The Benefits of Green Tea for Dieting

There are many different ways to tackle the prospect of losing weight.

Many choose to restrict or calculate what they eat, while some focus on additional help received from supplements, vitamins, as well as other items.

Drinking tea can lead to beneficial results when dieting. This is especially true when it comes to the benefits of green tea for dieting.

The benefits of green tea for dieting and medical use have been recognized for centuries in countries like India and China.

The Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

Green tea has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides. It can even prove beneficial for those who wish to increase their HDL ("good") cholesterol levels.

A boost in the immune system, as well as weight loss, has been seen in those who drink green tea on a regular basis.

Green tea also provides anti-cancer agents that can also be found in black tea.

When dieting, some of the benefits of drinking green tea can be seen through the high concentration of antioxidants that can be found.

Reports have found that green tea possesses 50 times more strength than Vitamin E and C.

Studies have also shown that the benefits of green tea for dieting are visible when drinking one cup every day for one year. A loss of five pounds is one of the advantages to making this a habit.

Using Sweeteners with Green Tea

The benefits of green tea for dieting is drastically reduced when sugar or honey is added. This completely defeats the purpose of tapping into some of the benefits of green tea for dieting. When you absolutely cannot live without a sweetener, pick up the herbal replacement called Stevia.

How much can Green Tea can you Safely Drink?

When dieting, the benefits of green tea are not affected by the amount of tea that is drunk by the dieter.

There are no significant side effects and it is completely safe to drink green tea. Some people have been known to drink up to 20 cups of green tea per day. Decaffeinated selections are available, which does not decrease the benefits of green tea for dieting.

When integrating green tea on a regular basis, a newcomer may experience insomnia or restlessness, but these effects soon pass once the body has adjusted.

How to Prepare Green Tea

To fully reap the benefits of green tea for dieting, the way you prepare the tea influences its effects and strength. The size of the tealeaves should be small and loose, presenting the best choice because it provides quick infusion. It takes longer to prepare a large tealeaf.

Even though loose leaves are recommended, the most common way a dieter will prepare their green tea is by using a teabag. In order to increase the benefits of green tea for dieting, teabags should be dunked on a continuous basis to extract a higher amount of helpful polyphenols, which contain a high concentration of antioxidants and health benefits.

It is not recommended to leave teabags floating on the top of a teacup.

Using boiling water also increases the extraction of polyphenols.

In regards to the amount a time that a teabag is steeped, there are two routes to follow. If you want a high content of polyphenols, the steeping time should be high. A shorter steeping time creates a high level of caffeine, but sacrifices the polyphenol content.

By sacha tarkovsky
Published: 12/14/2006

Green Tea for Weight Loss and Lower Cholesterol

High cholesterol is one of the leading precursors to heart disease. And, research has shown that our diet and lifestyle, combined with our genetics determines whether we have healthy or unhealthy cholesterol levels. To keep your cholesterol levels in check and prevent heart disease, there are several measures you can take.

The first is diet. Cholesterol in food comes from animal products. Meat, eggs and dairy products are all culprits. Reduce the amount of red meat you consume, replacing it with fish or chicken. Use low fat dairy products and reduce the number of egg yolks you eat, or use egg substitutes. Increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet and eat whole grains rather than refined products like white flour.

The second is exercise. Be certain to get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. This will help you shed pounds if you need to, and will also help lower your serum cholesterol. Walking is a very good way to help get your daily dose of exercise.

In addition to making lifestyle and diet changes, many people take supplements to help control their weight and cholesterol levels. There are many supplements available, but one of the best is something you likely have in your cupboard right now. It’s tea – particularly green tea.

Asian cultures have consumed green tea in large quantities for centuries. And, throughout history they have had fewer problems with obesity and lower incidences of heart disease and many forms of cancer. Scientists are beginning to find a link between this high green tea consumption and better health. Much research has been performed on the ability of green tea to slow down the aging process and prevent illness.

The magic potion in tea seems to be its anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants, which are also found in fruits and vegetables, wine, cocoa and coffee, fight our bodies’ free radicals. Free radicals are created as a by product of our digestive process. Free radicals, left unchecked, damage our cells and DNA, leading to aging and disease.

But, anti-oxidants combat anti-oxidants before they can hurt our bodies. This is why it’s so important to have anti-oxidants as part of your every day diet. All tea contains anti-oxidants, but green tea retains more of its anti-oxidants in their original, natural state because it goes through less processing than other types of tea.

In particular, green tea’s anti-oxidants have been shown to be effective at reducing cholesterol levels and helping with weight loss. Tea prevents the oxidation of LDL cholesterol into plaque, the hard substance that clogs our arteries, making us more susceptible to heart attacks and strokes.

