A big part of losing weight is to change your lifestyle and aim to live a healthy life where weight loss becomes a by-product of your healthy lifestyle. And on the Lose Baby Weight plans we are big advocates of increasing your herbal tea consumption as they are much better for you than coffee and also have healthy benefits to them.
Some herbal teas are also thought to aid weight loss, most notably green tea and oolong tea. Read on for some health benefits of herbal teas. Even though the teas mentioned below are single teas, you can often buy blends that are designed for specific taste and beneficial purposes – for example, you may be able to buy an herbal tea blend for sleep or for vitality.
Burdock Tea
Burdock tea is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an herbal tea that will really boost your health. It is thought to cleanse the blood, stimulate the liver and also to help regulate the blood sugar, meaning that your blood sugar levels are stable and you’ll be less likely to crave sugary snack foods. It also has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile is a brilliant tea for inducing sleep. It also has numerous health benefits, in that it can calm the nerves, soothe the stomach and reduce the symptoms of a cold. You’ll often find chamomile in a blend with a fruit tea for flavour.
Ginger Tea
Ginger is well known for its health properties, and ginger tea packs a real punch in flavour and in health-giving properties. Ginger tea is reported to improve circulation, help relieve menstrual cramps, regulate the blood sugar to prevent sugar cravings, ease stomach cramps and feelings of nausea and to help relieve cold and flu symptoms.
Mint Tea
Mint tea is very revitalising in flavour, but in terms of health giving properties it is actually very relaxing. It’s also thought to relieve headaches and stomach and digestion problems.
Rooibos Tea
This is a true wonder tea and Rooibos tea is recommended for those who suffer from insomnia or disturbed sleep patterns, headaches, mild depression, nervous tension. The tea does not contain any caffeine and has a calming effect on the nervous system. It also contains zinc and magnesium so excellent for healthy skin and any cramps.
It has been suggested too that stomach problems, indigestion, stomach ulcers, constipation and other similar related problems get a relief from drinking this tea.
Tea & weight loss
But you don’t just have to drink herbal tea to benefit from tea’s health-giving properties – black, green and white tea are all thought to contain something called ‘polyphenols’. These polyphenols are thought to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, including gastric, oesophageal, skin cancer and ovarian cancer after consuming between 4-6 cups per day. Some studies have also suggested that drinking tea can prevent blood clotting disorders and can help to reduce cholesterol.
Green tea has long been applauded for its weight-loss benefits and indeed, some studies have shown that those who drink green tea daily are more likely to be thinner and to have less body fat than those who do not drink green tea. Some believe that green tea supresses the appetite, but there is no evidence to suggest this; however, green tea is thought to prevent you from absorbing as much fat and it is also thought to speed up your metabolism, helping you burn calories faster.
Mums & Teas
Many new mothers are wary of their food and drink intake, especially when they’re breastfeeding. Herbal teas may be safe to drink when you’re not pregnant or nursing, but some of the ingredients in herbal tea such as chamomile, comfrey, mugwort and sage can actually induce or cause miscarriage. However, teas made from foods considered safe to eat during pregnancy, such as ginger and mint and caffeine free teas (green, black and white – get caffeine free variants – Tetley do a great caffeine free range) are thought to still be safe to consume during pregnancy and beyond. It’s important to remember that herbs are actually drugs, and in tea, the herbs are brewed in much larger quantities compared to when you use them in cooking.
If you are breastfeeding we suggest limiting your decaffeinated green tea consumption to 2-3 cups a day as excessive amounts are thought to interfere with iron absorption.
Therefore, before you begin any herbal tea regimen, whether you are pregnant, nursing or not, you should always seek the advice of your primary care physician before beginning to drink the teas to ensure that they won’t interfere with your current health status or any medication you may be taking.
To see our 28 Day Breastfeeding Friendly Diet & Exercise plan click here
