Green tea doesn’t just make your fasting more enjoyable but also largely successful. In short, it’s essential. In this regard, the drink concocted from the leaves of the Camella Sinensis shrub is a must-have for anyone who wants to make the most of foregoing solid food. 

Since time immemorial, fasting has been a forced decision that primitive man had to make due to food scarcity. But technology, namely refrigeration and electricity, has allowed us to store food and better pace our eating. 

These days, fasting is not only a spiritual cleansing tool used by the biggest religions on the planet (e.g., 40 days of  Lent for Christians and Ramadan for Muslims), but it has also become a glorious way to a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, by saying “no” to food for a specific period of time, you do away with excess fat and obtain mental clarity. And that’s just for starters. 

However, there are many ways fasting can go sideways. If you’re not careful, not only will you lose energy and become weak and depressed, but you will also add more pounds to your weight. Defeating your goal and even exposing yourself to sickness in the process.

It’s precisely why green tea matters. When you drink a cuppa, you enhance fat-burning while at the same time reducing hunger and cravings. In short, you enhance the fasting experience like no other making it work for everyone in the family. Read on. 

The Pros and Cons of Intermittent Fasting

During Lent, fasting has been considered an excellent tool for spiritual maturity for Christendom. The same holds true for Muslims worldwide, who welcome the start of Ramadan with increased worship and fasting, among many other sacrifices. 

Over time, fasting featured a lot of promise in keeping healthy. Not providing your body with food has been shown to help significantly with weight loss and increase overall wellness. 

Fasting: Fastrack to Health 

Technically, it’s considered fasting only if you’ve reached 12 hours without food. Many time-restricted eating plans have sprouted along the way, with some choosing specific windows to eat and not to eat. That’s how intermittent fasting (IF) was born. 

For instance, there’s TRF, time-restricted feeding, and alternate-day fasting (ADF). Put in the picture a host of celebrities who advocate intermittent fastings, such as Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, and Kourtney Kardashian, and you have the whole world watching intently and an army of advocates trying it. 

Indeed, there’s a plethora of evidence that fasting can benefit you. Some of these really put health back on the line for you. These include: 

Table 1: Benefits of Intermittent Fasting and Studies 

So, overall, you minimize age-related diseases when you undertake intermittent fasting. That means you live longer as you put conditions to a bare minimum. 

Fasting Complications

But alas and alack, there are downsides to limiting your food intake. As pleasing as all the benefits of IF is, risks are involved. You could also negatively affect your health if you don’t do it right. 

Some of these complications include: 

• Fatigue and low energy
• Hunger and cravings
• Digestive issues
• Headaches and lightheadedness
• Sleep disturbance
• Bad breath
• Malnutrition
• Dehydration

Worse, recent studies claimed that IF could lead to an earlier death. One reason for that is that skipping breakfast or lunch has been associated with a greater risk of dying from heart disease. 

Said research involved tracking 24,000 Americans in the span of nearly 15 years. The disturbing results remained even if people exercised or led a healthy lifestyle.

In essence, fasting complications led to a shorter life span. 

In fact, certain people are discouraged from pursuing fasting altogether. These are:

• People over 65
• Young adults and children who are still growing
• People with diabetes
• People who suffer from kidney, heart, or liver disease
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Those with low blood pressure
• Those who take regular medications (blood pressure, diuretics, blood thinners)

But this is where green tea can be of immense assistance. Here’s how the leaves of the Camella Sinensis evergreen shrub can make fasting happen for you. 

5 Ways Green Tea Makes Fasting a Whopping Success

If you’re fasting, making a habit of green tea could be your best decision. Here’s why you should keep enjoying a cuppa: 

1. A Powerful Antioxidant Boost

Green tea is a potent source of antioxidants, particularly catechins, which may help protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause damage to cells and contribute to aging and various diseases. Heart disease is top of that list, which claims nearly 700,000 Americans yearly. 

During fasting, the body undergoes a process called autophagy, wherein damaged cells and proteins are broken down and recycled. The antioxidants in green tea help support this process, ensuring the body effectively cleanses itself.

In autophagy, your body receives a timely wake-up call. As you deprive your body of nutrients, it compensates by repurposing cell components to get active and function. By doing so, your body uses old and even damaged cell parts. 

In essence, autophagy benefits the body to function as its “bestest best.” It does this by: 

• Recycling damaged cell parts, making them fully functional 

• Doing away with nonperforming cell parts that only slow down the body

• EliminatIing pathogens (viruses and bacteria) that damage cells

Green tea plays a considerable role in revitalizing the whole body by inducing autophagy. This has been attributed to the polyphenols found in a cuppa. Top of the list is EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). 

2. Enhanced Fat Burning

One of the primary reasons people fast is to lose weight, and green tea can help accelerate this process. Green tea contains caffeine and a type of catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which work synergistically to help the body burn fat more efficiently. 

By increasing the rate at which the body breaks down and utilizes fat for energy, green tea can help make fasting more effective for weight loss.