Studies have suggested that even if your LDL cholesterol level is high, drinking tea may prevent it from causing a problem. Tea is also thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect, which helps the heart in its overall function.

In addition, green tea seems to have the ability to help patients lose weight. For overweight patients, losing weight usually means an automatic reduction in cholesterol levels. So, tea has a two fold effect for overweight patients with high cholesterol!

In terms of weight loss, it appears that the combination of the anti-oxidants in green tea and the caffeine speeds up the metabolism and promotes the oxidation of fat. Both of these attributes contribute to weight loss.

In recent years, there have been several studies on green tea’s ability to speed weight loss. One of the most interesting studies was conducted by Osaka University in Japan.

This study evaluated 98 men and 97 women, between the ages of 22 and 65. All subjects were healthy, though some were moderately overweight. The participants were divided into 3 groups. The first group received a placebo drink, the second group a green tea drink with a low dose of tea catechins (anti-oxidants) and the third group a green tea drink with a high dose of tea catechins.

The study was conducted over a 12 week period, during which time participants consumed their study beverage three times a day (at meals). At the end of the twelve week period, participants who received the green tea beverages had lost weight and reduced their body fat and BMI, unlike the group who consumed the placebo drink. The group with the higher dosage of tea catechins reported more success than the low dose group.

This study concludes the way countless others have in recent years: with the suggestion, at least, that drinking green tea can help you lose weight. And, losing weight can help you lower your cholesterol. In addition, other studies have shown that green tea may help lower cholesterol levels even in subjects who did not lose weight.

So, drinking green tea may provide double the results for those patients seeking to lose weight and lower cholesterol levels. Adding green tea to your diet, along with making dietary changes and getting the recommended amount of exercise each week may be all you need to get your cholesterol and your weight under control.

Jon Stout is Chairman of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, black tea and wholesale tea go to www.goldenmoontea.com

By Jon Stout Published: 4/21/2007

6 Foods That Lower Cholesterol Naturally

If you want to lower cholesterol natually, there are a variety of foods that reduce cholesterol, including specific fruits, vegetables and nuts. See which foods researchers have determined are cholesterol-busters.

If you are looking for a way to lower your cholesterol, but want to avoid a high-priced prescription with possible side effects, you have options. Nature has provided a variety of foods that scientists have found can effectively reduce cholesterol levels.

This article looks at 6 foods that lower cholesterol.

1. Blueberries - These tasty superfruits have been shown to reduce cholesterol even more effectively than drugs. In 2004, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported results of an animal study in which the group that received blueberry skins had cholesterol levels 37 percent lower than the group that received no blueberries.

2. Carrots - Want to drop your cholesterol in 3 weeks? Try adding carrots to your diet. A study conducted in Scotland found that individuals who ate 2 raw carrots every morning for 3 weeks experienced an 11 percent drop in cholesterol. Carrots contain calcium pectate, a soluable fiber that lowers cholesterol by helping the digestive system flush cholesterol out of the body.

3. Avocados - Avocados are often avoided because they are a high-fat food, but they contain a component called sitosterol, which has been shown to lower cholesterol in more than a dozen human studies. Research conducted in Mexico found that after eating avocado daily for one week, participants' total cholesterol dropped 17 percent and their HDL (good) cholesterol increased 11 percent.

4. Grapes - Grapes contain pterostilbene and resveratol, two compounds that have been shown to have a role in reducing cholesterol. In 2008, researchers at Madrid University developed a juice from the skin and seeds of red grapes and asked human volunteers to add the juice to their diet for 16 weeks. Study participants experienced a 14 percent drop in cholesterol levels and a five percent drop in blood pressure readings.

5. Almonds - Almonds not only taste good, they can lower your cholesterol, especially the harmful LDL or bad cholesterol. A 2002 research project asked adult participants with high cholesterol to eat almonds. Study volunteers who ate one handful of almonds a day lowered their bad cholesterol 4.4 percent and those who ate 2 handfuls of almonds saw bad cholesterol drop 9.4 percent.

6. Grapefruit - These citrus fruits have significant amounts of cholesterol-lowering pectin; 60 to 70 percent of the dietary fiber in citrus fruits is pectin. A 2006 study by Israeli researchers found that eating one grapefruit daily for 30 days reduced cholesterol approximately 15 percent. The study found that red grapefruit lowered cholesterol more effectively than white grapefruit.

Additional cholesterol-lowering tips

Start exercising - Becoming more active will help in two ways. Countless reports have proven that being overweight contributes to high cholesterol levels. Exercise can lead to weight loss, which in turn lowers the risk for high cholesterol and heart disease.

