Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets

Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 23, 2009 under Flat Stomach Secrets | 2 Comments to Read

Lose 3 inches in 3 months

If you are desperately struggling with a big waistline that just keeps getting bigger (even though you are not eating any more) I know just what you’re going through.

I used to have the same problem most of my life, even though I’m a nutritionist. The usual dieting methods didn’t really help my waistline/ tummy area. As I got older the problem became worse. One day I said ‘enough!’ I began a quest to find out why tummy fat is so different. I found out such extraordinary information that I  wrote a book about it.

About Me

I’m the author of seven books on health and nutrition. I’ve appeared on radio and TV in the UK and founded the British Association for Nutritional Therapy. I’ve also successfully treated hundreds of clients referred to me by doctors.

To flatten my stomach, did I live on lettuce and carrots, and spend every evening working out on my living room floor? NO.

I already know that stuff doesn’t work

You end up feeling so hungry and deprived that you become obsessive about food, binge as soon as you’ve lost a few pounds and the weight all comes straight back. I’m not really into exercising either - I have good intentions for a while then get bored and it all falls by the wayside.

To develop my new program I spent many months on research and collaboration with experts. Then I added some naturopathic techniques of my own that you won’t have seen in a weight loss plan before.

Here’s The Programme

1. First of all, a great new tummy exercise. No time commitment is required, as it’s a cool technique of walking which powerfully works out your tummy muscles at the same time!

2. You need to avoid a rather nasty ingredient that’s in hundreds of processed foods and affects your hormones, making you turn a lot of your food into belly fat straight away. Even most nutritionists aren’t aware of these new facts as the food industry keeps them pretty quiet. Balancing the hormones that control belly fat really is now the key to keeping a slim waistline, and I’ll be giving you plenty of advice on the latest ways to achieve that.

3. I also recommend that you avoid so-called ‘diet foods’. The artificial sweeteners found in most of these foods are appetite stimulants. They make you hungry and give you food cravings. (Another fact that’s kept quiet by the food industry…)

4. Get rid of hidden bloating. (If you get a lot of gas even when you haven’t eaten beans, you are probably a victim of hidden bloating.) My special internal cleansing routine to tackle bloating has been under development for several years and is being published for the very first time. It’s a drink that you take every evening, and worked absolute wonders for me - I hope you’ll love it too!

5. Hidden water retention is another potential cause of an expanded waistline. After my UK bestseller the Waterfall Diet was published in 1999 I got a reputation as the guru of water retention. Hundreds of people who followed the Waterfall Diet have lost 10 lbs or more of water weight. The record was 25 lbs in 26 days. Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets programme includes natural methods to help tackle several causes of water retention.

All you have to do is

• Learn a simple exercise that you can do while walking, sitting at your desk, in the car or even while watching TV,
• Follow a diet that won’t leave you feeling hungry,
• Consume a special cleansing drink every evening.

You will learn some amazing new facts that will help you keep your figure as time goes by. Believe me, after you’ve read this book you’ll agree that ordinary diets, including even the low-carb and GI variety, are on the way out. If you’re not truly amazed by all the great new information in this E-book, I’ll give you your money back.

Download Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets

Wishing you the flattest possible stomach!
Linda Lazarides

Newsletter No. 3

Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 31, 2009 under Newsletters | Be the First to Comment

In This Issue

• Artificial sweeteners
• Your questions answered: How healthy is agave nectar?
• Cinnamon: a very healthy spice

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve probably bought a few things in the ‘diet’ section of the supermarket. Diet sodas, sugar-free yoghurt and other items containing artificial sweeteners.

When I was doing the research to write my latest E-book Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets, I found some startling research carried out on rats which found that the rats who ate artificially-sweetened yoghurt gained more weight than the rats who ate sugar-sweetened yoghurt. It seems that sweeteners are very good appetite stimulants. Similar research on humans came up with the same results.

I find it quite astounding that this fact is kept so ’secret’. And I feel very sorry for all the people out there who have been consuming these products in good faith and putting artificial sweetener pills in their tea and coffee.

