Drink Your Way To A Better Life With The Ultimate Tea Diet

by Nicole
The Daily Mantra is powered by tea. Lots of it. So when we heard about a new diet book called The Ultimate Tea Diet, we just had to take a look. It's written by the self-styled Dr. Tea, a.k.a. Mark Ukra, who owns West Hollywood's Tea Garden emporium. Dr. Tea's family has been in the tea business for over 200 years, and the good doctor has traveled the world in search of the rarest and tastiest examples of the elixir. The boundless energy the drink gave him lead to positive lifestyle changes and health benefits, the secrets to which he passed along to regulars at his store. As he compiled this recipe for a healthy life into a book, Dr. Tea tested his formula on an army of 18 volunteers, who lost a combined total of 197 pounds in just eight weeks.

Dr. Tea's diet is no fad regime though. His tea-infused program is backed by solid scientific research, since it turns out the Camellia sinensis plant, which all true teas (as opposed to fruit and herb infusions or "tisanes") come from, contains three magic compounds which work together to promote health and weight loss. The first of these compounds is caffeine, a stimulant that boosts thermogenesis, the process by which the body creates heat, which therefore burns calories and promotes weight loss. Too much caffeine, as Starbucks junkies can appreciate, can be a bad thing however, which is where the second compound comes in. L-Theanine is an amino acid that counteracts the harmful effects of caffeine, reducing both mental and physical stress and anxiety. The third key ingredient, Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), is a powerful antioxidant which prevents and repairs free-radical damage, providing protection against cancer and heart disease, among other things.

It's the combination and interaction of all three of these compounds, which are only found together in tea (and not coffee), that are at the core of Dr. Tea's hypotheses, which he promises will "boost your metabolism, shrink your appetite, and kick-start remarkable weight loss." These are big promises, but like the diet, the book is balanced, offering a sensible eating regimen, yummy tea-tastic recipes, and exercise advice, while dealing with both the science and the spiritual. After explaining in detail how tea can help us lose weight, Dr. Tea encourages us to find and address the emotional deficiencies or addictions, which we often attempt to fill with food. "The only way to get rid of a habit is to replace it with something else, preferably something new and positive in your life," says Dr. Tea. So reach for some leaves and a cup, put the kettle on, and drink your way to a new and improved you.

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