What hot beverage is proven to help you lose belly fat?

Love it or hate it, your metabolism is just something you need to learn to live with. That's not to say you have no control over it -- you can change it if you know how. Our friends at Fitsugar recently revealed some tricks that can help you burn more calories:

• Eat a bit of protein at every meal. Some nuts or low-fat cheese will do nicely.
• Stick to one drink. From the second one on, your body will burn empty calories from alcohol rather than from food.
• Drink coffee, or better yet, green tea. It will increase your metabolism by five to eight percent.
• Train in intervals to increase your body's metabolism both during the workout and after.
  

Want more metabolism tips? Click here to get them. Then try this America Takes It Off quiz and test your metabolism smarts.

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Make the most of your pasta -- here's a quick tip on how to up the nutritional value of your favourite noodles:

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Looking for something new and unexpected to make your diet more interesting and help you lose weight? Check out these 5 foods.

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Want to drop a few pounds? Here's what you need: Protein and fiber. Both keep you feeling fuller longer, which means you're less likely to snack and more likely to maintain your weight. Enter these six Super Foods -- quinoa, pomegranate, Goji berries, almond butter, eggs, and green tea.

Take a peek at this AOL News video and learn more about these super six -- you'll also discover that one of these foods is a great substitute for rice, one contains more beta carotene than carrots, and one has been used for medicinal purposes for 2,000 years.

What foods do you find super enough to fight flab?

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Of all the healthy foods I've posted about here on That's Fit, I'd have to say the one I mention most frequently is green tea. Whether it's highlighting its protective effects against Alzheimer's and certain types of cancer, or its ability to improve cardiovascular health, the green stuff continues to earn its place in a healthy diet.

To help solidify its standing, green tea has added a new benefit to its already impressive resume: fighting physical and mental fatigue. Muscle & Body magazine, citing a recent Japanese study, reports that an active ingredient in green tea -- known as epigallocatechin gallate -- reduced markers of fatigue and oxidative stress.

What if you don't like the taste of green tea? Good question. Thankfully, the answer is not to block your nose and chug it. Instead, try one of the many flavored varieties that are available.

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When you really get down to it, one of the main objectives of life is to stay alive for as long as we can. On average, we occupy a place on this planet for about 75 years. Some of us hang around for a little longer, while others take an earlier ferry. Still, barring any unfortunate accident or contraction of a terminal illness at a younger age, 75 seems to be the norm.

Keeping your stay on this wonderful world of ours from being cut short sometimes requires a good amount of work (regular exercise, adequate amounts of sleep, stressing less, etc.). However, there are also some easy ways to prevent early departure, many of which involve nothing more than a revised grocery shopping list. For the next eight days, we'll offer one death-defying food choice each day to help keep you healthy and happy for many more years to come.

Death-Defying Food #3: Green Tea

Combat heart disease -- the number one killer in the U.S. -- with a spot of the green stuff. A Greek study found that regularly drinking green tea can rapidly improve the function of the cells lining the circulatory system, greatly reducing the risk of atherosclerosis. Add a touch of lemon for even greater health benefits, as research shows that doing so can increase the body's ability to absorb catechins -- the disease-fighting antioxidants found in green tea.

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The nutritional supplement industry is an economic juggernaut, one that continues to thrive even during these tougher financial times. Unlike prescription medications, supplements do not have to undergo a vetting process by the FDA, which serves to explain why manufacturers are able to make many unsubstantiated claims with relative impunity.

Does this mean that all supplements are worthless? I certainly wouldn't go as far as to say that. What I would say, however, is that it is wise to speak with a medical professional before taking a supplement to find out: a) If it is safe for you to take it, and b) If it will help you achieve your specific health and fitness goals. In efforts to expedite that conversation (doctors are busy people), at least narrow your options down to supplements that have shown promise in peer-reviewed studies.

Here are 5 of them:

5 - Protein Shake. While it's entirely possible to get enough daily protein from your regular diet, it's sometimes quite difficult to do so. Protein shakes provide you with a convenient and tasty way to get at least 20-25 grams of protein and a substantial amount of amino acids with each serving.

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Having just gotten off the phone with my health insurance company, and being reminded of the industry of incompetence it has grown to become, I am that much more thankful that I'm in good health.

To help me stay that way, I may start adding vitamin C to my daily cup of green tea. Green tea is rightly known as being a very healthy beverage, due to its high antioxidant content. But, as a new study from Purdue University found, adding vitamin C to it actually makes these antioxidants (specifically, catechins) more available to the body.

Typically, less than 20 percent of catechins remain effective after digestion. Adding juices high in vitamin C or the simultaneous ingestion of a vitamin C supplement, however, markedly increased the absorption of this antioxidant. Sounds like I may be adding a bit of lemon to my green tea from now on.

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Hundreds of studies have demonstrated that drinking tea offers myriad health benefits. From oolong to green, black to English Breakfast, each variety makes for a great way to start the day -- especially since a new study from Newcastle University in England discovered that doing so may improve memory and protect against Alzheimer's disease.

