Right next to the male enhancement products and the heartfelt letters from my Nigerian friends, are offers for magical weight loss supplements that claim to have the ability to evaporate my fat on contact!

There’s a lot of buzz, especially on the Internet, about all these outrageous fat loss products, especially teas that will help you lose weight: green tea with hoodia, green tea plus, wu yi green tea. You name the teas, and of course it’s going to magically help you lose weight.

[There are a ton of great pics on the web like this one that show the beauty of a green tea field. Supposedly, this is a shot from one such field near Mt. Fugi in Japan. Absolutely stunning! ]

Green Tea and Weight Loss?

Now the sexy part about green tea is that there actually is scientific evidence to show that green tea can help with weight loss.

A boatload of studies show a reduction in fat due to inhibiting the growth of fat cells and to inhibiting fat absorption from the gut.

Sure, you’ll find the outlier study who will counter with the argument of the doses required to get this effect are generally higher than those contained in the weight-loss products or by drinking green or white tea. But nevertheless, the results are significant enough to stand up and take notice.

Green tea also dramatically reverses insulin resistance, the cause of type-2 diabetes. It has been found that EGCG acts like insulin and that green tea extracts have a strong protective effective in diabetic animals from diabetic nephropathy.

Green tea actually does a lot of great things with boosting your health. However, no matter how hard some studies try, there isn’t enough evidence right now to say that it can prevent cancer, but it does look like it does have anti-cancer capabilities. Message to Red Bull, give up your wings… immediately!

Check out these other benefits of drinking tea:

Tea has been tapped for its medicinal properties for ages

Tea has proven strong in combating stroke, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes

Tea is a great digestive aid

Tea can help protect the retina from free radical damage that causes macular degeneration and glaucoma

Out with the boys for some Green Teas?

But, the thing you really need to realize is it’s not the magic bullet. Without diet and exercise, green, or any other color, tea is not going to help. Specifically, what the research really shows is that you get the best effect with green tea when it’s combined with caffeine.

In a recent Australian study of both recreational and advanced runners, those who took about 95 milligrams of caffeine (about the equivalent of an eight-ounce cup of green tea) improved their 5K times by an average of 10 to 12 seconds.

Back in May 2008, Spanish researchers reported that hot, dehydrated cyclists who downed caffeine with their water and carbs could pedal harder for a longer time in steamy weather—the first study to specifically simulate summertime temperatures. The scientists think caffeine stimulates muscles, thereby helping to offset heat-related fatigue.

Tea drinking alone will not help you lose fat

So, we really should be drinking green tea, because it’s good for us, and it’s going to help with our health. It will help with your weight loss, but don’t start pounding cups of green tea and taking all these green tea supplements thinking that your going to lose 10 pounds in 2 days?

It will help you, but it’s not enough on it’s own. You really have to stick with the total fat loss package: diet plus exercise!

For more information about foods that burn fat and help you lose weight, check out our Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle review. The author, Tom Venuto, covers nutrition extensively and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to fat burning secrets that bodybuilders and fitness models utilize everyday.

I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance about diabetes and people affected by diabetes, specifically around diet. I quickly learned that diabetics actually have one of the best diets for any individual, and they serve as fantastic examples for our society today who by in large part enjoy living on fast processed food and too many refined sugars.

Do you want to lose weight? Try eating a diabetic diet combined with exercise and I think many people will be surprised to see results quickly!

I plan to do some more research about diabetic diets in the months to come but here is an easy recipe that was shared with me:

Protein Chili

Research suggests that people who eat more than 18 ounces a week of red meat have a higher risk of colon cancer. So make red meat—beef, pork, lamb—only an occasional part of your diet, if you eat it at all. And skip the processed stuff—bacon, hot dogs, and deli meats—since that’s also been linked to higher cancer risk. Beans offer a meaningful replacement for animal protein, are low in fat, high in fibre and easy to incorporate into many recipes.

Protein Chilli is a recipe that any individual can add their own personal preferences in to for desired flavour, texture or to add other ingredients. This recipe can be scaled up for large events such as family get-togethers, large parties or holiday events. Let’s take a look at how to prepare a meal for four and freezing leftovers for future use:

Ingredients:

(Beans, beans, and more beans!! The following items are beans I use for this recipe that can be easily substituted for others based on personal preference and can often be purchased for under a $1.00 per can!)

• Romano Beans: single 540 mL can
• Black Beans: single 540 mL can
• Kidney Beans single 540 mL can (White or Red)
• Lentils: single 540 mL can
• Chick Peas: single 540 mL can
• Beans in Tomato Sauce: single 800 mL can
• Diced Tomatoes: single 800 mL can
• Carrots: 2 large or 3 medium diced/shredded
• Sweet Pepper: single green, yellow or red diced
• Onion: single medium, diced
• Garlic: three cloves, diced
• Tomato Juice: 2 cups
• BBQ Sauce (optional): ¼ cup
• Meat (optional): 1 pound (lean ground beef or pork, diced chicken, sausage or shredded tofu)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Drain each can of Romano, Kidney, Chick Peas, Lentils and Black beans by themselves into a colander and rinse thoroughly with cool water to wash off any salt solution (used as a preservative).
2. Pour each can after drained into a large mixing bowl (or two medium bowls) followed by the beans in tomato sauce. Drain diced tomatoes into colander and add to mixture.
3. In a large frying pan or sauce pan add 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and add vegetables. Saute vegetables for 2-3 minutes and add meat until thoroughly cooked.
4. Add to bean mixture. Pour in tomato juice and BBQ sauce and stir until mixed. Add additional flavouring for personal preference.
5. Portion what you won’t need into freezable containers to cook at a later time. Place the remainder of the chili into a slow-cooker and set for an afternoon (or 4-6 hours) on high. You can also cook in the oven covered in Corning Ware with lid at 350 F for 90 minutes if slow-cooker is unavailable.