More info about the new weight loss and body-shaping program I’ve written which includes this information and lots of other helpful stuff
www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Q. “I see agave syrup everywhere being sold as a healthy sweetener. Is it really as healthy as the claims would suggest?”
Answer
Agave syrup (made from the agave cactus) is sold as a natural alternative to sugar, and many people buy it, believing that it is healthier. Agave is no more “natural” than sugar or other syrups, as it undergoes considerable processing. It is often recommended for diabetics as, chemically-speaking, it is mostly fructose, whereas sugar also contains glucose, which diabetics must avoid.

Unfortunately, consuming a lot of fructose tends to speed up the rate at which you accumulate body fat, especially the “visceral” fat which is linked with heart disease[1]. So it seems Agave syrup is not that healthy after all.

[1] Bantle JP, Raatz SK, Thomas W, Georgopoulos A (2000). Effects of dietary fructose on plasma lipids in healthy subjects. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 72, 1128-1134.

Among other things, my new E-book “Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets” advises on a much healthier natural sweetener. You can get it here
http://www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/download.html

If you have a question you’d like to see answered in the newsletter, please use this link and put “Newsletter” in the Subject box
http://www.health-diets.net/contact/

CINNAMON: A VERY HEALTHY SPICE
If you are on one of my diets, you may find that the extra vegetables and beans give you a bit of tummy gas. One of the best ways to combat this is to drink spice tea containing cinnamon and cloves. Cinnamon is a “carminative”, which means that it helps to control the intestinal bacteria which produce gas. It also helps to suppressing the growth of E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida yeast, and some parasitic worms.

In Chinese medicine, cinnamon is believed to aid weight loss by driving off excess water retention. In Western medicine, it is now suggested that consuming only half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day can help to prevent diabetes and the pre-diabetic condition known as “metabolic syndrome” [2].

[2] Khan A, Safdar M et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2003 26(12) 3215-8.

Cinnamon can be sprinkled on cooked fruit, cereals or oats (porridge), and can also be added to curries. The “Yogi” brand of spice teabags containing cinnamon is now available in many supermarkets.

Wishing you good health and happiness
Linda

–
Linda Lazarides
http://www.health-diets.net

LINKS
New E-book: Flat Stomach Secrets
http://www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/
Books and factsheets
http://www.health-diets.net/downloads/
Personal support
http://www.health-diets.net/lindalazarides/consultations.html
Waterfall Diet Survey
http://www.health-diets.net/water-retention/wfdiet-survey.htm
Useful Supplements (USA)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/180
Useful Supplements (UK)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/196
Low-Carb Dieting and the Waterfall Diet (E-book)
http://www.water-retention.net/waterfall-diet-downloads/
Waterfall Diet FAQs
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/category/waterfall_diet_faqs/
Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/LindaLazarides

Newsletter No. 2

Posted by Linda Lazarides on under Newsletters | Be the First to Comment

In This Issue

• Food cravings
• Waterfall Diet Survey
• Your questions answered: Swollen legs in hot weather

FOOD CRAVINGS
I may be biased but I think low-carb and GI diets are on the way out. They’ve had a good run for their money, but I’ve just been trawling through the latest archives of medical research and have been discovering new facts which I think will make these diets obsolete.

I’ve worked a lot with people who want to lose weight, and it’s very clear that the biggest problem is not how to shed a few pounds by temporarily changing your eating habits. The biggest problem is food cravings. People can’t bear to give up their favourite foods for very long. The minute you’ve lost those pounds, you go straight back to the foods you crave, and the weight comes straight back too. We’ve all been there and know how tough it is, even with Weightwatchers.

No diet is the real solution unless it makes things less tough and really helps people to reduce their cravings.

New research is showing that certain food ingredients commonly found in the supermarket cart, not only intensify cravings, but also put your fat gain hormones into overdrive. This fat is gained mostly around your middle.

Neither low-carb, GI nor Weightwatchers programs take these new facts into account.

