What if we told you we’d discovered the most effective weight-loss tool in the world—a weapon that works for everyone, costs just pennies a day, is available at any grocery store, requires no sweat or stress, and can be done at home, at work, or anywhere it’s convenient.

Hold your applause: That secret tool is green tea—a humble drink that’s been cherished as a health miracle for centuries, but one that science is finally coalescing around. Literally hundreds of studies have been carried out to document the health benefits of catechins, the group of antioxidants concentrated in the leaves of tea plants. And the most powerful of all catechins, a compound called epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, is found almost exclusively in green tea.

DRINK IT FOR BREAKFAST
Your body absorbs the nutrients in green tea most effectively when you drink it at least four hours after your last meal, making it a perfect breakfast every morning. Another reason why it should be your a.m. go-to: Researchers studied the coffee habits of New Yorkers and discovered that two-thirds of Starbucks customers opted for blended coffee drinks over regular brewed coffee or tea. The average caloric impact of the blended drinks was 239 calories. Switch to tea just once a day and you’d lose 25 pounds this year!