cancer cells.
• Also rich in catechins.
• Boosts metabolism.
• Herbal tea.
• These do not used Camellia sinensis, but instead herbs, spices and fruits.
• They do not include caffeine and include ginger and hibiscus tea.
• One animal study showed that hibiscus tea did reduce BMI and should protect against obesity.
• The bottom line is that teas tend to reduce consumption of juices and sodas, which are not good for weight reduction.  Plus, there seems to be a chemical effect in further inducing weight loss.

Here is another article listing 22 best teas for weight loss.

• Taiwanese researchers studied more than 1100 people over a 10-year period, an determined that those who drank tea had 19.6% less body fat than those who drank none!!!
• This study showed that green tea was best for weight loss.
• But Italian researchers found that drinking a cup of black tea per day helps, and the more you drank, the more you benefitted.  Drinking 20 ounces of black tea daily causes your body to secrete five times  more interferon.  But don't add milk or cream.

I close with a Forbes article published this year.

• According to legend, tea was discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC when leaves fell into his boiling watr.
• Has the following benefits:

• Enhanced cardiovascular health due to polyphenols’ ability to improve markers such as blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
• Reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Reduced risk of certain cancers, such as breast, lung and prostate cancers.
• Decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Increased protection against neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.

It was still snowing a bit when we left our hotel for the Nijo Fish Market, one block away,

Just like at other fish markets on this trip, people were picking out what they wanted to eat, and the proprietors cooked it for you,

Lots of crabs.

We then went across the street to the same mall and I took a photo with a tanuki, in Japanese legends called a bake-danuki, and was said to be strange and supernatural.  The animal counterpart today is the Japanese racoon dog.

Apples.

Had a late lunch at Sapporo Miso Noodles.

It was amazing, but my bowl of noodles was scorching hot for the entire half an hour meal.  Can't imagine what they did to this bowl that retained the heat.

Looks like I walked a lot today, but I think this represents three days.

Tomorrow, back to Tokyo.

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