Here’s more info about the new weight loss and body-shaping program I’ve written based on the new research findings
www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/

WATERFALL DIET SURVEY
For those of you who have been following the Waterfall Diet, there is now a feedback form which you can fill in online. (It only takes a minute.) I would really love to get your feedback, as this helps to get more doctors interested in the diet. So please do try to visit the form if you can:
http://www.health-diets.net/water-retention/wfdiet-survey.htm

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
“I suffer in warm weather from swollen ankles and a slight increase in weight but only during 2/3 months in the summer. the swelling goes down overnight. I’ve seen my doctor but he has no remedy for me!  I dread the summer. I bought the Waterfall Diet book but cannot work out exactly where my problems fit in as 80% of the year I am fine. Can you help me in any way?”
Answer
This is such a common problem. I wish I’d been able to write this newsletter during the summer when the answer would have been more helpful. When this problem occurs, it means that the heat is expanding the veins in your legs so much that they are temporarily losing their ability to cope with the effects of gravity. You can strengthen your veins by eating the recommended Waterfall Diet dark blue and purple fruits and a bit of orange or lemon pith and peel every day. During the course of the day, try to sit down a few times with your feet up and give your legs a gentle massage with cooling witch hazel gel. Walking is very helpful for swollen legs, so try to do as much as you can. Also lie on your back and pretend you are on a bicycle - make cycling movements with your legs in the air. The herbs horse chestnut, ginkgo biloba and butcher’s broom are also helpful.

If you have a question you’d like to see answered in the newsletter, please use this link and put “Newsletter” in the Subject box
http://www.health-diets.net/contact/

Wishing you good health and happiness
Linda

–
Linda Lazarides
http://www.health-diets.net

LINKS
New E-book: Flat Stomach Secrets
http://www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/
Books and factsheets
http://www.health-diets.net/downloads/
Personal support
http://www.health-diets.net/lindalazarides/consultations.html
Waterfall Diet Survey
http://www.health-diets.net/water-retention/wfdiet-survey.htm
Useful Supplements (USA)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/180
Useful Supplements (UK)
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/archives/196
Waterfall Diet FAQs
http://www.health-diets.net/blog/category/waterfall_diet_faqs/
Follow me on Twitter
http://twitter.com/LindaLazarides

Artificial sweeteners may cause weight gain

Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 22, 2009 under Flat Stomach Secrets | 2 Comments to Read

If you’re trying to lose weight, you’ve probably bought a few things in the ‘diet’ section of the supermarket. Diet sodas, sugar-free yoghurt and other items containing artificial sweeteners.

When I was doing the research to write my latest E-book Linda’s Flat Stomach Secrets, I found some startling research carried out on rats which found that the rats who ate artificially-sweetened yoghurt gained more weight than the rats who ate sugar-sweetened yoghurt. It seems that sweeteners are very good appetite stimulants. Similar research on humans came up with the same results.

I find it quite astounding that this fact is kept so ’secret’. And I feel very sorry for all the people out there who have been consuming these products in good faith and putting artificial sweetener pills in their tea and coffee.

More info about the new weight loss and body-shaping program I’ve written which includes this information and lots of other helpful stuff
www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/

Otto Warburg and the prime cause of cancer

Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 13, 2009 under Studying Nutrition | Be the First to Comment

I remember when I was a little girl, hearing on the radio that Otto Warburg had made a major breakthrough in finding a cure for cancer.

Warburg, a Nobel Prize Laureate, discovered that cancer cells live without oxygen. “The prime cause of cancer,” he said, “is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.” This fermentation is known as glycolysis—the process whereby glucose can be metabolised into energy without the presence of oxygen.

Although Warburg’s discovery is widely accepted, his theory that  the metabolism of cancer cells is the cause of cancer, is not. But maybe Warburg was closer to the truth than we think.

One of the fundamental principles of naturopathy is that degenerative disease begins in parts of the body where the circulation is obstructed. If blood, with its supply of oxygen, cannot get to an area, then the cells in that area will try to survive by altering their metabolism—producing energy from glucose by glycolysis. (This is normal—it does not make them cancer cells.) But if some damaged cell particles with this metabolism but without the normal cell blueprint, manage to reproduce, then perhaps we are looking at the beginnings of a tumour.

The white blood cells of the immune system should of course go into attack and destroy mode as soon as they find aberrant or cancerous cells. But if the circulation obstruction persists, white cells may not be able to travel to the site.

How does the circulation get obstructed?

