For many years, diets based around detoxification have been seen as a popular way to give your
body a much needed cleanse as well as a way to lose weight and re-energize.
One especially well known method of detoxing is the green tea detox diet.
As the name implies, this diet puts an emphasis on making green tea a staple part of your
daily nutrition intake, with most people on this diet drinking between 3 to 6 cups of
tea per day in addition to their usual meal plan.
But is detoxing with green tea really as effective as some would lead you to believe, or is this
just another fad diet to be left by the wayside?
Today, Bestie is going to take a closer look at some of the pros and cons of the green
tea detox diet.
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The Good The reason that green tea has become such
a popular component of detoxing probably has something to do with the fact that green tea
contains a wide variety of well documented nutrients and other health benefits.
According to dietician Kris Gunnars of Healthline, green tea contains a number of compounds and
antioxidants which can enhance brain function, improve heart health and even protect your
body against certain types of cancer.
Additionally, the green tea diet also benefits your system by helping you stay hydrated,
which is essential for many different aspects and important functions of your body, including
waste management and facilitating your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Since green tea is mostly water, drinking it on a regular basis is an excellent way
to keep your hydration levels in check.
By drinking between 3 and 6 cups of green tea every day, you would be increasing your
fluid intake by 24 to 48 ounces, or 7 to 11 liters overall.
Of course, throughout the day; make sure to keep drinking plenty of plain old water as
well, or other healthy beverages.
Additionally, proper hydration and fluid intake has also been associated with weight loss.
According to a study published in the research journal Obesity, a group of 173 women who
increased their fluid intake over the course of a year experienced a greater degree of
weight loss . Another study published in the International Journal of Obesity indicated
that compounds found within green tea specifically, known as catechins, were also found to be
highly effective for diets that emphasize weight loss and management.
Before you get too excited by this news, however, it should be noted that and similar studies
into weight loss properties of tea were conducted using a highly concentrated green tea extract,
meaning that the weight loss results to be gleaned from drinking normal amounts of tea
might not be quite as dramatic as some of these test results would lead you to believe.
Finally, the nutritional value of green tea can also benefit your body in a variety of
different ways.
As previously mentioned, certain compounds found within green tea have been linked to
cancer prevention; specifically, test tube studies have determined that a type of antioxidant
found in green tea known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate may be an effective agent against the onset
and growth of cancers affecting the liver, prostate or lungs.
Green tea may also reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes by helping to manage
your body’s blood sugar levels.
According to the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry Nutrition, drinking at least 3 cups of green
tea per day can reduce your risk of diabetes by up to 16 percent.
The International Journal of Cardiology also suggests that drinking green tea on a regular
basis may also potentially lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
However, it has been suggested that more research is required to determine the health benefits
of drinking green tea within a short term concept, meaning that a short lived green
tea detox diet might not be as effective when compared to the effects of a more long term
commitment.
The Bad However, while the green tea detox diet contains
a number of potential health benefits, we should also weigh the possible downsides and
side effects as well.
For starters, it’s worth mentioning that green tea is a caffeinated beverage, meaning
that drinking multiple cups a day will no doubt result in a greatly increased caffeine
intake as well.
According to the Journal of Food Science, a single 8 ounce serving of green tea contains
approximately 35 milligrams of caffeine.
By extension, drinking between 3 and 6 cups of green tea every day would mean that you’re
adding up to two hundred and ten milligrams of caffeine to your diet on a daily basis.
While caffeine has been linked to a number of potential health benefits, consumption
of caffeine in massive amounts can also lead to several potential drawbacks: According
to Frontiers in Psychiatry, overconsumption of the stimulant caffeine can potentially
lead to unwanted side effects such as anxiety, high blood pressure, problems with digestion,
and difficulty sleeping.
In addition to caffeine, certain compounds within green tea known as polyphenols may
also impair your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
This is because these polyphenols bind to micronutrients, thus preventing your body
from properly absorbing them.
In particular, the journal Current Developments in Nutrition states that these compounds have
been known to reduce the body’s ability to process the mineral iron, which leaves
certain individuals at risk of developing complications such as an iron deficiency.
Finally, there has also been the claim that in addition to the drawbacks we’ve already
mentioned, the green tea diet might be just plain ineffective in terms of detoxing.
While green tea is indeed a healthy addition to your meal plan, consuming it only during
intermittent periods of detoxification means that you won’t be getting the same nutritional
bang for your buck that you would normally get from drinking tea on a more regular basis.
But hey, we’ve said our piece, and now it’s time to turn the question over to you: have
you ever had any experience using green tea as part of a detox or cleanse?
Did you experience any noticeable change or improvement during that time, or do you agree
with those who claim the green tea diet is ineffective and unnecessary?
As always, we’re interested in hearing your personal experiences and feedback related
to the topics we select for our videos, so feel free to scroll down to the comments section
below and help us to keep the conversation going.