I have seen many variety of slimming tea being sold in the retail stores, supermarkets and in pharmacies.  Even in the newspapers and magazines, it is common to see an advertisement on slimming tea – proclaiming how effective it is in helping people to lose weight. I think it is important to take all these claims with a pinch of salt and be more conservative in our approach on this matter. Some of the slimming tea contains different herbs combined together in a tea bag for consumption. The issue I have with herbs is that we may have an adverse effect if we consumed it excessively. Normally the side effects are hunger spams, allergy, constipation, diarrhea, headache, etc.

Personally I do take 2 types of Chinese tea which have traditionally known to assist people in weight loss; and they are Oolong and Iron Buddha tea. Both of these Chinese tea have been known to be beneficial for our body as it contains Polyphenol which helps to remove free radicals and prevent cancer. Studies have also shown that Oolong tea helps to burn calories in our body faster than drinking green tea. There are companies which sell slimming tea and they claimed that their tea would helped to reduce your craving for carbohydrates; and would also prevent you from constant snacking. Personally I think carbohydrates are important to us, it is however important to choose the right food – whole grains, fruits and vegetables are good source of carbohydrates. We should avoid carbohydrates derived from unhealthy food such as white rice, pastries, sugared sodas, etc as these food would contribute to weight gain.

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I have been drinking both Oolong and Iron Buddha tea for more than 20 years – as I started drinking Chinese tea when I was just a young kid. My parents would normally brewed either Oolong or Iron Buddha in a big traditional Chinese tea pot; and you just add hot water to top it up when the pot was empty. Let me also explain the difference between Oolong and Iron Buddha tea. Both are similar in the sense that they are Oolong tea. Many tea analyst would rank Iron Buddha as the No. 1 Oolong tea as it has a unique fresh aroma. Iron Buddha tea are much darker in color; whereas Oolong tea is lighter in color and also in taste. Does Oolong and Iron Buddha tea helped me in maintaining my weight or effective in weigh loss? Yes I believe it does, because my body weight has been quite consistent most of the time. The problem of weight gain for me is when I started to eat much more for about one month or more. So if I overeat, then drinking Chinese tea would not help me to reduce my weight at all. In fact the most effective method for me to lose weight is a combination of actions which I would do daily – exercise, eat less, sleep more, drink more Oolong and Iron Buddha tea and less stress.

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My view of Oolong and Iron Buddha as a slimming tea is that they does help you to keep your weight in check to a certain level. But you still need to moderate on food consumption and go for daily exercise. Both of these teas are good for health and definitely I can attest that there are no side effects at all even if you drink it daily for many years. I have been drinking Oolong and Iron Buddha tea daily for more than 20 years. The photo in this blog show the exact brand of Oolong and Iron Buddha tea which I am drinking right now. On the left is Iron Buddha Tea ( Ti Kuan Yin ) and on the right is Oolong Tea. The brand name is Ten Ren and it is made in Taiwan. There are 20 teabags in each box and each tea bag is individually sealed in a small packaging bag. I liked the quality and the taste of Ten Ren brand of Chinese tea. The price is higher than some other brands of similar tea, but to me it is worth it.

 

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