18 WOMAN’S WORLD 12/16/13 12/16/13 WOMAN’S WORLD 19

W hat could be lovelier than re-laxing amid the holiday hustle-and-bustle with a steaming cup of gingerbread-scented tea? How about this: fi nding

out that same cup of tea can help you melt fat. Yes, you read that right! According to prelimi-nary Columbia University research, ginger tea “seems to dial up the body’s thermostat, spark-ing and boosting calorie burn,” says ginger ex-pert Wendy Bazilian, R.D., Dr.PH. In fact, the Columbia team reports that each cup—made by steeping spice-rack ginger powder in hot water—helped volunteers burn an extra 43 calories. On top of that, the tea “enhanced satiety and re-duced hunger,” the scientists reveal. Translation: Simply by choosing this miracle tea over other beverages, you stand to burn more calories andeat fewer Christmas goodies—without trying!

Woman’s World readers who tested the tea dropped up to six pounds and a full dress size in one week, stats that are extra impressive when you consider these tea-sipping readers indulged in holiday treats like cookies, cake and cock-tails. “I can’t believe I lost six pounds in a week while still being able to splurge,” marvels Ohio tea tester Jean Owens, 61. “The tea is an amazing weight-loss boost!”

DIY miracle tea! The tea used in the Columbia study was made by dissolving a teaspoon of ginger powder in six ounces of hot water—a brew that may be too strong for many palates. Luckily, readers got great benefi ts drinking a few extra cups of a much milder blend. To follow their lead, experiment to fi nd the water-ginger ratio you enjoy most. And get as creative as you like, adding lemon, no-cal sweetener and using fl avored tea instead of plain hot water. In our informal taste test, mixing 1/4 teaspoon of ginger and a packet of Splenda in a mug of freshly brewed Celestial Seasonings Sugar Plum herbal tea was most delicious. Just

Columbia University

remember that if you choose to use 1/4 teaspoon per cup, you’ll then want to sip four cups daily to be sure you get benefi ts like these . . .

How ginger slims● It turns up the burn! When you put a bit of ginger on your tongue, you’ll feel an instant warm tingle—a sensation caused by heat-generating compounds in the spice called gingerols. And experts are inclined to credit gingerols for the spice’s proven calorie-burning effect. “More research is needed, but there’s a good chance that the ‘heat’ from gin-gerols actually increases the body’s internal tem-perature and metabolic fi re,” confi rms Bazilian. ■ Bonus: Adding four cups of tea daily can re-verse the mild dehydration suffered by millions of women—a trick that improves metabolic function and boosts calorie burn by 4%!

● It dials down hunger! The Columbia team was surprised to learn ginger had little effect on known hunger hormones yet still made folks feel more full and satisfi ed. One potential ex-planation? “Ginger stimulates the release of se-rotonin”—aka the happiness hormone—“which increases our sense of well-being and thus tends to reduce our desire to overeat for comfort,” explains Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D., author of Healing Spices. Aggarwal also notes that any of the powerful antioxidants in ginger may have an as-yet-undiscovered “diet pill” ef-fect. Adds Bazilian: “A cup of ginger tea makes us feel soothed, warmed and nourished—and it

just stands to reason that this would help reduce stress eating.”

■ Bonus: Swap in no-cal ginger tea in place of four sugary bever-ages a day, and you’ll save near-ly 500 calories, notes Bazilian. At the same time, you’ll reduce blood-sugar spikes, prompting your body to produce fewer fat-storage hormones!

“It’s amazing!” When Kathleen Nation started

drinking the tea, she really wasn’t expecting much. To her surprise, “by

the third day, I felt this amazing combination of being relaxed and energized—plus I had really good breath,” laughs the Maine reader, 56. She ended up losing fi ve pounds and two inches from her waist in a week. “I looked forward to getting on the scale each day to see it go down!” Adds Florida mom Tracy Green, 49: “I didn’t know ginger could be used like this, and I’m so glad I found out. I enjoyed all my favorite foods—and still lost a size. I can’t think of a better gift a woman could give herself during the holidays!”

Try this at home!While testing this ginger-tea strategy, readers enjoyed four cups of ginger tea a day. Beyond that, they aimed to eat healthy foods most of the time, but still indulged in a treat meal most days. They used no special portion control guidelines; instead, they simply paid attention to their bodies and aimed to stop eating when they � rst began to feel full.

Tracy’s best tip: ● Take ginger to go! “When I went out, I took a little foil packet of premeasured ginger and just asked for hot tea. It’s the perfect on-the-go plan!”

Tracy lost a size!“I love this tea!” raves Flor-

ida mom Tracy Green, 49. “It was really deli-

cious and made me feel calm and

happy.” Another thing that made her happy:

Enjoying favorite indulgences like

wine, cheese and chocolate cupcakes

while still losing a size in a week! “I melted four

inches from my middle. I’ve done very strict diets and not gotten results

like that,” she says. “This is amazing!”

