Weight Loss Tip 183: Replace chai with hibiscus tea

Your daily cup of chai is adding to your weight gain.

Every day, we wait for the clock to strike four so that we can have our evening tea. It's a ritual most of us look forward to. In India, traditionally, we prepare tea out of tea leaves or Camellia sinensis leaves, milk, spices and a whole lot of sugar. A single cup may contain 90 calories. And tea is rarely had alone. Cups of chai are followed by fried snacks like samosas, biscuits, pakodas and cakes. In short, our innocent tea-time rituals have been slyly adding inches to our waistline.

While tea itself is not the culprit here, it is often the additives and accompaniments that make us pile on the pounds. Full-fat milk is often added to the chai followed by copious amount of sugar. These additives can supersize the calorie content in a cup of tea, adding to your total calorie intake at the end of the day. Caffeine in the tea affects the central nervous system and before you know it, you are addicted to the beverage.

So if weight loss is your goal, it will be wise to lay off tea and switch to another alternative beverage, something that is neither habit forming nor calorific. Hibiscus tisane is the answer to your problems. This ruby-red beverage is made from the dried petals of the hibiscus flower and tastes amazing on its own. Unlike black tea, hibiscus tea has a delicate taste and appeals to most palates. What makes it even better is its fat-busting abilities. An anti-inflammatory, hibiscus tea protects against hypertension and liver disorders.

(Read: Can hibiscus tea reduce BP?)

Studies show that drinking hibiscus tea for 12 weeks helped in reducing body weight, BMI, body fat and waist-to-hip ratio. Hibiscus works by down regulating the genes responsible for metabolising fats and it reduces the growth of fat cells in the body. In addition to this, hibiscus tea also reduces the complications related to weight gain, diabetes, cholesterol and heart diseases.

The tea can be brewed from fresh hibiscus blossoms or buds. If you don't have a plant at home, you could even buy commercial hibiscus tea leaves from the store. Either way, it looks and tastes amazing. Since the tea is a little on the tangy side, you can complement its sourness by adding a dash of stevia or honey. However, if weight loss is your goal, don't load your tea with too much sweetener. It's important to bear in mind that the tea is not a magical elixir for weight loss. Be sure to supplement it with proper diet and exercise.

Read: Weight loss tip #182