Green tea is not something people usually associated with dieting, but the modest beverage is currently undergoing something of a renaissance for its remarkable weight loss properties. Cheap, readily available and easy to prepare, green tea is drunk like regular tea without milk or sugar. Those who don't like the herbal, slightly astringent taste of unsweetened green tea have the option of buying supplements with green tea extract.

The reason for green tea's surge in popularity in the weight loss world is mainly due to the effect it has on the body's thermogenesis process. Thermogenesis is a function of the body's heat regulation mechanism, and it works by increasing the body's heat production by converting fat deposits into energy, i.e. burns fat to increase energy. While many natural and artificially created compounds can also stimulate the body's thermogenesis process, green tea is the most popular choice because it does not have any of the negative side effects associated with such compounds.

Diet pills such as ephedrine also induce thermogenesis, but have a long list of dangerous side effects ranging from an increased heart rate to respiratory problems. Many individuals who are overweight already have elevated blood pressure and are at higher risk of potentially deadly side effects from diet pills like ephedrine. These individuals can, however, drink as much as green tea as they like and benefit from its all natural fat burning properties without having to worry about the risk of stroke or hypertension.

Broadly speaking, the only two ways to reduce weight is to either eat less or exercise more. Any decent diet plan will require both the reduction of calorie intake as well as the burning up of stored calories for noticeable results. Green tea is full of a naturally occurring compound called catechin that can help increase the rate at which your body burns calories burning by about 4%.

In addition to all the other health benefits, green tea is also rich in powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants have a variety of beneficial effects on the body such as preventing cancer cell replication, stopping cell damage and even lowering the body's cholesterol levels.

One thing that should be remembered when incorporating green tea consumption into your diet plan is that, like all teas, it contains caffeine. When drinking increased amounts of green tea or consuming green tea extracts for the purposes of weight loss it is recommended that you reduce your intake of coffee and other caffeine rich beverages. Unfortunately decaffeinated green tea is not an option since the act of removing green tea's caffeine also strips it of many of the beneficial compounds that make it useful for dieting.

As in all diet plans, controlling what you eat is vital. There is no point drinking green tea to lose weight if it is accompanied with an increased calorie intake from eating more. For the fastest results consumption of green tea should either be accompanied by reducing calorie intake or burning more calories through exercise. But even if you keep your calorie intake steady while drinking green tea at the same time, you will notice a steady loss in weight and elevated energy levels over the period of a few weeks.

Affordable, safe and 100% natural, green tea or green tea extract is a great addition to any diet plan or weight loss program.