The Columbia team was surprised to learn ginger had little effect on known hunger hormones yet still made folks feel more full and satisfi ed. One potential ex-planation? “Ginger stimulates the release of se-rotonin”—aka the happiness hormone—“which increases our sense of well-being and thus tends to reduce our desire to overeat for comfort,” explains Bharat B. Aggarwal, Ph.D., author of

. Aggarwal also notes that any

fect. Adds Bazilian: “A cup of ginger tea makes us feel soothed, warmed and nourished—and it

just stands to reason that this would help

Swap in no-cal ginger tea in place of four sugary bever-ages a day, and you’ll save near-ly 500 calories, notes Bazilian. At the same time, you’ll reduce blood-sugar spikes, prompting your body to produce fewer

When Kathleen Nation started drinking the tea, she really wasn’t

expecting much. To her surprise, “by the third day, I felt this amazing combination of being relaxed and energized—plus I had really good breath,” laughs the Maine reader, 56. She ended up losing fi ve pounds and two inches from her waist in a week. “I looked forward to getting on the scale each day to see it go down!” Adds Florida mom Tracy Green, 49: “I didn’t know

Tracy’s best tip: ● Take ginger to go!Take ginger to go!T“When I went out, I took a little foil packet of premeasured ginger and just asked for hot tea. It’s the perfect on-the-go plan!”

Tracy lost a size!Tracy lost a size!“I love this tea!” raves Flor-

ida mom Tracy Green, 49. “It was really deli-

cious and made me feel calm and

indulgences like wine, cheese and

chocolate cupcakes while still losing a size

in a week! “I melted inches from my middle. I’ve done very strict diets and not gotten results

like that,” she says. “This is amazing!”

You can make Columbia Univer-

sity’s miracle ginger tea by steeping powdered ginger in plain hot water or any variety of tea. But for a delicious Christmas-y treat, add your ginger to a seasonal blend inspired by your favorite holiday indulgence . . .

You can make You can make YColumbia Univer-

Ginger lowers cholesterol 14%! Over the years, scientists have found a host of ways ginger helps keep us in tip-top shape. For example, studies show the spice can ease nausea, relieve menstrual cramps, � ght osteoarthritis and end migraine headaches. Ginger has also been proven to boost immunity, protect against cancer and boost heart health. And here’s the very latest bene� t: According to a Middle Eastern team, 1 teaspoon of ginger a day for two months helped Type 2 diabetics signi� cantly lower blood-sugar levels, improve insulin function and lower bad cholesterol by 14%!

Give your tea a Christmas twist!

When you put a bit of ginger on your tongue, you’ll feel an instant warm tingle—a sensation

just stands to reason that this would help reduce stress eating.”

■ Bonus:tea in place of four sugary bever-ages a day, and you’ll save near-ly 500 calories, notes Bazilian. At the same time, you’ll reduce blood-sugar spikes, prompting your body to produce fewer fat-storage hormones!

“It’s amazing!” When Kathleen Nation started

“It’s amazing!” When Kathleen Nation started

“It’s amazing!” drinking the tea, she really wasn’t

expecting much. To her surprise, “by

Tip! Prefer a supplement to

tea? Scientists caution they

may not work as well, yet

say they’re still safe to try.

Take four 500-mg. ginger

capsules a day to match

the amount used in the

Columbia University

study.

fect. Adds Bazilian: “A cup of ginger tea makes us feel soothed, warmed and nourished—and it

Tip!

fect. Adds Bazilian: “A cup of ginger tea makes us feel soothed, warmed and nourished—and it

Tip!

Miracle weight-loss tea!Lose 6 lbs a week—without missing out

on holiday treats!

■ Make $100 testing a hot new diet! If interested, send your name, address, phone numbers, age, height, weight and size to us at wwdietsuccess@womansworldmag.com or Weight-Loss Success, Woman’s World, 270 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cli� s, NJ 07632. Include a current photo, if possible. If you’re chosen to participate, we’ll pay you $100 to try out a plan for one week!

If you love eggnog try Bigelow Eggnogg’n Tea, a creamy-spicy nod to the o� cial drink of Christmas!

If you love apple cake try Republic of Tea Comfort and Joy, a yummy seasonal o� ering infused with apple and spices like cinna-mon and cloves.

If you love carameltry Republic of Tea Caramel VanillaCuppa Cake—inspired by the festive caramel cake in the movie The Help!

If you love caramel

Republic

If you love choco-late gingerbread try Numi Chocolate Pu-erh, featuring velvety cocoa and zesty orange � avors.

If you love candy canestry Stash White Christmas, a minty white tea already kissed with a hint of ginger.

Give your tea a Christmas twist! late gingerbreadtry Numi Chocolate Pu-erh, featuring velvety cocoa and zesty orange � avors.

try Stash White Christmas, a minty white tea already kissed with a hint of ginger.

If you love pecan pietry Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet, a black tea with notes of pecan,

vanilla and cinna-mon.

vanilla and cinna-mon. the movie

The Help! the movie Photos: Claire Richardson/AGEfotostock; BACKUP-images.com; Lauri Patterson/

Getty Images; courtesy of vendor (6); Roel Smart/Getty Images; Getty Images; Milton Wordley/Getty Images; Photolibrary/Getty Images; Jim Stem/Ikonik Pix.

o� ering infused

cloves.

o� ering infused

cloves.

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