Yesterday on the Doctor Oz show, in conjunction with the theme of losing weight, he had a segment with Bryce Wylde, a Canadian alternative medicine expert, TV host, educator, and more. Wylde highlighted which teas to drink at various times of the day to address common weight problems.
The first tea he talked about was Pu-erh, to be drunk in the morning to shrink fat cells. Pu-erh is a delicious aged tea, and people either like it or hate it. You often see it in compressed cubes or cakes in tea shops. Ask Me About Tea, in Albuquerque, carries this tea in a Scottish Caramel Toffee flavor. (Call 505-856-2080 for information).
Next, he recommended white tea at lunch to block fat absorption. Bloating is addressed by drinking chickweed tea in the afternoon. (Finding chickweed tea could be a problem. You might try a healthfood store, though.) Finally, he said that bilberry tea should be drunk in the evening to kill cravings. The two women who were tasting these teas did not care for the bilberry tea because of its medicinal taste.
Before you run out to buy these teas for false reasons, consider for a moment what was lacking from this segment. Wylde glossed over the mere mention of a study, not giving who had conducted them or any information, for that matter. Yes, tea has antioxidants, and yes, there are health benefits to drinking tea. But your question to Mr. Wylde should be, "Where is the proof to your claims?"
If you have followed the Albuquerque Tea Examiner, you also know that there have been no studies sanctioned by the FDA for health claims. (There is one 'half' exception regarding green tea, however, where part of a study has been approved by the FDA.) There is a big difference between a benefit and a claim. (Read this article to find out how to discern between the two.)
As mentioned before, drink tea because you like it, and for its basic benefits--antioxidants and as a delicious no-calorie substitute for sugary drinks). If you are interested in losing weight, then go without or at least go easy on the sugar or milk that you add. Taste it first--you may find that it is just fine without any embellishments. But whatever you do, please do not think that drinking two cups of Pu-erh tea in the morning will shrink your fat cells. To lose weight, you need to eat a sensible diet and exercise--those basic requisites have not changed in years.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: While it is impossible to find this information on the Dr. Oz website, another health-related site did capture it. Click here for more information on this segment.
The TV show Doctor Oz comes on at 4 PM weekdays in the Albuquerque area.
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