Green tea diet

Any diet is a system of restrictions in certain foods, portions, and energy value of products. A person loses not only excess weight, but also the nutrients necessary for health. Including green tea in the diet helps to more easily endure these hardships, maintain vigor and efficiency, and replenish the body with essential nutrients. Therefore, to the question of whether green tea is allowed on a diet, we confidently say "Yes".

Indications

The green tea diet is recommended for people with obesity, those who simply want to lose a few kilograms, those suffering from hypertension, in the climacteric period, cleansing the body of waste and toxins, good health and increased tone.

General information green tea diets

The main factor that gives grounds for using the drink in diets is the ability of the plant to burn fat, suppress appetite, its diaphoretic and diuretic effect. There are many methods of losing weight with the help of green tea, here is the essence of some:

• buckwheat and green tea diet - is designed for only 4 days, but during this time it allows you to lose 2-4 kg. A glass of buckwheat is steamed overnight with 2 glasses of boiling water in a thermos or other container, warmly wrapped in a towel. Steep tea is brewed (a tablespoon per 250 ml of water). You can eat porridge in unlimited quantities, without seasoning it with anything or adding salt. The tea is drunk 40 minutes after eating;
• green tea diet with milk - this combination is useful to drink at any time, but to lose 1.5 kg of weight you will need 1-2 days of strictly drinking. Tea is prepared in the proportion of a spoon per cup of boiling water. When it is brewed, milk is added. You need to drink every 2 hours, food is not provided, but you can also drink still water;
• diet on cottage cheese and green tea - with this dairy product, the diet is not scary, because it contains many components necessary for life: protein, calcium, phosphorus, milk fats. For three days in a row, you need to eat no more than 500 g of low-fat cottage cheese, 2 glasses of kefir and drink an unlimited amount of tea;
• Grapefruit and green tea diet is an ideal fruit for weight loss: it has few calories and many substances necessary for health, it reduces the production of insulin, "responsible" for the accumulation of fat reserves. At the same time, due to the large amount of organic acids, it can harm those suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. The diet does not cancel other products, but only healthy ones, and grapefruit is eaten half before each meal. Green tea is consumed as a necessary liquid along with water. The duration of the diet is 5 days, the effectiveness is minus 2-3 kg;
• Green tea diet with honey - this recipe is suitable for fasting days. Their frequency can be no more than one or two days a week. The rest of the time, stick to a balanced diet. What can you eat? The emphasis is on low-calorie foods: vegetable salads, grains, legumes, fruits, lean meat and fish. What can't you eat? Such a cooking method as frying is prohibited, as well as bread products, confectionery, fats, alcohol, smoked meats, canned goods, sweet drinks.

Detailed menu for every day

Many dietary options have been developed that include green tea. Here are some:

• green tea diet 3 days - only dried fruits are allowed: dried apricots, dried pears and apples, raisins and others except dates. The daily norm is 100g, divided into 5 doses. You need to drink both tea and water half an hour and 30 minutes after eating. The total volume per day is 1.5 liters of both. After leaving the diet, continue drinking at least 1 liter of tea;
• green tea diet for a week - involves daily consumption of 2 liters of tea without lemon, honey or sugar. The morning should begin with a cup of tea, another one with a piece of black bread after 2 hours, before lunch again tea, then a portion of chicken soup, tea and fruit salad for an afternoon snack, it also precedes dinner, and after some interval boiled meat or fish with vegetables.

There are other types of 7-day diets that include a drink, such as an apple diet. The first day starts with 1 kg of fruit, the second day - 1.5 kg, the next 2 days - 2 kg, then 2 days - 1.5 kg and the last day - a kilo. Green tea is used as a drink;

The 14-day green tea diet is called "skinny". It is justified, because the diet is very limited and extra pounds melt right before your eyes:

• 1st - only unsweetened tea, unlimited quantity;
• 2nd - about a liter of low-fat kefir;
• 3rd - green tea with lemon balm or mint;
• 4th - still mineral water;
• 5th - fresh or baked apple + water;
• 6th - skim milk (1l);
• 7th - tea;
• 8th - milk;
• 9th - 2 apples + water;
• 10th - kefir (1l);
• 11th - fresh cucumbers (500-600g);
• 12th - tea;
• 13th - milk;
• 14th - 3 apples and water.

It is not easy to stick to such a diet, only people with good health can start it. You need to exit it wisely, gradually increasing the caloric content of food and avoiding coarse food, at first giving preference to soups and slimy porridges.

Recipes

For those who are not ready or cannot strictly limit themselves in food, we recommend recipes for some dietary dishes:

• rolls - young zucchini is cut lengthwise into 0.5 cm wide slices, which are grilled or baked in the oven. For the filling, low-fat cottage cheese is mashed, chopped greens and garlic are added, and the mixture is slightly salted. The cooled zucchini with cottage cheese is rolled into a roll;
• meatballs - turkey meat, onion is minced in a meat grinder, rice is pre-boiled until half-ready. Combine in a 2:1 ratio, form balls. Cook in a steamer or in a saucepan with a small amount of water;
• stuffed zucchini - the vegetable is cut into 2cm thick rings, the middle is cut out and filled with the contents described in the previous recipe. It is cooked in a saucepan over low heat, where the zucchini are placed, poured with a sauce of sautéed onions, tomatoes, a few spoons of sour cream and water;
• fruit salad - kiwi, apples, pears, strawberries are cut into pieces and dressed with low-fat yogurt;
• Vitamin salad - finely chop cabbage, carrots, apples and raw beets, lightly salt and sprinkle with olive oil.

