Let it Steep!

This week I have had a sudden burst of metabolism and have been hungrier than usual. Of course we need different amounts of food each day depending on a number of factors, but in my case could a drinkable be the cause of a rise in metabolism?

Some background: I was never a fan of tea. I used to hate it in fact (except southern iced sweeeeet tea which is arguably worse than soda). Then in the fall of 2007 I was doing a play that pushed me so hard physically that I had a heat stroke and generally felt awful. I noticed some health conscious cast members enjoying tea in rehearsals, so I began taking advantage of the coffee and tea shop near the theatre. Thus, my love affair with green tea began. It suddenly didn't taste awful to me- in fact it felt very healing and comforting to drink (and barely needs any doctoring with sweetener if any at all). I maintain it was what got me through being worn out and brought me back to life. This is my very favorite kind, Tadin Orange Spice Green Tea (it contains caffeine so beware if that effects you):

thank you tadincorp.com

http://www.tadincorp.com/FlashSite/TadinHostMC.html

Cut to this summer and the beginnings of warm weather. I was craving iced tea last week and made a big pitcher of iced green tea (celestial seasonings brand decaf if you're interested). So blissfully refreshing!!! I have kept a pitcher full in the fridge for a week and it's been such a satisfying calorie free natural beverage to drink while I am at home (and saves me from the bore that is water). I've also been drinking decaf hot green tea at work a lot recently. It helps fill up my belly and keep me from snacking the afternoon away and racking up useless calories.

But could the Green Tea Madness of 2009 actually be revving up my metabolism? Perhaps. Some studies will say yes and that drinking green tea will have you shedding pounds away due to the antioxidants and caffeine (although I drink decaf so hmmm). Some studies say drinking green tea will only aid in burning about 80 calories a day which would only contribute to about a pound of weight loss every two months. Some will say it doesn't really do much for your waistline, but has other healthy properties.

Regardless, I am definitely enjoying every sip and feel like it's helping kick my metabolism into gear. I also think it helped me lick what felt like an approaching summer cold this week and kept me from succumbing to the germies!

Healthmad.com tells us about even more benefits of this wonder tea:

It is used to treat multiple sclerosis.
It is used for treatment and prevention of cancer.
It is used to stop Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
It is used to raise the metabolism and increase fat oxidation.
It reduces the risk of heart diseases and heart attacks by reducing the risk of trombosis.
It reduces the risk of esophageal cancer.
Drinking green tea inhibits the growth of certain cancer cells,
reduces the level of cholesterol in blood, improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol. It is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and cardiovascular diseases
It is used to treat impaired immune function.
Some researches show that, drinking green tea regularly may help prevent tooth decay by killing the bacteria which causes the dental plaque.

Are you a Tea-Head? What are your favorites?

PS Guess who is wearing a dress today that she hasn't been able to zip in two years?!