Green Tea Party

I switched to tea after I discovered that a cappucino can have upto 225 calories. One of Delhi’s top dieticians Nishi Grover (known for her Hitler-like approach to excess flab and a huge following because of her ability to brainwash her clients into staying off food),allows green tea as one of her only indulgences. The other is Diet Coke and on her programme,you’re allowed to consume both in copious quantities. You can question these methods that seem extreme and unhealthy but as long as the results are tangible there will always be takers. Over the last few years,there have been many debates about the health benefits of drinking green tea. There’s some evidence of lower cancer incidence among regular drinkers,but more than health,it’s become the darling of cosmetologists,because it is supposed to contain antioxidants that delay ageing. Similarly,weight loss professionals allege that green tea hastens the metabolic process,hence promotes calorie burning.

It’s clear the green tea fad is here to stay. It can’t harm you,even if it doesn’t help shed the kilos. In Delhi-based stores like Nature’s Basket and Food Bazaar,there are huge sections where packets read low cal and low fat,and since carbohydrates became a bad word,many bottles blaze with “low carb”. Clearly,more consumers are reading food labels to check out the ingredients,and green tea strikes a chord with the growing breed of health conscious customers. There are large sections devoted to other teas as well,but the green variety is one of the fastest selling. Its popularity as a diet aid is logical. Unlike regular tea,where you tend to add milk and sugar (there come the calories) green tea tastes best without any additions. You know there’s a great demand for it because earlier Chinese restaurants served it free,along with the main course,while now,there’s a separate menu for green tea varieties. At Thai Wok in Mehrauli and China Kitchen at The Hyatt,the other interesting options are the Bud teas,aromatic blooming teas,that when added to steaming water,flower in the cup (starting price,Rs 175),and are also calorie-free.

Would there be such a craze for green tea if people weren’t seeking a magic weight loss formula? Dieters are always ready to embrace any new idea,any exotic,mysterious ingredient that will undo all the wrong we’ve done to our bodies and miraculously sort out our appearance. In fact,the weirder and more exotic sounding,the better. The newest diet plan I’ve heard of recently is a friend who has small meals,with a couple of orange strips every two hours. And of course,green tea. She claims that it has helped her lose 15 kilos in three months. Another plan that is very popular in Delhi right now,is no meals after 5:30 pm,the logic being that you should have your first meal with the rising sun and the last with it setting. That would be possible,if we were all in school,sleeping by 8:00 pm,but it is really tough to incorporate with an adult lifestyle. I know somebody who has been on it for years and looks fantastic,but she’s a lot more fun if you meet her during the day.

For those lucky ones,not concerned with calories,try the peculiar but nicely flavoured Green Tea Ice-Cream (Haagen Daaz,Baskin Robbins) hutkayfilms@gmail.com