At the same time, aerobic exercise will raise your HDL or good cholesterol levels, which is just as important as keeping bad cholesterol numbers in check. Good cholesterol cleans out blood vessels, carrying away excess cholesterol to the liver for processing.

Limit cholesterol intake - The American Heart Association recommends that individuals who want to reduce their cholesterol through diet consume less that 300mg of cholesterol a day.

Adopt a diet low in saturated fat - A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet typically limits meat consumption and avoids red meat. High-fat, high-cholesterol meats to remove from your meal plans include: bacon, bologna, salami, sausage, hot dogs, liver, and kidneys. In general, chicken and turkey are low in saturated fat, especially when the skin is removed.

To see more natural methods for lowering cholesterol and a sample diet to lower cholesterol, visit http://www.foods-that-heal.com.

By Cathy Hickman
Published: 6/24/2009

Dating Body Language - Is it Really Important?

Dating Body Language - Is it Really Important?

Dating is not all about the choice of words you speak. When it comes to dating, nothing is more important than your body language. 'Speaking' the right dating body language is important because it tell your date what kind of person you are. This can either make your date successful or not.

The reason why the body language is so powerful is because it speaks directly to the subconscious mind. And it always wins over verbal communication. Let's say you are excited about something your date just said. If you fold your arms still, your date interprets that to mean that you are not excited. But if you use the wrong words, all you need to help you win your date over is when your dating body language is well spoken.

There is another reason why dating body language is so important and that is because it could helps create attraction instantly. On the contrary, you would turn off a date and never get a second chance if you 'speak' it wrongly. Sorry if I may sound harsh. But whether I'm harsh or not, it is the truth and if you want to success with your dates, you must learn to use the dating body language properly.

Below, I have outlines 5 dating body language signals that will win you dates if properly applied:

1. Win by maintaining good eye contact. Ever wondered why people look away when they or others are talking? It is as a result of feeling uncomfortable or lacking interest in the topic. When your date is talking and you look away, you simply say that you are feeling tensed. And if you fail to maintain eye contact when you speak, your date interprets that to mean that you are insincere. Maintain good eye contact both when you talk and when you listen and thus avoid communicating these negative messages.

2. Let your body do the talking where possible. Use gestures, smiles, physical touches and winks to communicate, slowly. Just do it in moderation.

3. Do not fold your arms tightly as if you are feeling uncomfortable. That would translate to insecurity in your date's mind. Lay your hands open to your date. For guys, show you are comfortable by spreading your legs and occupying as much space as necessary.

4. Words spoken calmly and slowly have more effect on the hearer. That shows that you are secure and confident. Men who speak slowly and confidently are a huge attraction to women.

5. Add life to your smile. Only tensed people smiling continually, so keeping your smile alive does not mean smiling at every word uttered. Smile only when it is necessary to do so. Follow your smile with close eye contact. A lively smile is not only contagious, it also crosses all cultural boundaries.

But what if you can't use these dating body language habits effectively? Practice is the key. Go out more. Learn the language like you learn habits. Meet more singles and put into practice what you have learned. An automatic makeover is not possible. You acquired your present body language over a lifetime. That is why it would take some time to re-learn new positive habits. Practice with constancy, and you would soon learn to 'speak' a better dating body language.

3 Things You Should NEVER Say to a Woman - Stop Making These Mistakes!

3 Things You Should NEVER Say to a Woman - Stop Making These Mistakes!

It is quite hard to believe how many men actually blow all their chances with a girl just by saying particular things. You would have to be a complete idiot to let these things come out of your mouth and you can definitely kiss all of your chances with the woman of your dreams goodbye.

Keep the list below in mind and refrain from making the big mistake of saying horrible things and driving your dream girl into the wilderness.

3 Things You Should NEVER Say to a Woman - Stop Making These Mistakes!

1. "Shut up for just one second, could you?"

Women happen to like talking - sometimes all night long - so just let them do their thing, provided they do not bring up ex-boyfriends and such. In fact, women who like opening up and talking to a certain person usually mean they wouldn't mind sleeping with that person, if the person is of the right gender. Do not be an idiot and kill any chance you would have of having sex now.

2. "Yes, you do look fat in those jeans."

If there is one guaranteed way of rejection, that sentence would probably be it. Women like looking attractive, most of all in comparison to other women, so allow them to dwell in their fantasies where they look much better than all the other women out there. Even if your girl is a bit on the chubby side, avoid commenting on her weight at all costs. But then again, why in the world are you dating someone chubby in the first place?

