How to Green Tea Cleanse

Many of us experience a little wake-up call after holidays — either by getting on a scale or trying to put on a favorite pair of jeans that makes us realize we’ve overindulged! It doesn’t need to be a dramatically big deal to get back in synch with your pre-holiday self, if you take things one day at a time. I’ve found that making a regimen which includes pouring on the green tea can really help. It’s intimidating to break any habit, even if you’ve only been loyal to it for a few weeks. Good news is that you should find that just a few days of resetting your eating and hydration patterns goes a very long way.

Green tea can be used as a subtle, yet effective tool in jump-starting your reset. It acts as a natural appetite suppressant, helping you master your willpower and give you a little nudge.

Below is the plan I put in place to get back on track. It may work for you as is, or maybe you need to adapt it to better fit your schedule and daily eating and hydration routines.

I’ve learned to admit that my biggest seducers are carbs. To break my carb craving, I just have to cut out any and all processed foods, breads, crusts, baked goods, chips… you get the picture. For three days I just avoid them altogether. I do the same for any added sugar. This may seem extreme, but truly, it’s not nearly as obnoxious as it sounds. I still have oatmeal in the morning, and whole grain pasta or brown rice with my dinner, so I’m not without carbs. But I know that bread has just enough sugar in it to get my appetite roaring. And after three days of making friends again with simpler meals, minus all my offenders, I can take a big sigh and just eat what I decide I want, and not what my body had gotten wired to crave since Thanksgiving.

Before breakfast, steep up 16 oz green tea (either with a sachet, or loose leaf) and drink it warm. If you don’t love green tea first thing, try this with lemon. It’s not a cheat — this actually makes it easier for your body to absorb the polyphenol antioxidants. 2) Cold Brew a 32-oz tumbler of any of green tea. Sip half a cup (4 oz) every half hour throughout the day. This will keep your body from screaming in hunger when your sugar cravings kick in. After three days, you’ll likely find that you’ve regained control, and can continue plugging away with conscious food choices. You don’t have to deny yourself an occasional glass of red wine or piece of dark chocolate after dinner.

My personal little secret to kick this process off is that I find a super special green tea as my “new” treat to cold brew throughout the day. Tip for busy mornings: a whisked bowl of ceremonial matcha, which only takes about 30 seconds, will kick the day off right and satisfying.

Amongst the many touted health benefits of green tea is the boost it can provide for increasing mental focus, as well as increasing endurance. It’s low-moderate in caffeine, 15-30 mg per 8 oz serving, so if you’re consuming 48 oz/day, which will amount to less caffeine than in a single energy drink, or about as much as in a 16 oz mug of coffee.

To get started, just set out to do the Green Tea Cleanse for three days. If you’re feeling great, extend it to a week. Once you feel you have your routine back, try to keep the morning green tea boost as a part of your everyday, and the healthy tea hydration going with sips throughout the day to keep your hydration, metabolism, and immunity constantly boosted. Green tea has earned its reputation as a slimming tea through valid scientific research which has shown that the primary polyphenols in green tea can be effective at boosting metabolism. They provide a subtle increase to your energy expenditure by helping turn fat into energy.

All you need to get started are a few 5-serving samples of green tea or our Green Tea Sampler. Alternatively, if you already have favorites, just make sure you have them on hand. Recommended green teas for the morning boost are Matcha, Gyokuro, Sencha, 88th Night, Dragonwell or Jasmine Pearls. Excellent choices for cold brew throughout the day are Sweet Magnolia Green, Wild Harvest Green Pu’erh, Japanese Orchid Sencha, Boulder Blues, Keep Fit and Jasmine Petals.

Let me know your experience, comments, or questions in the comments below. Cheers to feeling back to your best-self with optimal health, wellness, and good habits to ring in the New Year!

REFERENCES:

Abe, S. K., & Inoue, M. (2021). Green tea and cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: a review of the current epidemiological evidence. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 75(6), 865-876.

Venables MC, Hulston, CJ, Cox HR, Jeukendrup AE (2008) Green tea extract ingestion, fat oxidation and glucose tolerance in healthy humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 87, 778-84.

Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lejeune MP, Kovacs EM. Body weight loss and weight maintenance in relation to habitual caffeine intake and green tea supplementation. Obes Res. 2005 Jul;13(7):1195-204.