Sip your way to a flat belly with these six everyday drinks.
1. Water
Plain water prevents overeating. Research from the American Chemical Society found that if you start a meal with two eight-ounce glasses, you'll most likely eat fewer calories.
2. Green Tea
Catechins and caffeine make this popular drink a natural fat-burner. Three cups a day has been shown to boost metabolic rate and burn fat at a faster rate for 24 hours.
3. Soy Shakes
Throwing a scoop of silken tofu or soy protein powder into an afternoon shake can foster a leaner middle by curbing cravings. Soy proteins mimic the action of leptin, a hormone that tells you to stop eating.
4. Low-Fat Chocolate Milk
A convenient choice for muscle recovery as it offers an ideal carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. But very active women can benefit from more calories to fuel their training.
5. Cherry Juice
Tart cherries have anti-inflammatory compounds that may help speed up muscle recovery after strenuous activity, according to the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.
6. Coffee
Caffeine is reported to burn body fat at a steady rate. Caveat: The more caffeine you drink, the greater your tolerance to it which means less fat-burning potential over time.
Written by Victoria Shanta Retelny for Oxygen Magazine and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.