Keeping at bay the body weight and counteracting the so called "pot belly" should not be considered a question of aesthetic, but a question of health. In fact, when fat accumulates in the area of the waistline it could, in the long run, cause a state of chronic inflammation, the ideal environment for various diseases. A lifestyle that involves moderate physical activity is certainly a good choice, as well as preferring unrefined flours and rice, fruit and, above all, vegetables, but a help can also come from some foods that, based on scientific studies, are able to increase fat burning through different mechanisms. We’ll see the anti-obesity properties of two very famous drinks, white tea and mate.
White tea
White tea is a drink obtained by infusion of the leaves of the tea plant, the Camellia sinensis, the same plant as used for green tea and black tea, but it is not fermented. White tea is a very fine variety of tea, coming from the harvesting of the first buds covered with short white hair. This type of tea is an amazing source of antioxidants, with a powerful anti-cancer effect and, as several scientific studies have shown, with an anti-obesity action. White tea is in fact a precious source of epigallocatechin gallate, a catechin with antioxidant power that seems to determine the capacity of this type of tea to inhibit the adipogenesis, namely the formation of body fat, and to induce lipolysis, the mechanism through which the stored fat is disposed (Soehle et al, Nutr Metab, May 2009). In addition to this, white tea is also considered able to increase metabolism by enhancing energy expenditure (Hursel et al, Int J Obes, Apr 2010). Like green tea, also with white tea you should pay attention to prepare this drink in order to extract its precious catechins. First of all, the water should not boil, but should reach a temperature of approximately 70° C, for what concerns the time of infusion this depends on the type of white tea and can range from ten to even twenty minutes.
Mate
Yerba mate, or simply mate, comes from the leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant and is used to prepare a drink able to improve concentration but also with a valuable anti-obesity effect. In fact, it has been shown that mate is able to accelerate the metabolism, to increase the energy expenditure, to decrease the body mass index, to reduce cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar levels (Young-Rye et al, Lab Anim Res, Mar 2012 - Hussei et al, Biol Pharm Bull, 2011). The infusion of mate should be done at 70° and takes ten minutes, the quantity is two tablespoons of plant per liter of water.
