Tuesday 1 December 2015

Oolong tea and weight loss


Sweet with hints of chocolate and roasted nuts……and it can help you to lose weight

If you havent tried it, you really must! It tastes delicious, fresh. mellow, fruity and sweet with hints of chocolate and roasted nuts. Perfect for quaffing this christmas time or in fact at any time at all.

What is it?
Oolong tea.  Well known in ancient Chinese medicine to promote weight loss.

Most likely if you ask for an oolong tea in a cafe, the waiter/waitress will just stare at you! Which is such a shame, because when it comes to tea, no category offers more complexity of flavour and body than oolong. It is a tea so uncommon in the west that we don't have an english word for it. It is also know in China a Wu-long tea.

Oolongs are the wide category of tea in between green and black. They come from the same plant as the other teas, the camellia sinensis and are semi-fermented. Black tea is fermented. Green tea is unfermented.

Oolong tea generally grows on the Wu-Yi mountain, hence it is also known as Wu-Yi tea in Asia. Good growing conditions are important, but the quality of an oolong is largely dependant on the skill of the person processing it. Oolong tea leaves are picked and kept under strictly controlled conditions and allowed to semi-ferment or partially oxidise. They are then heated to a certain point to set the flavour and aroma, from buttery florals to roasted nuts and hints of chocolate. And the best oolongs are harvested in the autumn to give a tea of superior taste than that of spring harvested teas.

As well as tasting great, oolong tea offers a wealth of health benefits.

The Chinese have long believed that oolong tea is beneficial in reducing and maintaining weight.  Speeding up your metabolism is the key to losing weight. Studies in Japan have shown that drinking oolong tea increases the metabolic rate by 10% and this effect lasts for 120 minutes after drinking the tea as compared to green tea which only increased the metabolic rate by 4%. Another study showed that drinking oolong increases the fat oxidation by up to 12%. And this this is backed up by a study undertaken by The School of Traditional Medicine which determined that the consumption of oolong tea can prevent obesity by decreasing body fat content and weight.

Oolong tea really can help in losing and maintaining weight. Just drinking 2 cups a day can help shed the pounds by boosting the metabolism and blocking the fattening effects of carbohydrates. And combined with exercise, like yoga, oolong tea helps to keep you slim and toned. Enjoy a cup of oolong 30 minutes before your walk, workout or yoga session to get the maximum results. And instead of having a milky coffee and cake in the afternoon stave off the sweet cravings and energy slumps with a cup of oolong instead.

As well as being effective in controlling obesity, oolong tea offers other health benefits. It contains high levels of anti-oxidants or polyphenols, which promote strong healthy teeth, improved mental function and general well being. This vitamin enriched tea with its anti-inflammatory properties may reduce the symptoms of eczema and other skin allergies and is beneficial for glowing radiant skin.  It can also boost your immune system helping to prevent colds, flu and other illnesses.

Drink at the beginning of the day to boost your metabolism and increase your energy levels and try drinking 15 minutes before a meal to curb your appetite and assist with the breaking down of the food.

In fact, its good for drinking at any time of the day. With a wealth of flavours, from rich, sweet, mellow, fruity, fresh to lightly roasted or buttery floral and chocolatey, choose one to suit your taste and palate.