3. "Do you want to make out?"

Even if a girl would be willing to get with you, you would not want to ruin things by putting it out in the open like that. Be more tactful. If things are already getting heavy and hot, just keep doing what you're doing and keep your mouth shut.

Now that you know what NOT to say, then what are the things to say to get her to like you? I thought you'd never ask...

Here's what to say to score with a woman. When you talk to her, get her go through an 'emotional rollercoaster' - ie by alternating between sad and happy states - and she will find herself get hopelessly attracted to you. It's really not as difficult as it sounds. Borrowed from the field of psychology and hypnosis, it is known to be one of the most effective (and amoral!) way to get women attracted to men.

This technique, called fractionation, is described in an easy, step-by-step system in the Forbidden Seduction Tactics free ebook (http://www.DeadlySeduction.com).

But I'll have to warn you...Fractionation is considered as a 'dark art' tactic which is the basis of hypnosis-based seduction, and while controversial, it is known to be one of the most effective tactics ever invented by underground seductionists. Apply it and winning a woman over might just be one of the easiest things that you could do.

3 Killer Ways to Get Your Ex Girlfriend Back and Begging You to Take Her Back

Guys, if you are looking for ways to get your ex girlfriend back but have no clue where to begin, you have found what you were looking for. Here we give you three timeless ways to get your ex girlfriend back as proven through helping hundreds of guys in the same position as you.

1) Take The Familiar Road And Wait It Out.

This is one of the ways to get your ex girlfriend back that you will hear a lot. You basically should take a vow of "no contact" and give her anywhere between fourteen days and one month to calm down, gain some perspective and be open to you again. Why the no-contact rule exists is simply to not interfere with her own natural way of dealing with the break up. You should let her mind go its natural way. It's almost ridiculous how much she can forget over a one month period. After a little break like this I have seen guys waltzing back into their ex girlfriends' lives as if nothing was wrong.

2) Let Her Friends Love You.

This is a dirty little trick that, when played right, is probably one of the most effective ways to get your ex girlfriend back. If you are close friends with her friends, you are in luck. What you should do is be the coolest friend they could have ever wished for. Make sure that they never catch you being depressed or sad about the break up. Just be real, friendly and happy around them and they will only have good things to say about you. You can be sure that these things will reach your ex girlfriend. The great thing is that if it is some of her girl friends, they can literally brainwash her into realizing how crazy she was for breaking up with you! Evil? Yes. Does it work? Like a charm.

3) Jealousy Makes Your Ex Girlfriend Come Back.

It's a fact that getting your ex girlfriend back is won or lost in the mind. And what's the strongest factor in determining what is going on in somebody's mind? That's right, emotions. Jealousy is one of the most intense emotions you can use to make your ex girlfriend do all sorts of crazy things to get your attention. I do not recommend going out and getting freaky with every girl you lay your eyes on, but rather go on a date with one of her friends who you know likes you. Note that this does not have to be a romantic date at all, just have fun with it. It is only for your ex girlfriend to hear about. Take my word for it, she will be losing sleep that night. She will just have you on her mind, wondering what on earth you are up to. This is very sneaky but at the same time one of the most powerful ways to get your ex girlfriend back.

It's a fact that more than 75% of women just out of a break-up are considering a rebound fling. You need to act fast.

Saving a Relationship - It's Easy With These 3 Simple Tips

Break ups can happen all of a sudden. They may come as a jolt that you never expected. Although quite tough to do, saving a relationship is something that is still possible, if you were to follow a few tips. Listed below are some great tips that can help you start your life all over again with your loved one.

Tip #1: The first tip in saving a relationship is to stop pointing fingers at each other. Both the partners should realize for a relationship to work well, there should be at least some amount of adjustment on each others part. It is therefore important that both the partners sit down, discuss and thoroughly analyze what exactly went wrong with their relationship. It is the time to throw away their egos for good and accept mistakes on their part. This would go a long way in saving a relationship.

Tip #2: Not spending sufficient time with each other is one of the major reasons for break ups happening these days. With career taking precedence over quality time spent with each other, it is not difficult to find why communication gaps arise between partners nowadays. It is therefore important that couples allocate at least some time to each other. This would be a good step towards saving a relationship.

Tip #3: You should stop assuming things about your partner. For example, just because your husband or wife is not talking to you enough, you should not immediately come to the conclusion that they don't love you anymore. You should first of all clarify all your doubts that you may have. Remember, saving a relationship is all about keeping your channels of communication open. You should make it a point to discuss every issue threadbare with your partner. Once you practice this part regularly, your bond will grow stronger by the day.