If you have read my book the Waterfall Diet you will find a section about the effects of long-term inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s attempt to bring white blood cells to clean up damage or debris. Poisons or irritants which become lodged in the tissues (e.g. airborne pesticides, smoke, asbestos particles, plastic implants) can trigger long-term inflammation. Injuries sometimes stay inflamed for months or years, as I know from experience. I was involved in a minor car accident and severely wrenched one of my fingers. The joint was swollen for almost a year and only daily, vigorous massage eventually restored it to normal.

The problem with long-term inflammation is that it causes hardening of the inflamed tissues. The hardening process is caused by a protein known as fibrin, which accumulates at the site of the inflammation. This  hardening is known as fibrosis, and it can severely restrict the flow of blood to the affected area.

You can imagine the effect this might have on tissues deep within the body, such as breast or lung tissue. Oxygen will be lacking, and aberrant cells could begin to develop there if the fibrosis persists in blocking the entry of sufficient white blood cells to search and destroy.

Natural cancer therapies

Many natural cancer therapies focus on diet. Fruits and vegetables contain natural anti-inflammatory substances. Vitamin C is also a natural anti-inflammatory, and megavitamin C therapy has been successfully used to treat cancer.

Other natural cancer therapies focus on reducing stress and promoting relaxation. This is extremely helpful to reduce the adrenal hormones which suppress the immune system and reduce the circulation (these hormones are, respectively, cortisol and adrenaline). Relaxation of course aids blood flow.

Improving the circulation

Applying warmth to the body is one of the best ways to induce relaxation. Josef Issels, the founder of the Issels clinics for cancer patients,  was a firm advocate of using heat treatments such as hot baths and saunas. He  believed that cancer cells are more sensitive to heat than normal cells. He was interested in the work of William B. Coley, a surgeon at the Memorial Hospital, New York, from 1893 to 1936, who pioneered “fever therapy” in cancer. After observing that several sarcoma patients went into remission after developing a superficial streptococcal infection of the skin accompanied by high fever, he started to treat cancer with bacterial vaccines designed to induce fevers.

In cases where heat treatments work, is it because heat kills the cancer cells, or because heat relaxes the blood vessels and allows more white blood cells to reach the site of the cancer?

Another kind of heat—from red chilli peppers—is also believed to have benefits against cancer. In 2006 Lehmann and colleagues writing in the journal Cancer Research, reported that administering chilli extract to cancer cells in a test tube caused them to “commit suicide” (the technical term for cell suicide is apoptosis).

Chilli seems to have two more potential benefits against cancer. It stimulates the circulation and gradually dissolves fibrin deposits. I found an extraordinary story on the internet which actually makes good sense if you take on board the points made in this article. Kelley Eidem’s story.

The enzymes bromelain and papain (from pineapples and papaya fruit, respectively) can also break down fibrin. Bromelain supplements have been effectively used in several trials to reduce inflammation caused by sports injuries.

In conclusion, I believe that Otto Warburg has steered us in the right direction by believing that oxygen is the key to the successful treatment of cancer.  I’m very glad that the radio broadcast I heard when I was only 11 years old has stayed in my mind so vividly.

Linda Lazarides

To register your interest to take part in Linda’s forthcoming one year  internet course in Naturopathic Nutrition, please click here.

Beating Food Cravings: The Best Way to Help Dieters?

Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 7, 2009 under Flat Stomach Secrets | Be the First to Comment

I may be biased but I think low-carb and GI diets are on the way out. They’ve had a good run for their money, but I’ve just been trawling through the latest archives of medical research and have been discovering new facts which I think will make these diets obsolete.

I’ve worked a lot with overweight people, and it’s very clear that the biggest problem is not how to shed a few pounds by temporarily changing your eating habits. The biggest problem is food cravings. People can’t bear to give up their favourite foods for very long. The minute you’ve lost those pounds, you go straight back to the foods you crave, and the weight comes straight back too. We’ve all been there and know how tough it is.

No diet is the real solution unless it makes things less tough and really helps people to reduce their cravings.

New research is showing that certain food ingredients commonly found in the supermarket cart, not only intensify cravings, but also put your fat gain hormones into overdrive. This fat is gained mostly around your middle.

Neither low-carb, GI nor Weightwatchers programs take these new facts into account.