Benefits

Green tea differs from black tea in that its leaves are subject to less oxidation. The chemical composition of green tea is complex: proteins (15-20% of dry weight), the enzymes of which constitute an important fraction; amino acids (1-4% of dry weight), such as theanine or 5-N-ethylglutamine, glutamic acid, tryptophan, glycine, serine, aspartic acid, tyrosine, valine, leucine, threonine, arginine and lysine; carbohydrates (5-7% of dry weight), such as cellulose, pectin, glucose, fructose and sucrose; minerals and trace elements (5% of dry weight), such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, manganese, iron, copper, zinc, molybdenum, selenium, sodium, phosphorus, cobalt, strontium, nickel, potassium, fluorine and aluminum; and trace amounts of lipids (linoleic and α-linolenic acids), sterols (stigmasterol), vitamins (B, C, E), xanthic bases (caffeine, theophylline), pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoids) and volatile compounds (aldehydes, alcohols, esters, lactones, hydrocarbons).

It contains antioxidants that slow down the aging process of cells. The health benefits of green tea are mainly due to its polyphenol content, [ 1 ] especially flavanols and flavonols, which make up 30% of the dry weight of fresh leaves. [ 2 ] Recently, many of the above-mentioned beneficial effects of green tea have been attributed to its most abundant catechin, (-) - epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). [ 3 ] Thus, catechins are natural flavonoids that strengthen capillaries and blood vessels, accelerate metabolism, prevent cardiovascular diseases, are effective in the fight against tumor cells, food poisoning, and cleanse the liver of decay products. [ 4 ]

In recent years, the health benefits of green tea consumption, including cancer prevention [ 5 ] and cardiovascular disease, [ 6 ] anti-inflammatory, [ 7 ] anti-arthritic, [ 8 ] antibacterial, [ 9 ] anti-angiogenic, [ 10 ] antioxidant, [ 11 ] antiviral, [ 12 ] neuroprotective [ 13 ] and cholesterol-lowering [ 14 ] effects of green tea and individual components of green tea have been studied. However, adding green tea to the diet may cause other serious health problems.

Contraindications

A green tea diet, especially a long-term one, is contraindicated for people with weakened immunity, digestive tract pathologies and other chronic diseases, metabolic disorders. [ 15 ]

Possible risks

The body reacts to the lack of minerals and vitamins by worsening the condition of the skin, hair, and nails. A prolonged diet is fraught with psychological problems: the mood deteriorates, irascibility and nervousness appear. Possible complications are associated with the exacerbation of existing chronic diseases.

Although green tea has several health benefits, the effects of green tea and its constituents may be beneficial up to a certain dose, but higher doses may cause some unknown side effects. Moreover, the effects of green tea catechins may not be the same in all individuals. EGCG of green tea extract is cytotoxic, and increased consumption of green tea can cause acute cytotoxicity in liver cells, the main metabolic organ in the body. [ 16 ] Another study found that higher consumption of green tea can cause oxidative DNA damage in hamster pancreas and liver. [ 17 ] Yun et al. [ 18 ] explained that EGCG acts as a prooxidant rather than an antioxidant in pancreatic β cells in vivo. Therefore, high consumption of green tea may be harmful to diabetic animals for the control of hyperglycemia. At a high dose (5% of the diet for 13 weeks), green tea extract caused thyroid enlargement (goiter) in healthy rats. [ 19 ] This high-level treatment altered plasma thyroid hormone concentrations. However, even very large amounts of green tea consumed with food are unlikely to cause these adverse effects in humans.

The harmful effects of excessive tea consumption (black or green) are due to three main factors: (1) the caffeine content, (2) the presence of aluminum, and (3) the effect of tea polyphenols on the bioavailability of iron. Green tea should not be consumed by patients with heart disease or serious cardiovascular disease. Pregnant and lactating women should drink no more than one to two cups a day because caffeine can cause an increase in heart rate. It is also important to control the simultaneous consumption of green tea and certain medications due to the diuretic effect of caffeine. Some studies have shown the ability of the tea plant to accumulate high levels of aluminum. This aspect is important for patients with kidney failure because aluminum can accumulate in the body, leading to neurological diseases; therefore, it is necessary to control the consumption of foods high in this metal. [ 20 ] Similarly, green tea catechins may have an affinity for iron, and green tea infusions can cause a significant decrease in the bioavailability of iron from the diet. [ 21 ]

Reviews

Short-term diets on green tea are easily tolerated, but the results are insignificant, the body is more relieved, lightness and toning appear. The "skinny" two-week diet allows you to get rid of 5-7 kg of weight, and with it, acquire health problems. According to reviews, it is difficult to tolerate, after it the weight quickly returns when you switch to normal nutrition.