Yes, tea can help to fill you up. However, the actual effect can vary from one person to another, particularly in terms of how long you feel full for.
One of the reasons that people acquire my services is because they are looking to lose weight but in a healthier manner. As such, I get the question does tea fill you up, quite a bit. My clients want to know if drinking tea can help to curb hunger pangs.
The following post goes into detail about how tea helps to fill you up, whether it can help to deal with hunger, and if there is a particular type of tea that you should be drinking. Learn all this and more below!
Contents
First things first, let’s take a look at why you feel a bit fuller once you have a cup or two of tea. Well, that would have to do with the liquid taking up space in your stomach. Like food, tea remains in your stomach for a while, this can create a feeling of satiation.
Now, this doesn’t always happen with just one cup of tea. In some cases, you may only begin to feel full after the second or even third cup. And, how you brew your tea can determine how long it is before you are satisfied.
For instance, if you add milk and sugar to your tea, you may find that takes you only one cup or two before you are full. On the other hand, if you drink plain tea, you may need to consume a bit more to reach the same level of fullness.
Since tea does take up room in your stomach, it can help to reduce the feeling of hunger. Due to this, drinking several cups of tea can replace snacks or other foods that you may eat in between meals.
There is also the fact that sometimes you feel hungry when you are actually thirsty. In situations such as this, drinking tea can help to alleviate hunger pangs.
There is also some evidence that the caffeine found in true teas can function as an appetite suppressant. Thus, drinking tea a short time or just before a meal may prevent you from eating as much as you would have otherwise.
It should be noted that this effect may not last as long as you would like, though. This is because liquid is absorbed into your system within 20 minutes. Food, on the other hand, can take between six and eight hours to leave the stomach.
Thus, once the tea has been absorbed, you may be back to feeling hungry again.
Well, if you are looking for a tea to help you suppress your appetite, then technically drinking any true tea with caffeine will help. If you are just looking to fill up your stomach, though, than any kind of tea will do.
You can drink true teas as well as herbal teas as they both will have the same kind of impact on your hunger pangs. Therefore, as long as it is a natural tea, it is up to you to decide what your favorite brew or flavor is and to enjoy it.
A lot of my clients will use tea as an alternative to snacks, sugary drinks, and other calorie laden treats. In doing so, they are actually able to lose weight since they aren't consuming as much food as they did before.
Many people will also indulge in their favorite flavor of tea. As such, this makes it far more satisfactory to drinking plain water to keep the hunger pangs at bay. Once again, this makes it easier to not eat as much as you did before.
Of course, drinking tea will only really help you to lose weight if you drink plain true or herbal tea without any sugar or sweetener added. In the same way, you can’t add milk, either as the calories can add up here too.
The caffeine found in true teas is also a great way to fuel your workouts. Therefore, you may be able to burn more calories and fat than if you were exercising without the infusion of caffeine.
That being said, I can’t in good conscience recommend that you only drink tea to lose weight. Regardless of your weight or activity level, it is important to consume a minimum of 1200 calories a day. Some adults require more than this to function properly.
If you are serious about losing weight, you need to have a healthy and comprehensive weight loss plan. This can include drinking tea before meals or instead of snacks or sugary drinks. However, you must also consume a balanced diet and exercise well.
Since plain teas don’t contain any calories, they will not be able to sustain you. As a result, you will begin to feel weak and suffer from abdominal distress. Not to mention, you may start suffering from nutrient deficiencies as well.
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Now, is it possible for you to drink tea throughout the day? It is best to stick to about two to three cups of tea, regardless of what kind you are thinking.
Keep in mind, true teas contain caffeine. A little bit of caffeine can be beneficial, but too much can cause irritability and shakiness. Not to mention, it can also cause sleep disruptions. Therefore, it is important to limit your intake and not to drink caffeine past a certain point in the afternoon.
Even with herbal teas, there are always limits. Drinking too much can increase the risk of side effects. Therefore, it is important to follow the instructions that are provided with each and every kind of brew. At the end of the day, it is all about moderation.
So, the research is in – tea can fill you up. Still, you should only use it as a substitute for sugary, unhealthy drinks or in lieu of sugary, salty, or fatty snacks. Then, you will be able to enjoy a greater number of benefits.
