Did you know high amounts of water can help raise your metabolism?
When making healthy lifestyle changes, it’s not just about eating the right food but also about drinking the right beverage.
Drinks like green tea, coffee, and high-protein beverages have been shown to boost metabolism, promote fullness and reduce hunger, all of which may promote weight loss.
Here are 9 drinks that are the best to include in your diet when trying to lose weight and become healthy.
1. Water
Increasing your water intake is one of the easiest ways to improve overall health.
Drinking more water can help burn calories and curb intake at meals, resulting in weight loss.
Studies have found that your resting energy expenditure (or the number of calories burned while being still) can rise up to 24-30% within 10 minutes of drinking water. (1)
2. Green Tea
Green tea holds two primary ingredients that help in losing weight: caffeine and antioxidants.
Several studies have found drinking green tea decreases body weight and body fat.
This is primarily because green tea contains high amounts of catechins antioxidants that boost fat burning and increase metabolism. (2)
3. Black Tea
Like green tea, Black tea is unique because it contains an abundance of polyphenols, including a group of polyphenolic compounds called flavonoids.
polyphenols are known to reduce calorie intake, increase healthy bacteria in your gut, and promote fat loss. (3)
A study in 2734 healthy women found that those with higher consumptions of flavonoid-rich foods and drinks like black tea had significantly lower body fat and belly fat than women who consumed fewer dietary flavonoids. (4)
4 Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar contains the essential weight-loss ingredient acetic acid, a compound that may cause weight loss by decreasing insulin levels, increasing metabolism, suppressing appetite, and burning fat. (5)
Studies found that Apple cider vinegar slows stomach emptying, which helps keep you fuller for a more extended period of time and may reduce overeating. (6)
A warning: Highly acidic Drinking beverages can erode your teeth and aggravate heartburn which is why it should be consumed in small quantities and always followed by rinsing with water. (7)
5. Ginger Tea
Ginger has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that can help prevent cardiovascular damage and other stressors.
One study showed that ginger tea increases the thermic effect of food (the number of calories needed to digest and absorb food) by 43 calories.
Research in overweight individuals found that when they drank 2 grams of ginger powder dissolved in hot water with breakfast, they felt increased fullness and reduced hunger compared to the days when no ginger tea was consumed. (8)
6. Coffee
Compared to black and green teas, coffee has the most caffeine, with nearly 95 mg per cup.
Caffeine is a substance that acts as a stimulant in the body and may benefit weight loss.
Several studies have found caffeine intake linked to increased metabolism and fat loss. (9)
Coffee drinkers may have an easier time maintaining their weight loss over time, as coffee can reduce energy intake and boost metabolism.
7. Oolong Tea
Oolong tea has been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5% (10)
This tea helps convert some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which may boost fat burning by 10–17%.
This traditional Chinese tea not only helps keep cholesterol levels in check and aids digestion but is also rich in antioxidants.
Oolong tea contains an antioxidant called catechins, which is known to boost weight loss and improve the body’s ability to metabolize fat. (11)
8. Protein shakes
Protein shakes can suppress hunger, reduce appetite and promote fullness, which is essential when trying to shed excess pounds.
Protein activates hunger-reducing hormones like GLP-1 and decreases ghrelin, a hormone that controls your appetite. (12)
A study in overweight individuals found that those who consumed 56 grams of whey protein every day for 23 weeks lost 5 pounds (2.3 kg) more fat than those who consumed no whey protein but the same amount of calories. (13)
There are countless protein powders available Whey, pea, and hemp protein powders are just a few varieties. Choose whatever suits your digestive needs.
9. Vegetable Juice
Fruit juice may be high in sugar and linked to weight gain, but fresh vegetable juice is a great low-carb drink that helps in weight loss.
In one research, people who drank 16 ounces of vegetable juice while following a low-calorie diet observed an increased metabolism and lost significantly more weight than those who did not. (14)
It is better to consume whole vegetables to stop the high amount of fiber loss during the juicing process.