Pu-erh and Weight Loss

If you ever stopped by my shop you may already know that in 2007 I lost 40 pounds and that I credit much of it with my switch from coffee to tea. I did not go the green tea or oolong route- I switched to pu-erh. In 2006 I was introduced to pu-erh at a tea house in San Francisco during a business trip and quickly became addicted to the earthy, dark tea. I was so intrigued by pu-erh that I spent some time researching its history and I learned about numerous studies that concluded pu-erh helps with digestion in addition to providing powerful cholesterol lowering effects and blood cleansing properties. Then- Bingo- I found a study that suggested pu-erh aides significantly in weight loss efforts by curbing the appetite and flushing the fat ingested from greasy meals. Once I discovered it could help me loose weight I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey and started drinking 6-7 cups of pu-erh per day (Yes, I was drowning in it). When Mark Ukra's book, The Ultimate Tea Diet, came out in early 2008 I was excited to find that he included a unique array of recipes that incorporated pu-erh into everyday meals. If you are a tea lover and have not read the book you need to borrow a copy from your library- it is a great book. Well, yesterday I was waiting in line at the grocery store and was paging through one of those gossip magazines and saw an article about a famous movie star who credits her good shape to.....pu-erh tea!