A cup of green tea may contain less caffeine than a cup of coffee. But that should still be enough to enhance the weight loss process.

Table 2: Estimated Caffeine Content in a Cup

It must be noted that the amount of caffeine in a particular green tea varies from brand to brand and the process each cup undergoes (e.g., heat applied, brew time). Also, taking in loose leaves of tea means taking a lesser amount of caffeine than those in tea bags. 

Studies done on animals show that the active compounds in green tea, especially EGCG, boost fat cells' breakdown. These compounds do this by inhibiting the enzyme norepinephrine (noradrenaline), promoting fat loss in the process.

One study showed that men who drank green tea before exercising lost 17% more fat than those men who didn’t even bother to drink a cuppa. This means that when you fast, you’ll likely lose more body fat with green tea than without.

3. Reduced Hunger and Cravings

Fasting can be challenging for many people due to hunger and cravings, but green tea can help alleviate these problems. The caffeine in green tea acts as a natural appetite suppressant, helping to curb hunger and make fasting more manageable. 

Additionally, the amino acid L-theanine in green tea has been shown to have a calming effect on the mind and body, which can help reduce stress-induced cravings. 

In the process called thermogenesis, fat-burning happens even while you’re sleeping. That’s because active components in green tea, namely the catechins and caffeine, all work together to increase energy expenditure. In the process, this allows fat-burning without having to experience severe pangs of hunger and untimely cravings. 

4. Improved Mental Clarity

It’s no accident big religions, from Christianity to Buddhism to Islam, have, in one way or the other, introduced fasting as a way to attain spiritual enlightenment. Jesus, for one, has reportedly fasted 40 days to strengthen his mission. On the other end of the spectrum, Mahatma Gandhi also fasted to protest or what we call a hunger strike to bring global attention and move forward his political agenda. 

Indeed, many fasters have reported experiencing increased mental clarity, focus, and productivity. Green tea may enhance these benefits due to its L-theanine content. 

L-theanine is an amino acid that can promote relaxation without causing drowsiness. When combined with caffeine, L-theanine can help improve cognitive performance and mood, making it an ideal beverage to consume during fasting for increased mental clarity.

In fact, the near-magical effects of L-theanine have been central in how true tea has been helpful in treating cognitive diseases in older individuals. We’re talking about Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Green tea has predominantly been associated with improved memory. 

5. Immune System Support

Fasting has been linked not only to strengthening one’s mental prowess but also to one’s body. Perhaps, this sheds light on why Buddhist monks push the envelope in terms of fasting and go on days without food to attain a “higher plane of spirituality.”

Fasting has been shown to impact the immune system positively, and green tea can further support this. The catechins in green tea have been found to have antimicrobial properties, helping to protect the body against various infections. 

Additionally, green tea has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects, which can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and support overall immune function. This means only one thing. Fasting with green tea guarantees much more successful fasting, not to mention a more enjoyable one. 

How to Incorporate Green Tea into Your Fasting Routine

To reap the benefits of green tea during fasting, consider incorporating it into your daily routine in the following ways:

1. Drink a cup of green tea first thing in the morning to kick-start your metabolism and help suppress your appetite.
2. Replace calorie-laden beverages with green tea during your fasting window to keep you hydrated while providing health benefits.
3. If you're practicing intermittent fasting, enjoy a cup of green tea before your first meal to help control your appetite and prevent overeating.

Timing is everything. Observing the time of your green tea intake is a must to make the most of a cuppa. This allows you to reap the most benefits from your intermittent fasting. 

FAQs on Green Tea and Fasting

Should I increase my green tea intake when fasting?

Drinking as much as 3 to 4 cups of green tea to maximize the benefits of fasting is recommended. It may not be a good idea to go beyond those dosages, but the benefits of drinking green tea far outweigh the risks. 

Which is better, water fasting or intermittent fasting?

Generally, water fasting comes with a lot more risks than intermittent fasting. Thus, intermittent fasting is the way to go if you want to lose weight but don’t want complications. Water fasting for 24 to 72 hours has been shown to complicate people who have existing medical conditions. 

Should I consult a doctor before making a habit of green tea?

If you are experiencing pain or are under medication, consulting a doctor before drinking green tea may be wise. The caffeine in the drink could make anxiety worse if you are already experiencing anxiety disorders. The same holds true for people with irregular heartbeat. 

Is green tea better than black tea?

Green tea has more antioxidant content than black tea, while black tea has more caffeine content. So, while both teas come from the same plant, which is a better tea depends mainly on the person drinking the tea. If he wants more caffeine, black tea is the better tea, but green tea is the way to go if he wants to prioritize antioxidant consumption. 

Is green tea the best tea for intermittent fasting?

Green tea is the best tea for intermittent fasting as it contains the most antioxidants among other true tea types. That means this drink can support you better when foregoing food for a specific period of time. You achieve your health goals faster with green tea in your cuppa.