The Surgery-Free Tummy Tuck

Help your body incinerate that stubborn spare tire by drinking this metabolism booster before your workout.

We're not talking Red Bull here. We're talking green tea. In a recent small study, extracts from green tea helped men burn 17 percent more fat during a 30-minute cardio workout.

Burn, Baby, Burn
It's not clear how green tea boosts metabolism. Researchers suspect that something in the healthy brew makes fat more available as fuel, so you oxidize more of it when you exercise. Proven bonus: Green tea remains an excellent source of heart-healthy antioxidants called catechins. 

Here are six more reasons to sip the green stuff.
The steady stream of good news about green tea is getting so hard to ignore, that even java junkies are beginning to sip mugs of the deceptively delicate brew. You'd think the daily dose of disease-fighting, inflammation-squelching antioxidants -- long linked with heart protection -- would be enough incentive. But wait . . . there's more! Lots more.

1. Cut Your Cancer Risk
Several polyphenols -- the potent antioxidants that green tea is famous for -- seem to help keep cancer cells from gaining a foothold in the body by discouraging growth and then suppressing the creation of new blood vessels that tumors need to thrive. Study after study has found that regularly drinking green tea reduces the risk of breast, stomach, esophagus, colon, and prostate cancer.

2. Soothe Your Skin
Got a cut, scrape, or bite, and a little leftover green tea? Soak a cotton ball in it. The tea is a natural antiseptic that relieves itching and swelling. Try it on inflamed blemishes, sunburns, or puffy eyelids. But that's not all. Green tea has been shown to help block sun-triggered skin cancer, whether you drink it or apply it directly to the skin -- which is why you're seeing green tea in more and more sunscreens and moisturizers.

3. Steady Your Blood Pressure
Having healthy blood pressure -- meaning below 120/80 -- is one thing. Keeping it that way is quite another. But people who sip just half a cup of green tea a day are almost 50% less likely to wind up with hypertension than nondrinkers. Credit goes to the polyphenols again (especially one known as ECGC); they help keep blood vessels from contracting and raising blood pressure.

4. Protect Your -- or Your Mom's -- Memory
Green tea may also keep the brain from turning fuzzy. Getting-up-there adults who drink at least two cups a day are half as likely to develop cognitive problems as those who drink less. Why? It appears that the tea's big dose of antioxidants fights the free-radical damage to brain nerves seen in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

5. Stay Young
The younger and healthier your arteries are, the younger and healthier you are. So fight plaque buildup in your blood vessels; the sticky stuff increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, adds years to your RealAge, and saps your energy. How much green tea does this vital job take? About 10 ounces a day, which also deters your body from absorbing artery-clogging fat and cholesterol.

6. Lose Weight
Oh yeah, one more thing. Turns out that green tea speeds up your body's calorie-burning process. In the every-little-bit-counts department, that's good news!

It Starts with a Workout
Bottom line: Sipping green tea won't do much for your middle if you don't work out, too. The only way to shrink a spare tire is by dropping some pounds.

• Don't leave the house! Create a workout you can do in your own home.

Recipe Corner
When it's too hot for hot green tea, try these three icy twists on the traditional brew.
The quick-brew system: Pour 2 cups very hot water over four green tea bags and steep 3–6 minutes, depending on how strong you like it. Add 2 cups cold water and chill.
Then, if friends are dropping by -- or you're just in the mood for something special -- pull out the stops: Green tea dresses up like nobody's business. We tapped some of the country's top tea gurus for these recipes. They'll wow the crowd or just help you chill out on a steamy summer day.

GREEN TEA LEMONADE
For porch sippers
If you like your tea lemony and your drinks lightly sugared, this combo should hit your sweet spot. "It gives you that fresh green flavor, with a hint of lemon -- perfect for summer," says Nelson Drago, owner of the Chado Tea Room in Los Angeles.
Makes about four 1-cup servings
1 tablespoon loose Japanese green tea leaves, available in Asian markets and health-food stores
9 ounces lemonade, sweetened to taste
Sliced fresh lemon or whole strawberries for garnish
Steep tea leaves in 18–20 ounces of barely boiling water for 3 minutes, or longer if you like stronger tea. Pour brewed tea through a strainer into a large carafe or pitcher full of ice. Stir in lemonade. Serve in glasses garnished with the fruit.

MANGO TANGO ICED GREEN TEA
Not only for dancing divas
This fruity sensation is from Mary Lou Heiss, coauthor of The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide. Tropical fruits (mango and pineapple) up the antioxidant ante.
Makes four 1-cup servings
1 1/2 cups chilled green tea (Heiss suggests using 2 tea bags of Stash Premium green tea)
3/4 cup chilled mango puree, sold at Asian markets and in some supermarkets
3/4 cup chilled peach or apple juice
1 cup chilled pineapple juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Combine all ingredients, pour into blender (make in batches if necessary), and blend for 2 minutes. Pour over ice and garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.

MATCHA LATTE ICED ENERGY TEA
Now and Zen
This recipe hails from Essencha Tea House & Fine Teas in Cincinnati. Part of Zen Buddhist culture for centuries, matcha makes brilliant but bitter green tea. However, matcha latte is "creamy yet crisp," says Essencha co-owner Tracy Monson. "And it gives you the ultimate energy boost!" Because it's made from the entire leaf, matcha may be the healthiest of all green teas.
Makes one 1-cup serving
1/2 to 1 teaspoon good-quality matcha, sold at Asian markets
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
8 ounces milk or soymilk
Place matcha and sugar in a high-sided bowl. Whisk gently until blended. Add enough hot water to make a light paste, whisking until the mixture is free of clumps. Transfer to a cocktail shaker. Add milk and ice and shake well until foamy. Strain, and then drink straight up or over ice.

 

WHAT’S FOR DINNER?!

Zucchini and Feta Fritatta

Frittata is so easy to make and, similar to an omelet, you can incorporate vegetables and cheese but without the extra hassles at the stove.

Prep Time:

0 mins

Total Time:

30 mins

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium red potatoes, about 3/4 pound, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 6 large eggs
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, about 3 ounces
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Preheat broiler.

Bring potatoes to a brisk simmer in a small saucepan of salted water, then cook until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Whisk together eggs and 1/4 teaspoons each salt and pepper. Cook zucchini in 1 Tablespoons oil in a 12-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in potatoes and tomatoes, then pour in eggs and cook, lifting up cooked eggs around edge using a heatproof rubber spatula to let as much raw egg as possible flow underneath, until edge is set, about 2 minutes (top and center will still be very loose).

Sprinkle cheese evenly over top and broil frittata about 6 inches from heat until set, slightly puffed around edge and golden, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Loosen edge of frittata and slide onto a cutting board.

Cut frittata into wedges and serve topped with SALAD.

 

about this recipe

Frittata is so easy to make and, similar to an omelet, you can incorporate vegetables and cheese but without the extra hassles at the stove. A handful of peppery ARUGULA LEMON SALAD adds the finishing touch.