Matcha and Walking: The Weight-Loss Duo That Burns Belly Fat and Lowers Blood Sugar

Want to walk off fat faster than ever—and do it with virtually no extra effort? Then start sipping matcha green tea! It turns out walking and matcha go hand-in-hand when it comes to weight loss. On days when British scientists gave women four cups of the antioxidant-rich drink and had them take a brisk 30-minute stroll, “fat burning was significantly increased,” reveals University of Chichester’s Mark Willems, PhD, lead scientist of the study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 

Meanwhile, a Tufts University study found that moderately active people given the equivalent of 24 oz. of matcha daily doubled their weight loss and shed a whopping 25 times more belly fat compared to those given diet cola. 

Notes Willems: “Drinking tea and walking briskly—they are strategies that are easy to manage for most of us. And now we know if you do them together, you can really enhance the health benefits to your body.” Keep reading to learn more about the amazing link between drinking matcha tea and weight loss.

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What is matcha?

Matcha is green tea that has been specially grown and processed, then ground into fine powder. Traditionally, people use a bamboo whisk to mix the powder directly into hot water for a frothy, flavorful alternative to regular tea or coffee. 

Since matcha drinkers actually consume the tea leaves (rather than steeping and discarding them), they get a higher concentration of extra nutrients—including up to 137 times more antioxidants per cup, according to University of Colorado tests. Now, you may have already heard that ordinary green tea has enough antioxidants to speed metabolism by about 35 percent. That’s true. And matcha is up to 137 times more potent! 

The metabolism-boosting benefits of matcha and walking 

Any time you exercise, you trigger biochemical reactions in your muscles that help burn fat and calories for energy. Matcha’s antioxidant compounds—especially one called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)—enhance this process. Matcha is kind of like lighter fluid, says Willems. And if you regularly pair matcha with walking or any exercise, your body gets better and better at using fat as an energy when you’re active.

And that’s not the only way matcha boosts the weight-loss benefits of walking. Tea researchers have also found that EGCG and other matcha compounds help significantly lower blood sugar—a trick that naturally brings down levels of insulin, a hormone that stores excess sugar as belly fat and can prevent that fat from being burned. Since walking helps lower blood sugar, too, it’s a double whammy. Says Willems: “Whatever fat you’d normally burn during a brisk walk, with matcha, you burn measurably more.” He recommends walking 30 to 60 minutes per day at least five days per week.

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How to prepare matcha for optimal weight loss

Matcha plus walking will likely help you slim down even if you don’t change your eating habits. But pair it with any healthy way of eating—especially a plant-forward Mediterranean-style diet—and you stand to lower your body weight much faster. 

To make matcha, start with pure matcha powder (sold at most supermarkets and superstores). Culinary-grade matcha costs anywhere from $1 to $8 an ounce and is great in a matcha latte, smoothie or yogurt. Ceremonial grade starts at about $9 an ounce and is best to drink straight. Each ounce of matcha contains 6 to 7 teaspoons of powder. 

For best results, aim for 3 to 4 cups of matcha a day. It’s fine to add milk, lemon and/or a healthy sweetener like allulose or monk fruit. Experts note that honey or sugar may cause a spike in blood sugar and insulin that may slow fat burning.

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, opt for decaf versions of matcha, which are still loaded with potent antioxidants. Don’t want to drink that much? A nice thing about matcha powder is that it’s easy to add to smoothies or yogurt or even sprinkle on popcorn. Each teaspoon of powder you enjoy in food is equal to one serving of tea. 

Not interested in brewing matcha yourself? If you’re a Starbucks lover, the chain now offers unsweetened matcha that you can customize to your liking. You’ll also find it at many other coffee and tea shops. 

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How to lose weight with matcha: 2 tasty recipes 

Ready to give matcha for weight loss a try? Here, a couple easy options:

Hot and frothy matcha

Spoon 1 tsp. matcha powder into a mug or small bowl and top with 4 to 6 oz. not-quite-boiling water. Wait 1 minute, then gently whisk until frothy. Stir in any sweetener or lemon juice and enjoy immediately. For a matcha latte, substitute milk for water. 

Iced and refreshing matcha

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Spoon 1 tsp. matcha green tea powder into a small bowl and add several tablespoons of almost-boiling water to create a thick “syrup.” Pour the syrup into a glass with ice. Add 4 to 6 oz. cold water, then stir. Add sweetener or lemon, if desired. You can also mix with a protein shake for a protein matcha! (Check out the best type of protein powder for weight loss here.)

Matcha + walking weight loss success stories

After slimming down with help from matcha, Broadway-star-turned-fitness-guru Cee Cee Michaela Floyd founded the wellness site Zuleana.com. She regularly encourages women to pair matcha and walking. That includes Stacey Scott, an Alabama grandmother who shed 45 pounds. 

“Cee Cee got me to include matcha in my daily regimen, and the weight has been coming off ever since,” says Stacey, 52. “I’m perimenopausal and used to be tired all the time. Now I have so much energy. I can walk three to four miles briskly and not even get winded. You look and feel better so quickly. It’s phenomenal!”