An easy fix, thankfully. Throw some hot water on, drop a teabag in a mug and enjoy. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy, right? It may appear to be, but the Royal Society of Chemistry actually outlines the steps to making perfect tea.

1. Use fresh boiled water, as pre-boiled lacks sufficient oxygen to properly infuse the tea

2. Use a warm pot

3. Add one rounded tablespoon of tea in the cup

4. Pour the water from the kettle as it boils

5. Allow three to five minutes brewing time

6. Use a large ceramic mug

7. If using milk, add it before the tea

8. Drink at around 60 degrees Celsius (which is about 140 degrees Fahrenheit), or three minutes after pouring

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If you're looking for a way to help you look ooooh so good this summer, try adding a daily cup of oolong tea -- fortified with green tea -- to your diet.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who drank this green tea/oolong tea mixture lost an average of 2.4 more pounds over a three month period than people who drank regular oolong tea. Catechins, an antioxidant found in green tea, have been shown to stimulate the body to burn fat.

Another option, of course, is to drink green tea on its own, which has also been shown to have a fat-burning effect. My guess is the reason for the green tea/oolong mix is that some people don't care for the taste of green tea by itself (myself included). But, if you can stomach it, go for it. Or, you can also try different flavored green teas, such as Celestial Seasoning's Blueberry Green Tea, of which I am quite a fan.

As healthy at green tea is by itself, there's a growing body of evidence that suggests adding citrus to your daily spot will promote even greater antioxidant absorption.

Fewer than 20-percent of catechins (antioxidants found in green tea) are able to survive their passage through the small intestines. When combined with citrus -- specifically, and conveniently, lemon juice -- 78-percent of catechins were able to survive this perilous journey. Tea combined with orange juice (or drinking a glass of O.J. along with your cup of tea) kept 71-percent of catechins alive as they passed through the non-acidic environment of the small intestines.

The full study can be read in a 2007 issue of the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research.

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I recently decided to forego caffeinated coffee for awhile. It was hurting my stomach, and while I was not a daily drinker and typically rationalized my intake with a half leaded/half unleaded grande at Starbucks, I found I was increasingly reaching for the buzz to motor through tired days. Ironically, a few days after I quit, daylight savings time kicked in -- this past Monday was particularly dreadful with no java to console my sleep deprivation.

I adore a hot beverage, so I've switched to decaffeinated tea. Luckily, on the very day I pledged my soul to tea, I just happened to be on vacation at a resort exclusively serving Tazo teas. Tazo Calm tea is one of my favorites, but I didn't realize they have a slew of other teas available. Enlightenment arrived when a waitress plopped down a porcelain square dish packed with Tazo tea packets. I tore open a packet of Tazo Honeybush and after one sip, discovered my new favorite tea. Naturally decaffeinated, this tea is loaded with light flavors and tastes sweet without adding any sweetener. Unbelievably good. Here's Tazo's store locater if you'd like to give their teas a try. Spin the Wheel-O-Tazo to peruse their green teas, black teas and herbal infusions.

I definitely believe limiting java for special occasions and drinking decaf tea daily is the way to go for me. Now comes the stick-to-it part.

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Following close to 50,000 men for more than a decade, Japanese researchers uncovered a potential link between green tea and the reduced risk of prostate cancer.

But, it appears as though it takes drinking quite a bit of the tea . Men who consumed five or more cups of green tea daily had the greatest risk reduction, compared to men who drank only one cup or less per day.

Green tea may or may not be your thing. Some enjoy the flavor, while others prefer the taste of different varieties. If you happen to fall into the latter category, you may want to try one of the many flavored green teas that are now available, such as Celestial Seasoning's Blueberry Green Tea. The better taste may be enough of an incentive for you to throw back the recommended five or more cups a day.

The full study can be found in a 2007 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

One thing for sure: If people are buying it, food manufacturers will keep making it. That's clearly the reason why green tea versions of foods have spread as wide as Kit Kats. Food trends aside, the main reason why you may still want to jump on board the green tea bandwagon is because the stuff is just plain healthy.

Apart from study supported reports that green tea can help regulate blood glucose levels, preliminary studies now show that green tea may also help you keep off extra pounds. It is important to note, however, that studies involving the latter were only conducted on mice thus far.

According to a brief article posted on WebMD, the preliminary studies showed the following:

• Less weight and fat gain. Among mice with an obesity gene, those that ate chow laced with green tea extract gained less weight and less fat.
• Less fat in the liver. There was less sign of "fatty liver" disease in the mice with the obesity gene that ate chow laced with green tea extract.
• Lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in mice with the obesity gene that ate the chow laced with green tea extract, compared to other mice with the same obesity gene.

The research study was conducted at the University of Connecticut. Its complete findings can be found in the February issue of The Journal of Nutrition.

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