Both green tea and mint, on their own, are known to be abundantly healthy. Put them together and you get a refreshing drink loaded with goodness. For those of you who are trying to shed those extra pounds and avoid life-threatening conditions like obesity, green mint tea can work wonders.
While there is no shortcut or quick remedy to losing weight apart from exercising regularly and eating healthy, nutritious food, drinking green tea with mint can aid the process and leave you feeling fresh and fit.
Wondering how green tea with mint aids weight loss? Here are 5 reasons why.
5 Benefits Of Green Tea And Mint For Losing Weight
1. Green Tea Enhances Fat Metabolism
Antioxidants called catechols in green tea prevent a digestive enzyme from breaking down a hormone called norepinephrine, which signals fat cells to break down fat. This increases the amount of the hormone in your body. The more the amount of norepinephrine in your body, the more the amount of fat broken down by your fat cells.1 If the excess fat in your body is broken down, you lose the extra weight you’re carrying, resulting in weight loss.
The presence of caffeine in green tea also enhances this process, aiding weight loss.
2. Mint Aids Digestion
Adding mint to your green tea enhances fat burning by increasing the flow of bile produced by the liver. An increase in bile increases the amount of digested fats in your body, resulting in improved metabolism. Not just that, mint also allows gas to pass from your body easily by relaxing intestinal muscles. This prevents bloating.2
The combined effect that both green tea and mint have on weight loss is also quite beneficial for those suffering from obesity.
3. Green Tea Reduces Your Calorie Intake
The caffeine and catechins in green tea have been found to cause anyone who drinks it to feel full. This is because these components suppress your hunger. This, in turn, makes you want to eat lesser food, resulting in lower calorie intake.3
4. Green Tea Aids In Loss Of Harmful Fat
Belly fat can be hard to deal with not only because it looks bad but also because it can be a risk factor for a lot of life threatening illnesses. Too much belly fat could cause inflammation and insulin resistance (your body cells become resistant to insulin because of which blood glucose increases), which is likely to result in type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Drinking green tea in combination with exercise may help you lose that ugly, annoying belly fat.4
5. Mint May Aid Your Workouts
Drinking green tea with mint before exercising may increase the amount of air that you’re breathing, increasing brain oxygen. This is said to improve performance when you work out.
How To Make Green Tea With Mint
The best part about this tea is that it’s extremely easy to make and tastes great irrespective of whether you serve it hot or cold.
Ingredients
- 4–5 mint leaves
- Water
- 2 tsp green tea powder
Directions
- Boil some water and add it to a cup with the green tea powder.
- Let the tea powder steep in the water for about 20 minutes and, then, strain.
- Wash the mint leaves, and add them to the strained tea to enjoy great tasting green tea.
- Add a few ice cubes or chill the tea if you wish to before you drink it.
Cautionary Note
Remember that drinking too much green tea may not be good for you. Avoid drinking more than 3 cups of green tea a day. It’s rich in caffeine, and too much caffeine is likely to adversely affect your health. Not just that, excess green tea may also result in hampered nutrient absorption.5 Mint might also be a bad idea for you if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or a hiatal hernia.6 Drink a moderate amount of green tea alongside a healthy diet and exercise to gain maximum benefits.
References