Here’s more info about the new weight loss and body-shaping program I’ve written based on the new research findings
www.health-diets.net/flat-stomach/

Linda

How To Take Control Of Your Health

Posted by Linda Lazarides on October 4, 2009 under Your Health | 3 Comments to Read

Do you have any of these..?

• Constant digestive / IBS type problems: constipation, diarrhoea (diarrhea), bloating or griping pains
• Or pounding headaches
• Skin spots or rashes that just won’t go away
• Drained by incessant fatigue
• Nervous or hormonal problems
• Blood sugar problems or borderline diabetes
• Swollen, painful joints
• Can’t lose weight even on a low-calorie diet…

Believe me, I’ve been there, and so have all the people who’ve come to me for help. First you feel in control because you went to your doctor. “He/she is an expert and will know what to do.”

But maybe after a while you got blank looks or evasive answers to your questions. Questions like “How long do I have to take this medicine before I’m cured?” Or “The medicine has helped one symptom but caused another one” or “I’m just not feeling better.”

As you started feeling your health wasn’t really under control, maybe you tried reading everything you could find about your condition.

Maybe then you went back to your doctor and tried to discuss some of the alternatives that have worked for other people. A good doctor usually says “Yes, why not give it a go, it can’t do any harm.” But maybe your doctor didn’t. Maybe he became a little bit patronising when you mentioned vitamins or special diets or herbal medicines. Even worse, maybe you were told “There’s no evidence that any of these things could help your condition”. Maybe there was even a subtle hint that it was “your fault” the medicines weren’t making you feel better.

Doctor’s statements are powerfully hypnotic. Challenging your doctor often seems unthinkable. Like many others, you might have “secretly” tried out a bit of acupuncture, or perhaps a diet you’ve read about. It’s a step in the right direction, but a lot of people give up too soon.

Don’t Become Resigned To Your “Fate”

These charts show some of the success rates I achieved when I used to work for a doctor. Each set of two bars represents a health problem I worked on. The white bar represents the total number of people the doctor referred to me with that problem. The black bar represents the total who got better on my “alternative” nutritional treatments.

My employer was a progressive doctor who knew from personal experience that for long-term health conditions such as the ones listed above, alternatives can often work better. After all, if any prescription medicine actually cured these conditions, they wouldn’t be “long-term”!

The results speak for themselves. I assessed each individual person based on their symptoms and what they were eating; then I helped them find out what was safe for them to eat. If I thought they weren’t absorbing their vitamins and minerals properly, or needed a good “internal cleanse” I prescribed suitable nutritional or herbal products.

I Know A Little Of What You’re Going Through

I’ve had a lot of health problems to cope with myself. I went through many years of excruciating headaches that would sometimes go on for three days. For a long time I also had an irritable bowel and severe gas and bloating. I’ve had problems with sleeping, menstrual pain, back pain, the beginnings of rheumatoid arthritis in my fingers and spine, problems with energy and weight loss, and at one point I started to develop memory problems and was worried about Alzheimers. All these are gone, except for a bit of back-ache when I stand still for too long, but that’s due to an old injury…

What Treatments Do I Use?

It’s never easy trying to describe what a nutritional therapist or naturopathic nutritionist does. Everyone has a different idea in their mind. Yes I give people diets to follow. These are often “diagnostic” diets to help them find out what foods they really need to avoid.

For some people, you need to add certain foods to their diet. For instance women with endometriosis or fibroids must (if they want to get better) regularly consume cabbage, broccoli and soya milk.

Others have intestines with clogged up absorption surfaces, and their vitamins or minerals can’t get through properly. So they start to get nervous problems or skin rashes. Some of these people need ten times more of a particular vitamin than the average person does. But whatever tranquillisers or anti-inflammatory creams your doctor prescribes, they are not going to clean out your intestines for you, so the problem will just keep coming back.

Please don’t give up your quest for the solution to your problem. It might be closer than you think.

Find Out More

I am now offering an online consultation service in order to give people personal, individual help. But if you don’t yet feel ready for that,  you  will find a lot of help in my book Treat Yourself With Nutritional Therapy. It has sections on how to assess yourself, how to test different foods, what foods can help which conditions, and how to prepare healthy meals. There are also over 100 recipes. (For those of you who are already using some nutritional therapy, all the recipes are wheat-, dairy- and yeast-free.)
Right-click here and “save link as” to download and print a copy of the Contents page.

I don’t believe in waffle, so Treat Yourself with Nutritional Therapy contains an enormous number of facts and pieces of interesting and intriguing research. Most important of all: knowledge is the key to controlling your health.

Linda Lazarides is a nutritional health expert, author of seven books, and founder of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy.

Get a copy of Treat Yourself with Nutritional Therapy

• From Amazon.co.uk
• As An Instant Download
• Sign up for one of Linda’s newsletters
• Sign up for a Personal Health & Diet Programme

Comments from Linda Lazarides’ Readers and the Media
“Inspirational and mouth-watering”
Here’s Health Magazine London
“You are more knowledgeable than any Doctor I’ve ever been to. Your book gives me hope.”
“EXCELLENT. First class advice. Yummy recipes.”
Food writer Michelle Berriedale-Johnson
“By far the best eating regime I have come across. I have lost 35 lbs and recommend your book to all my friends.”
“I have lost a lot of water retention and have made major progress with dealing with my chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Your book has changed my life. My family remembers me barely able to walk.”
“This book is an invaluable source of information for anyone who is serious about health issues”
Hazel Courteney The Sunday Times, London
“How did I survive without this book?”
Nutrition and Health
“This book merits a four-star rating”
Health and Fitness Magazine
“Linda Lazarides doesn’t put a foot wrong. She won’t give you any advice that isn’t sound and well-founded”
Dr Damien Downing, Senior Editor
Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine

Waterfall Diet FAQ: Can I eat…?

Posted by Linda Lazarides on August 27, 2009 under Waterfall Diet FAQs | 10 Comments to Read

We often receive enquiries asking if certain items are permitted on the Waterfall Diet. The general rule has always been “If it’s not on the “No” list and if none of the ingredients are on the “No” list, then you can eat it.

For processed foods, simply look at the list of ingredients and check them against the ‘No’ list. E.g. if a supermarket product is just beans and tomato, neither of these ingredients are on the ‘No’ list. But ‘modified starch’ or anything else that sounds like an additive is a ‘No’.

Use fresh products whenever possible. Tetrapacks, plastic bottles and cans are lined with plastic which leeches oestrogen-like chemicals into the contents.  These products cannot be avoided completely, so just be aware and use alternatives when possible.

If you are new to the diet, it’s best to stick closely to the recommended meal and snack suggestions and follow them faithfully for a week or two. This will give you a benchmark.

Certain fresh products or natural ingredients, especially new ones, fall into grey areas, leaving people unsure. So, based on enquiries received from readers, here are foods to be added to your “Yes” list and “No” list. Click on ‘Comments’ above or leave a reply in the box below if there are any foods you are not sure of and I will allocate them to the appropriate box for you.

People have also asked about the meat substitute Quorn. This falls into the ‘I don’t know’ category as it’s not something I’ve ever bought or eaten. To be on the safe side I recommend that you avoid it for a couple of weeks and then if you have a brand that is free of additives, salt and ‘NO’ ingredients you can try testing it to see if it has any effect on your water retention.

Waterfall Diet FAQ: Green Tea

Posted by Linda Lazarides on July 27, 2009 under Waterfall Diet FAQs | Be the First to Comment

When it first became popular to drink green tea as a health drink, I bought some and tried it out after lunch one day. I never had trouble sleeping, but that night I could not sleep, and tossed and turned until after 4 a.m.

Soon afterwards I checked out the caffeine content and was shocked to discover that green tea often contains more caffeine than black tea. It seems that the younger the leaf, the more caffeine it contains. Young tea leaves can contain up to 5% caffeine, and green tea is frequently made from the youngest leaves. On the other hand, black tea is made from larger, more mature leaves, which tend to have a lower caffeine content.

Green tea is drunk for its flavonoids and for its stimulating effect on energy expenditure (which in fact is largely due to the caffeine content).

The Waterfall Diet is already a flavonoid-rich diet. The long-term effect of stimulants on glands and hormones is not really known, which is one reason why the Waterfall Diet aims to give your body a rest from stimulants. Green tea is not permitted during Phases I and II but you can, if you wish, drink it once you reach Phase III.